Remarkable. Creative. Successful. Upmarket businesses push the envelope -- does yours?
What if instead of training me to know a little about everything I was trained to know everything about something? What if instead of just telling the caller what they did was wrong, I could tell them what would be right? If I were trained to take just ONE kind of phone call instead of being prepared to face ANYTHING, I think the system would work better.
Working in a call center, call volume is the be-all and end-all, despite the nods higher-ups make to quality and customer satisfaction. What matters most is how many calls I answer… not how many people I assist or educate or, God forbid, improve the days of during those calls.
If we’re going to harp on the subject of increased freedom and creativity in the workplace, perhaps we ought to talk about increased *internal* freedom and creativity as well. Do you feel guilty when you stop working?
In this week’s Tales from the Call Center, Nicole Nagy asks the increasingly desperate questions that occupy the minds of many customer service employees. Not the least of which is this: What happens when you have to pay the rent somehow but your job makes you sick to your stomach?
I LOVE helping clients make more money in less time. No one is looking to work more, or to add complexity to their business. On the contrary, I see an ever-increasing desire for greater simplicity, freedom, and lifestyle.
Our bodies, and even nature, tells us that rest matters. Yet we force our way through it. We use caffeine to help us wake up. Then we use sedatives to help us wind down… Does this describe you?
Five minutes a day you might do exceptional work, remarkable work, work that matters. Five minutes a day you might defeat the lizard brain long enough to stand up and make a difference.
“I work in bursts of creation, usually 90 minutes to 3 hours in length, inset by pauses for lengthy conversations, explorations, and movement.”
You’re smart. In fact, you’re smarter than average. Friends (and sometimes strangers) turn to you for advice. Everybody says you’re as good or better than others in your field who are have more clients, charge more for their work, and get more attention…
Getting unstuck and moving forward requires that we simplify and focus on what’s most important.
