Good Grief! It's Resolution Time................AGAIN!
 - By Rich DiGirolamo

December 5, 2007

It’s that time of year again. It’s time to come up with that New Year’s Resolution. Can you feel the adrenaline shooting through your veins?  

What’s it going to be this year?  Lose weight? Stop smoking? Go to the gym more? Be more active? Find new friends? Get a new job?  Save more money? Pay off your bills? Be a better spouse or partner? Work less? Be a better parent? 

And which of those did you sign up for last year? The year before that? Last decade? Last century?

Let's face it, by now you should weigh five lbs, sport a six-pak of abs, be jumping out of bed in the morning to get to the job of your dreams, have more wealth than Bill Gates and Oprah - combined, and have a place reserved right next to "The Man" up above. But do you?

By now you should be the Poster Child for personal and professional success. But are you?

Is 2008 going to be another year of letting yourself down? Is 2008 going to be another year you make promises that deep down inside you know that the outcome will not be in your favor?

Statistics show that the majority do not accomplish their New Year's Resolutions - for lots of reasons. Maybe your resolution is too big? Maybe it’s too small? Maybe it’s too vague? Does your resolution require input of others or depend on someone else? Is your resolution unreasonable? When do you normally come up with your resolution? On New Years Eve; when the libations have been flowing freely for many hours?

Resolutions for many seem to be nice to do ideas, rather than need to do ideas. It would be nice to lose weight, but do you need to? Has the doctor said lose weight or die yet? Same for smoking? And sure that new job would be great…… But let’s face it, the comfort of the current office and familiar faces can make anyone stop their job search after the first rejection letter arrives in the mailbox.

What about accountability? Seems that resolutions require no accountability but to oneself. What if that was different? What if you were accountable to someone? Would your actions change? Would your outcome change? Heck, would you have made the resolution in the first place? Think about that one as you inhale that next puff.

So then what is all this hoopla about New Year’s Resolutions? I really want to know who came up with this stupid idea in the first place. Why was January 1^st chosen? That doesn’t seem very fair to those of Jewish faith; who have a different calendar. And what about the Chinese? Why don’t we all make our resolutions at the beginning of their new year?

Did you know that the early Babylonians New Year’s Resolution was to return farm equipment? Hmm………….Now maybe we’re on to something. I know, this year I’ll return plastic ware to my mother; affording her the opportunity to send me home with more home cooked meals. I know what else I can do as well; I can walk my dogs over to my neighbor’s lawn and return the favor of a regular present I keep finding near my doorstep.

I don’t know about you, but I think this resolution thing is pretty dumb. If you look at history and statistics, the odds are against you. This is not a club I would think you really want to be a part of – a group of people who can’t accomplish anything. All my life I’ve been told to hang around with people who are smarter than me and more successful than me. Hanging out with a bunch of Resolution Failures is just not fun.

I think it is time you surprise the world this year! Leave the club and start taking steps to accomplish great things all throughout the year. How’s this for a resolution…….let’s try No More Resolutions.

Follow the Leader Was So Elementary School. Or Was It?
 - By Rich DiGirolamo

October, 2007

It was a simple game we played in Elementary School. One person was chosen as the leader. All the children lined up behind that leader, he or she moves around, and you follow and mimic whatever the leader does. If you fail to follow the leader’s actions you are out of the game. The last one remaining is the new leader.  

When you were a kid did you hate the game Follow the Leader. Did you like it more when you were the leader? Were you a lousy follower? Were you like me, the kid who usually broke the line and went off in a different direction? Were you like me, the first kid to quit when the leader continued to take you down the same path again and again – the path of no originality, no creativity, no risk, no excitement and no fun? Did the leader get pissed at you when you broke rank? When you were the leader did you go explore new paths, break the so-called rules, and meet head-on those obstacles you wanted the followers to get tangled up in? Were you like me, an explorer, not a leader? I’ll bet there was always laughter and excitement when you were the leader. Occasionally I’m sure there was some whining and crying.

 Fast forward “a few” years. One person is chosen as the leader. You line up behind that leader; he or she moves around, this time with an employee procedures manual in hand. You are still supposed to follow and mimic whatever the leader does. If you fail to follow the leader’s actions the leader still gets pissed at you; except now you might be out of a job, your personnel record is blemished, or you are branded a bad employee. But here is the odd part………….all the other kids in the game – your customers and peers - think you’re brilliant, a pioneer, or innovative. The leader and his or her counterparts have status meetings where your name is mentioned over and over. So few of the followers ever have their name mentioned in these meetings, but yours is. They argue over what to do with you. Some say to leave you alone. Others keep turning to that policy manual. They end up doing nothing about you, just like when you were a kid. The game continues. The last one remaining usually has their nose pressed right against the leader’s butt and he or she will more than likely become the new leader. Their prize – a shiny new Employee Manual.

Follow the Leader is one of the few childhood games which remain with us as adults. The game is still the same – almost. There are still the Leaders.  There are still the Followers; those mimicking in hopes of becoming the next leader. Then there are those who are still exploring new ways to attract new and different customers; searching out innovative and irreverent ways of doing business. Not everyone wants to be the leader; some just want to explore and seek out new ideas; especially when the organization is locked into ideas which are nothing but antiquated. This is very elementary for business success. Or should I say very Elementary School.

To Learn About Rich's Follow The Leader Program visit the Programs Page

Reality Check. The Global Economy Call Center Experience Needs a Makeover!
 - By Rich DiGirolamo & Gail Hand

August, 2007

So you dial the phone and the voice on the other end sounds foreign. You immediately decide this is going to be an awful customer service experience. You start thinking had you known technical support was going to be across the ocean you would have chosen a different company; a different brand perhaps. 

On the other end someone enthusiastically picks up the phone, tells you their name and asks how they can be of help. They are thrilled to have a job. The voice that responds to their excitement sounds disgusted from the onset.

And so plummets your company’s customer service rating.

It seemed like a good business decision at the time. After all, cheap labor equals increased shareholder value. Or does it? How many customers have you lost? You probably can’t even get a handle on that – although some highly paid consultant will help you figure it out – and use up your cost savings. Or you could just move your call center back to your soil.

But here are the bigger questions………………

Is it a matter of packing up and going home or educating the global economy on the future of call centers? Is the call center savings being passed along to the customer in terms of a better product with more features? Would the world respond differently if the product got better and better, leading to more sales which in turn resulted in increased profits for your shareholders? Can you lower the purchase price to earn customer loyalty? Or was the call center move all about savings? Should it be positioned as investment in the future? Here’s the bottom line..……..Is the overseas call center about your customer needs or your bottom line?  The overseas call center can work for everyone – if a few things change.

Welcome to the 21st Century Call Center Makeover – it is long overdue.

1. Ditch the script!: Callers know when they are being read a script. It is clear. It is obvious. Stop reading to us. Stop trying to fit our questions and issues into your script. Customer issues don’t always turn out the way they are scripted. Sometimes “happily ever after” just does not occur. Look at the divorce rate! Call center employees need to be able to converse, not read. They need to laugh and express emotion – happy ones of course.
2. Play with the merchandise! : A U.S. based manufacturer of quality bicycles allows their employees to take a bike ride during lunch. They want their employees to know their product; to experience their product. Be it computers, airline tickets, electronic gadgets, or bank credit cards let your employees play with your product. Let them see it, touch it and feel it. And make this a regular requirement!
3. For the 7th time…………….: “So let me clarify Mr. Rich (or Madam), you are telling me that your voice mail message will not delete when you choose the delete option.” First of all, prostitution is still illegal in most places; and as you are clarifying things for the 7th time I am thinking that your competitor wants me back as a customer – and they’re courting me as I try to speak with you. I get mail from them – daily. I am staring right at their offer as you are not solving my problem. They are local; their people are in my country.
4. Let them think: The human mind really is a terrible thing to waste. Are you old enough to remember that one? But think about it, how many of our decisions are made for us by computers models and algorithms these days? Remember common sense. Think about some of the more common technical issues surrounding your product and the nature of the calls to your call center. Would common sense have solved the issue before you hit F5, F2, ENTER, BACKSPACE, CTRL-ALT-DELETE AND THE RESET BUTTON?
5. Don’t you dare hang up on me!: Shame on you. You’re not helping me. I have no clue as to what you are saying and when I ask for your supervisor, you put me on hold for 20 minutes and then you hang up on me. And now you want me to remain a loyal customer? Now perhaps you don’t seem to care, but the person signing your paycheck sure as heck does. Please find the person who can solve my problem.
6. Hire them; don’t outsource them: If you’re cheap and cheap labor is what you need, can you at least put them on your payroll?  This may increase employee engagement.
7. Understand why I hate you: I don’t really hate you – even though my neighbor lost his job when his company transferred it to your country. It is not you I hate. You are the target of my anger. That is all
8. Join a Laughter Club:  A happy employee is a productive employee.  Laughter is proven to relieve stress, and since we know how stressed your customers are on the other end of the phone, one of us needs to be smiling or enjoying the customer service experience. Both of us would be a bonus.  There are laughter clubs in so many countries, from India to England to China. Joining a laughter club just might be the solution to prevent hardening of the attitudes.

If this Global Economy thing is going to work, we’ve got to start working together. Is your organization ready for its makeover? 

Rich DiGirolamo (www.richdigirolamo.com) and Gail Hand (www.gailhand.com) are professional speakers based near two different oceans. They work with organizations wishing to change the Global Economy Call Center Experience

Peyton Taught Tony. Let Jack Teach You!
 - By Rich DiGirolamo, The Big Kid

February 6, 2007

So are you Bears fans recovered yet? Have we moved on? It is only a game and while you might be bummed over the outcome, try putting yourselves into the shoes of the players. I have always found it astonishing how people who have no real connection to a sports team can throw so much emotion into a team loss (or win). Here’s a frightening fact……….absentee rate on the Monday following the Super Bowl is usually up 6%! It was expected to be a lot higher in Chicago yesterday. Continue reading....

My Letter to Santa
 - By Rich DiGirolamo, The Big Kid

December 2006

Dear Santa,  

I hope you are well. I mean it. I really mean it. I am very worried about your health. Let’s face it, you’re obese. You’re morbidly obese. Your BMI must be so far off the chart we will need Rudolph’s nose to find it. Those rosy cheeks have me worried. Have you had your blood pressure taken lately? Have your arteries been X-rayed, MRI’ed or scanned? We can’t have you getting a stroke in the next few weeks. There will be a lot of very pissed off kids out there – this one included. Perhaps you could ease off on the Egg Nog just for a bit? The last thing your tailor wants to be doing is letting out your suit on Christmas Eve. Even he or she deserves a night off. 

Read the rest

Socializing This Holiday Season? Have Fun without Getting Fat(ter)!!
 - By Rich DiGirolamo, The Big Kid

November 2006

Are you about to become one of the statistics? One of the millions of people who will gain weight during “all-you-can-eat” season – Thanksgiving through New Years.  Well it doesn’t have to be that way.

There are millions of people who will not gain weight. There are millions of people who will attend parties, social events, and holiday dinners where they will enjoy themselves without the need to inhale and pop open that top button as they walk to the car. How about joining those ranks this year? You can. Just take these five steps to make it about things other than the food.

Bye Bye Batman!
 - By Rich DiGirolamo, The Big Kid

September 2006

Years ago my friend Maria made a comment to me – that I was always doing fun stuff. I couldn’t tell if it was envy, excitement, thought provoking for her, or just a comment. Not important. She made this comment right after I had been exploited as a “model” in a national marketing piece for Weight Watchers. Yes, that was when I was young, skinny and pretty. Now I’m just skinny.  Read on

Where can your dog crap, but management doesn't give one?
 - By Rich DiGirolamo, The Big Kid

August 2006

Are you a pet owner? Well, for the pet owners on the list, I think it is pretty cool that we are allowed, and encouraged, to shop with our animals at pet stores. Don’t you? So Saturday morning, I took one of my two new puppies to Petco to buy some supplies. It will probably be the last interaction I have with Petco; that after I print this issue of Are You Done Whining and mail it to the top brass.  Read on……