Life in the contact centre fast lane

A great year at Telnet

2011-12-20T09:24:00.003+13:00

Well we are almost at the end of another year.

It's been a very eventful year in New Zealand. We have had it all, from earthquakes to oil spills, global financial strife, and the highlight of the World Cup win. And of course, we top it off with an election. pheeeww !!

Amongst all this we at Telnet have just got on with the job. Its been a very good year for Telnet and we end the year bigger and stronger than when we started. A lot of that I credit to our people who should all take a bow and congratulate themselves. What a team eh!

As we move into the festive season, I would like to wish our staff and our clients all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New year.

Be safe and best regards

John Chetwynd

Winning back Contact Centre business from Manila

2011-11-29T13:48:00.005+13:00

I am pleased to report that Telnet has now successfully migrated the contact centres for two significant businesses from Manila to New Zealand; the most recent being a fast growing Australian based business in the telecommunications space.

In both cases the businesses were experiencing disenchantment with the service experience they were receiving from their Manila supplier. And I am pleased to report that since the move to Telnet independent surveys are confirming that customers have noticed and appreciate the improvement in customer experience.

Probably of more importance is that the price difference has not been as great as expected. This is because Telnet's unique approach results in significant reductions in handling time. Customers love the fact that their queries are understood better and resolved faster.

John Chetwynd

The Art of Selling

2011-10-28T13:24:00.002+13:00

We at Telnet have always seen the power of good old fashion selling. As a specialist telesales provider we see the phenomenal results that can be achieved when a good sales plan comes together! This article from the Economist puts it rather well. Click

Web channels outperform phone channels

2011-10-04T11:11:00.000+13:00

There is growing evidence that the web is becoming a critical part of the mix in delivering a superior customer experience. Recent research by Avaya and callcentres.net has not only highlighted the growth in web self-service, but has also identified quick query resolution as the most important attribute for delivering the “ideal customer service experience”

The research is consistent with the fast paced world we live in. As consumers, we like self service as it gives us more control, and when we need to interact with a service provider we want the experience to be quick and efficient. In my view, the growth of ultra fast broadband and smart phone technology will put the web at the centre of customer support. A well constructed website should not only be the first port of call for customers but it should also be the principle knowledge tool for CSR’s when servicing customers (e.g. older people)who prefer speak with a person. Businesses that can take advantage of this trend will enjoy considerable benefits. Ostensibly, customer satisfaction levels will rise, and the cost of customer service will fall due to fewer calls to the centre and the reduced handling time that results from better knowledge management

So what needs to be done? A lot! A quick review of most websites of major providers shows that they are not at all user friendly when it comes to satisfying customer queries. Many search functions in particular are generally ineffective particularly when you compare them to a ‘Google’ search. In my experience, despite the significant gains that have been made in recent years to improve the software tools available to business, knowledge management systems available to CSRs are still ineffective making it hard for them to solve customer queries quickly.

In my view, the future role of the contact centre will be to handle those queries for customers that can’t be handled by self service. And, when we need to make that call we should expect to have the call answered promptly, and our query answered accurately and efficiently.

John Chetwynd

World Cup Fever hits Telnet!

2011-09-14T11:24:00.003+12:00

This month Telnet’s staff all participated in a Call Centre wide competition to celebrate the launch of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Each member of senior management teamed up with a team on the call centre floor who in turn adopted a Nation participating in the World Cup. They then had a week to decorate their allocated area in their respective team’s colors.

The response was fantastic, with everyone joining in, management dressing up and the excitement levels reached fever pitch on the judging day. The winning team was Z-Energy (Samoa) who won a team lunch for all involved. Go to our website here to have a look!

We will continue to have competitions throughout the world cup, so watch this space…..

John Chetwynd

Service Design Thinking

2011-08-16T13:30:00.002+12:00

This is another interesting post by Dr Catriona Wallace. In my view she hits a few really important buttons, namely the importance of good process design in our contact centre world and of course putting the customer and (in my view) the front-line staff at the centre of the design process.

We read alot about the focus on staff training and morale. Whilst these are clearly important I would put design and a superb CSR tool kit ahead of everything. We need to make it as easy as possible for our people on the front-line to satisfy customer queries. In my experience staff morale improves and training is simplified when you get the design and tools right.

If you don't already follow Catriona's blogs I recommend that you start

John Chetwynd

Congratulations to Litmos

2011-06-11T14:27:00.003+12:00

Telnet congratulates Litmos on its recent acquistion by US software company, Callidus.

As one of Litmos's first customers, we have always recognised the power of the Litmos product.

We wish them well.

View Press Release

John Chetwynd

Web channels outperforming phone channels

2011-05-20T11:06:00.005+12:00

I read some interesting research on callcentres.net that highlights the growth in non voice channels. We at Telnet are certainly strong advocates for the use of multi channels to improve customer experience and hold costs, particularly the use of SMS email, and web. As highlighted in the research, quick query resolution is the most important attribute for delivering a better customer experience. And from an economic point of view it makes sense to satisfy customer queries electronically where you can.

Click here to for the callcentres.net article

John Chetwynd

From Ireland to New Zealand - Interview Roy O'Hara

2011-05-09T17:26:00.001+12:00

1. What brought you to NZ?

A big plane! When I was twenty-three I moved to and lived in Canada for a while. I went back to Ireland for a job, but always said that I would go travelling again before I settled down. I knew that if I had to travel I would have to do it before I turned thirty, as it gets hard to get a visa after then. Once I realised that Ireland was on the brink of recession, I felt it was the best time to go.

As I had done Canada, and Australia and America didn’t appeal to me, New Zealand was the obvious choice – a choice I am glad I took (so far).

2. How long have you been in NZ?

I’ve been here just over eighteen months, which feels like both no time and a lifetime.

3. What were you doing before you came to NZ?

The majority of my background is in retail. I have ten years experience, mostly in various levels of management. Before I came to New Zealand, I spent two years working at the Bank of America, working firstly in sales, then in the Fraud Department.

4. What made you apply for Telnet?

I needed a job! I had blown all my money travelling across America and Telnet was the only place that would hire me!

To begin with I interviewed as an agent, but was offered the role of sales coach. Within time I moved up to 2IC, Team Leader and now to my current role of Services Manager

5. What do you do in your spare time?

I am a film geek – for my sins, and I also love getting out fishing. Fishing here is so different. In Ireland, we often went out for a day without catching anything!

6. What is the toughest part of your job?

The unplanned! I try to plan out my week as best as possible, but anything can happen to throw all your plans out the window. For example, when there was the recent earthquake in Christchurch, it was decided to have someone from my team available through the night in case of emergency calls. I had to rush home, shower, and come back in, working right through the night to man the phones, then come back in the following night to do it all again. But if every day was the same, then work would be boring.

7. What’s the best part of your job?

Call me cheesy, but the people I work with. I am really lucky to have staff that are dedicated to their jobs and make my life so much easier. You can’t become a good manager, unless you surround yourself with good people.

8. What’s some advice you can give agents?

The best advice I can give any agent is to listen to what the customer is telling you. So many times I listen to a call and the customer has to repeat themselves, which can cause frustration. All of us have to call call centres at some stage in our lives, so we all know what we would judge as a good experience. Put yourself in their shoes, be patient, be understanding, and try to resolve their query on that call. For sales, the customer most likely to buy from you is a happy customer. It is up to you to make them happy!

Wage rates versus Australia - business opportunity

2011-04-14T13:38:00.002+12:00

There has been a lot of debate recently in the media following Bill English’s comments about our lower wage rates giving us a competitive advantage over Australia. The reality is that the current wages and currency settings create a window of opportunity to attract big business across the ditch. The combination of lower labour and exchange rates at present can mean a saving of up to 35 per cent on the final bill which gets attention in the cost competive world we live in.

It is important to note that this does not mean that Telnet bases its business proposition on cost. Quite the contrary, we are a high value provider servicing a blue chip client base. Our average wages for customer service and telesales reps are about 26% above the minimum wage and our offices are based in the heart of Queen Street in a modern corporate styled and fitted office, giving our staff the respect they deserve as valued employees.

We also work hard on training and developing our employees’ skills so if they choose to leave the profession they come out better skilled. As result of this almost all of our managerial staff, apart from those in IT and accounting positions have started with the firm as a telesales or customer service representative.

Importantly, innovative technology is also a key attraction when we pitch against firms in call centre competitive countries - as is our shared culture and comradeship with the Australian culture. We will never compete with the likes of India or the Philippines in an area like wages but we can compete against Australian domiciled centres. Therefore, a combination of innovative technology and competitive wages as well as quality staff with superior customer service all combine to enable us to compete at an international level.

This is something we are proud of and shouldn’t shy away from. Just because we don’t like being the poorer cousins that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do the best to take advantage of a competitive situation to grow our business.

We talk about this more in our recent interview with TVNZ’s business programme. Click here to see this clip:

Telnet Awarded QFE Status - First NZ Contact Centre

2011-04-06T15:04:00.000+12:00

I am happy to announce that after a great effort from the team at Telnet, we are the first NZ Contact Centre to be awarded QFE status.

Have a look at our press release below

John Chetwynd

TELNET SERVICES FIRST NZ CONTACT CENTRE TO BE AWARDED QFE STATUS

New Zealand’s largest privately owned contact centre Telnet Services is pleased to announce that it has become New Zealand’s first contact centre to gain the Qualifying Financial Entity (QFE) accreditation, making it easier for Telnet to market financial products to retail customers on behalf of its clients.

Telnet Managing Director John Chetwynd says the accreditation is a significant step for the company. “We have worked hard to develop a first class training, monitoring and compliance environment at Telnet which we believe has positioned us well for obtaining QFE status.”

Telnet provides telephone sales services to a number of substantial financial services companies. “By seeking registration our clients will find it easier to use Telnet as a partner to promote their products.”

Telnet’s QFE status enables it to sell Category 2 products which include insurance products, and consumer credit contracts such as hire purchase and loans.

Chetwynd says Telnet sought accreditation with expansion of the business in mind. “Being the only contact centre at this stage with QFE status will enhance our competitive advantage in the financial services space.”

Under the requirements of a QFE, Telnet must take responsibility for ensuring its telephone sales agents deliver a professional service to retail customers. But Chetwynd says this is an area in which Telnet has always excelled.

”We have always placed integrity of service high on our priority list for our clients and their customers. We believe that passing the standards required of a QFE is confirmation of this.”

Telnet has a comprehensive performance management framework in place for its training and development, customer service, technology and people management. This was further developed over recent years as a prerequisite to securing the business of financial service companies in the already tightly regulated Australian market.

As part of Telnet’s push into the Australian market it has also obtained accreditation with the Australian Teleservices Association and its esteemed Centre Standards and Accreditation Programme (CCSA).

The CCSA is a framework of guidelines, processes and disciplines focusing on five key areas of a contact centres’ business – Planning, Infrastructure & Environment, People, Process and Achievement & Performance.

“The rigour of assessment required to promote financial products within Australia and the standards required within the CCSA program provided an excellent foundation for us to secure QFE accreditation for our New Zealand business,” Chetwynd says.

HELPING CHRISTCHURCH GET BACK TO BUSINESS

2011-03-16T14:38:00.001+13:00

Getting back to business for those companies caught up in the devastation of the Christchurch earthquake is being made a little easier with Telnet’s help.

With all the disruption caused by the earthquake in Christchurch last month, it is going to be a while before many businesses find their feet again. And with all the rebuilding they will need to do, their IT infrastructure is just one of the things on their list of priorities.

But Telnet, partnering with a leading business telecommunications group, Zintel, are helping those business owners by offering to provide front line support for Fronde.

Fronde, an IT services company which delivers software solutions to blue chip companies, is offering free Google Apps accounts to businesses whose IT infrastructure has been devastated by the earthquake.

It will mean those businesses will be able to access email, create calendars, documents and spreadsheets which can be shared and collaborated on by employees across the organisation.

All companies will need is a laptop, browser and internet or wi-fi connection and employees will be able to access their mail, calendar and documents anytime and anywhere from any computer or smartphone.

The service will remain free for 12 months and is available free to businesses based in Christchurch with 150 employees or fewer.

Telnet and Zintel are playing their part by providing the 0800 call service and front line support.

Agents at Telnet will be responsible for the data capture when businesses call in, passing this information on to Fronde will set up the Apps, activate the service and provide on-line training.

The number to contact is 0800 007 663.

World Class in New Zealand - and Australia

2011-03-01T08:06:00.001+13:00

Telnet is taking on Australia with its recognition as the first New Zealand, privately owned call centre to achieve accreditation with an Australian contact centre industry association.

Australian Teleservices Association CEO Michael Meredith visited Telnet in February to award accreditation.

The association, also known as ATA is the premier professional body for the Call and Contact Centre Industry and the pre-eminent call centre association within Australia.

I see this as a huge step toward raising Telnet’s profile.

The Centre Standards and Accreditation Programme status provides call centre companies with a performance management framework in areas of training and development, process, customer service, technology and people management.

The programme has a framework of guidelines, processes and disciplines that focus on key aspects of contact centre business and provides public recognition of centres that operate at a high level.

It is part of a plan to grow Telnet within Australasia. In the past year, Telnet has grown with a number of new clients signing up, including Greenstone Energy, which previously outsourced to the Philippines.

The CCSA programme is the benchmark for the industry in Australia. It announces to the business community that the call centre is prepared not only to meet its needs, but also exceed them.

And the Bronze accreditation is only the tip of the iceberg. The accreditation is a validation of our effort and commitment. We have now set our sights on Silver status in two years’ time.

Mr Meredith says he is delighted to see how the CCSA programme translates in the New Zealand marketplace.

He says Australian and New Zealand contact centres operate at a world-class level and the value of the formal attainment of operational excellence is gaining in importance in the industry.

John Chetwynd

The Christchurch Earthquake

2011-02-25T15:01:00.002+13:00

Like many others around the country, we at Telnet have been watching in horrified silence at the devastation caused by the Christchurch earthquake.

The images of collapsed buildings and the loss of lives is surreal and some of us have already heard stories of people calling in amid the devastation. There are stories of loss and stories of survival.

There is an old adage that no news is good news and for those of us still waiting to hear news of family or friends in Christchurch, it provides little comfort, especially as the death toll continues to rise.

We can only begin to imagine how people are suffering in the city. And our hearts go out to those who have lost family members or friends.

The only thing we can say to agents here at Telnet is remain positive. It is a difficult situation and we will be hearing from people in the coming weeks still struggling to deal with loss. The best advice we can offer for those talking to customers affected by this is to be understanding of their situation.

Getting on the Social Media Bandwagon

2011-02-04T16:09:00.002+13:00

Is this the future for customer service?

Ask a dozen friends and a large number of them will say they have a Facebook page. Or Bebo. Or they will be following someone on Twitter.

With more than 500 million active users, Facebook has grown since it was founded in February 2004.

And here's some more interesting facts on Facebook. The average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events and more than 30 billion pieces of content like web links, news stories, blogs, notes and photo albums are shared each month.

Compare that to Twitter, which as of late last year had 175 million registered users, and 95 million tweets are written per day.

Given these numbers it's unsurprising that companies have quickly jumped on the bandwagon, from the media to electronics, and retailers to service companies. It seems almost every company that has a website also has a 'follow us on Twitter' or Facebook.

According to one company, it's an opportunity for them to have a direct dialogue with their customers. And it creates an opportunity for contact centres.

Almost every agent at Telnet has access to the Internet and has at least a basic knowledge of what Facebook is about. Others have Twitter accounts or contribute in some way to online forums.

Telnet’s clients and many other organisations are giving social media a prominent place in communication and marketing strategies.

According to the editor of Customer Contact Magazine, Erik Bouwer in the following article
Social Media and Customer Contact organisations are recognising the value of social media in
allowing them to create a presence at places where their customers are.

"Social media can provide companies with a better insight of what is going on in the heads of their customers."

Many of the clients that use Telnet's services already use social media in one form or another.

Our own Telnet blog is potentially a great tool to keep our clients and agents up to date with what is happening in the company and with contact centres around the world.

It's definitely food for thought.

* For more on social media and contact centres, see Top 5 Takeaways From the Multi Channel Contact Centre Webinar

Telnet in the news

2011-01-01T20:40:00.003+13:00

It's good to see that Telnet has been in the news again.

Agent TK Taito, who has been with Telnet for seven years and is currently working on Greenstone is featured in an article in the Dominion Post. Check it out here.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2010-12-24T08:11:00.003+13:00

It's been a long year and it's Christmas Eve. For those already off on their Christmas break, have a happy and safe Christmas and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

For those who are off to other parts of the country, drive safely.

For those working over the holiday period, we hope you do take some time to have some fun.

And here's a couple of Christmas messages:

Another Christmas is upon us. It’s actually the 14th in the life of Telnet and on many measures it brings to a close the best year ever for Telnet. Much of that must be attributed to our great team. I get the sense that you have all taken on board the Telnet Promise and particularly the promise that “We Care”. I see everywhere examples of staff who really take a pride in their work and really care about their mates around them and the service we provide. That is probably the greatest reason why Telnet has done so well this year.

So all I can say is thank you and wish you, your family and friends all the very best for a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year .

Best Regards

John Chetwynd

"There is the rest of the year…and then there is November” – That’s a saying we’ve had for years here at Telnet and it certainly came true again in 2010. Outbound was at its busiest with work for Telecom, Localist and Genesis Energy. The stats board could hardly keep up with all the sales you guys were generating! Inbound was busy too, although the good weather meant Utilities had time to buy everything in the Two Dollar Shop and turn their end of the centre into Christmas Central.

Thank you all for working so hard for our clients throughout 2010 – the results have been great and I know they all appreciate how much you have contributed to their companies.

Some people have already left for their holidays in the sun (Kim Marie) or the rain (Candice) and the Admin area and Outbound will be a ghost town. Of course “we never close” in Inbound and a special thanks to those of you will be working through especially on Christmas Day.

Have a happy and restful Christmas and get ready for an even bigger 2011.

Penny

And just to close, here are some photos of the amazing decorations.

BUSY BEAVERS MEAN TOP YEAR FOR TELNET

2010-12-20T17:10:00.000+13:00

If you've been hearing the sound of sleigh bells in the call centre lately, it's not Santa. It's another sale and another reason to celebrate what has been a great year for Telnet.

Divisional manager Kim Marie has been managing the outbound teams this year and says it has been 'full-on' for her.

She says some major changes have been happening this year including more training for agents and that has shown benefits with dramatic improvements in service and a better quality of calls.

"We’re working with our clients to ensure we deliver a good result, which means plenty of coaching for the agents and tweaking scripts etc."

Some new projects have come in while other longer term projects have grown.

We're well into the busiest time of the year and the call centre has been "jam-packed" with agents. Which has meant the noise has been reaching record levels.

"It’s been great. Lots of activity which has presented opportunities for people to stand out," Kim Marie says.

Many of the new agents are travellers from overseas in New Zealand on a working holiday and they have certainly reaped the benefits of being part of a multi-cultural team. And it has been interesting for customers too, who Kim Marie says seem to get a kick out of hearing the different accents.

She says some agents have come from a range of backgrounds and with different experiences and it has been delightful watching the interactions within the teams and the friendships forming.

Some agents will be off for a well-earned break while others will be working over the Christmas period.

As for Kim Marie, she is looking forward to her own well-earned break with family, and where she’s going, work will definitely not follow.

"No Blackberry, no cellphone, it’s going to be bliss."

Top Five Tips to Great Customer Service

2010-12-06T20:18:00.001+13:00

As Customer Service Professionals we are all aware that giving great customer service is the most important part of our role. Customers will remember great customer service, long after the call, but unfortunately, if they receive poor customer service, it will be remembered just as long.

As Christmas looms ever closer here at Telnet, we thought this would be a great opportunity to provide some tips on making every customer's experience not only the best possible experience, but also unforgettable.

We're the first step and we should be the last in the process. It's what our team leaders like to call 'first Call resolution'. This means taking care of the customer's needs, answering any questions and resolving any problems all on the one call.

If something does go wrong, not that we expect it to, this is where our team leaders will help. They're there to coach, assist and listen in to calls. But this is just a small taste of what they do. They are also there to help the rest of us come to an understanding of how we can 'be the best we can be', providing tips and guidance when we need it.

It's a good thing to remember that our team leaders were once where we are and they do understand where we're coming from. They are constantly working to find better ways of improving customer service, updating scripts and trying new ideas. They're aware that at this time of year, it's busy, it can be stressful and sometimes we have habits that are hard to break.

And finally, here are the top five tips to great customer service.

1. Smile - don't underestimate the value of a smile during a call - the customers can hear if you're having a bad day.

2. Empathise with your customer - put yourself in their shoes

3. Listen to your customer - they really do like to know they're being heard

4. Paraphrase or summarise what you've talked about

5. Attitude - be friendly but always professional

Above all, treat every customer as you would expect to be treated.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Knowledge Management increases Customer Satisfaction and reduces AHT at Telnet

2010-12-03T12:59:00.000+13:00

Making it easy for Telnet’s CSRs to deliver superior customer experiences has always been a key focus for us. We recognize that if you provide all the information necessary to satisfy a customer’s query in a readily accessible and useable format then great things happen. The customer experience is enhanced, fewer mistakes are made, and talk-time is reduced thereby saving money for our clients.

At Telnet we have developed our own on line scripting tools and wiki style knowledge bases and we use Microsoft’s SharePoint to store reference material, diagrams etc. Using these tools we keep all the information our CSR’s need to do their jobs, at their fingertips. Today we call this Knowledge Management.

Once you commit to making your CSR’s life simpler the results will start to flow. I can confidently say that in 100% of cases where Telnet has won a new client, we have, within months of managing their calls reduced AHT by factors often exceeding 20% whilst lifting customer satisfaction levels.

My advice - if you really want to raise the game in your contact centre take a serious look at your Knowledge Management.

John Chetwynd

Top 5 Takeaways from the Multi Channel Contact Centre Webinar

2010-10-29T09:54:00.009+13:00

It was great to participate in the webinar "How to Develop a True Multi-channel Contact Centre" (#multiCCC) this week, hosted by Dr Catriona Wallace of callcentres.net. Catriona shared some of the latest research with the panel and the attendees – with comments and case studies from myself at Telnet, as well as Hamish Grant from Ezibuy and Matthew Beeche from Pitney Bowes – around the take-up of multiple channels (outside the traditional phone/fax/email – and into Webchat, SMS, Social Media, Internet and the like) into Australian and NZ contact centres.

One of the things that perhaps surprised me most was that the stats, and feedback from the attendees seemed to show that multi-channel seems to be regarded as "very hard" by most centres. After living and breathing multi-channel at Telnet for so long, it was really interesting to take a step back and look with fresh eyes at this topic – and particularly around emerging media types like Social Media.

The top 5 biggest "takeaways" from the session though were probably:

Despite hype to the contrary 80% of CC interactions are still with real live agents – Kiwis and Aussie love to talk!
Setting up a true multi-channel contact centre needn’t be a daunting task – provided you have the right partners and vision
Never implement a CC channel "just because you can" – listen to your customers needs
Getting into social media (such as Facebook, Twitter, Forums) can be scary – but these are also really easy to introduce gradually – Before you do anything LISTEN to your customers and see if your customers are talking about you!
Experience shows that multi-channels does not tend to lower your overall interactions, or simply transfer interactions from one media to another – at least in the short term, interactions will INCREASE as you improve your accessibility to your customer base.

Thank you to Catriona and Julie at www.callcentres.net and their sponsor for hosting this great webinar.

Rebecca Elliot
Telnet

Agent Interview

2010-06-24T10:36:00.004+12:00

When Zeenat moved to New Zealand from Fiji last year she never believed she would become a call centre agent. Initially shy on the phone, she has risen up the Telnet ranks to monitor other agents in the business as a Quality Assurance Analyst. She speaks below on what it takes to be a Telnet agent.

1. I have worked at Telnet for a year now. I had just finished College in Fiji and came over to live with my Mother. When I started I had never been in a call centre before but the best thing about being here is that people are really warm and friendly.

2. When I first started I wasn’t that confident. I actually didn’t like the phones to begin with but after a year I got over that. Telnet is really great at putting you in campaigns that suit your personality and that is how I first started getting recognition for my work.

3. My clients include Aegon, GE Money, Genesis Energy, AA Life and Sovereign. We work in a very professional working environment.

4. My day starts by checking my emails to see if I need to go to any meetings. The meetings usually involve finding out if any of the agents have any concerns or questions with regards to any calls they have taken and since I’m responsible for monitoring them, I make sure that we address any of those concerns. We also try and see how we can help agents improve themselves in their day to day role.

5. What I like most about being an agent is getting to work with a variety of people which led me to find some very dear and awesome friends. To be an agent you need to have patience, a sense of responsibility, sales skills and definitely a great sense of humour. I can assure you that if you’ve got a sense of humour then there is always something funny happening at Telnet!!

6. My best skills are my patience and ability to stay calm in most situations. And I like an organised working environment. When a customer gets annoyed with me I stay calm and listen to the customer’s concern before deciding on the best response.

7. To be a call centre agent you have to have great communication skills. Your personality is reflected in the calls and you have to adapt that to suit the person answering the phones.

8. My friends say my job is boring listening to calls all day but they don’t know the half of it!!!

9. When I’m not at Telnet I’m either home, at my mum’s or out shopping. My shifts start at 2pm through to 10pm currently so in the mornings I try and get some exercise or do some yoga.

10. What I love about Telnet as a business is it gives potential for agents to grow. When a crisis hits we get together to find an immediate solution to the problem so there’s plenty of support for us agents at Telnet.

Zeenat Buksh

Quality Assurance Analyst

Telnet Signs contract with Greenstone Energy

2010-06-17T12:47:00.004+12:00

I am very pleased to announce that today Telnet signed a contract with Greenstone Energy which will mean that their call centre comes back from the Philippines to be managed by Telnet from our centre in central Auckland. Read more from Greenstone's website

John Chetwynd

Kiwis versus the Aussies

2010-06-01T17:27:00.003+12:00

I have just been reading Dr Catriona Wallace's Blog about Kiwis and Aussies and since I'm a Kiwi I am passing it on. Click here

Dr Wallace is Managing Director of callcentres.net Pty Ltd a research, consulting, analyst and online publishing company dedicated to the Australian and Asia Pacific contact centre and outsourcing industries. Callcentres.net is a must for people wanting to keep abreast of our industry.

John Chetwynd

Texting – The Short Sweet Way To Communicate

2010-05-04T11:21:00.001+12:00

Using texts to politely remind your customers their bill is due or to update them when a crisis is unfolding can be one of the quickest and simplest ways to communicate with your customer base.

Being able to communicate with customers without human interaction is remarkably cost effective for a business, especially when time spent on the phone also equals money. Texting is a highly customised solution used by up to 30 per cent of our customers. So for companies that want to remind customers about a bill, or send an information pack in response to a recent TV commercial, texting can be a very efficient way to go about it.

An example of a text reminder for bill payment is below:

Text #1: “This is a friendly reminder that you have X days remaining to pay your bill”

Text #2: “Hello, this is a reminder that your Acme bill is now X days overdue. Please pay this as soon as possible or contact our free calling 0800 number.”

Text #3: “This is Acme. You bill is now overdue by X days. We require bill payment within the next 3 business days or your services could be disconnected.”

For companies airing TV commercials, potential customers can be prompted to text their name and address and phone number to the company, at which point the company can either send them an information pack to their address or give them a call.

One thing to remember is that the intention of using text services is to reduce cost, so conversations via text are not advised due to its associated expense. When reminding customers about their bill a simple message outlining the amount due and when it is to be paid with a contact number is all that is required.

When a client’s services go down, customer frustrations and associated costs rise. For power companies agents can spend endless hours on the phone giving customers status updates. Texting can be a very cost effective way of keeping customers informed. Customers can text in their ID enabling the company to keep them informed on power status and restoration.

For customers, this reduces uncertainty of when the service will be reconnected. And let’s face it, when the power goes off or your internet goes down, customers only want to know one thing: “when will it be back on” and therefore, “plan my day”.

In addition, in high volume fault situations wait times to speak to an operator can be high, so using tools such as texting ensures everyone can get an answer if they need it, and whenever they need it.

Candice Rea

Client Services Manager