Why Remote Work is Good (or can be)
Summary:
Exploring the Benefits of Remote Work on Customer and Employee Experience in Today's Business Landscape.
David discusses the ongoing challenges in customer and employee experience.
- - He reflects on the repeating themes in customer service advice and their saturation in the industry.
- - David expresses frustration with cliché phrases dominating the conversation around employee treatment and customer satisfaction.
- - Skills learned in entry-level customer service, like conflict resolution and communication, are transferable to various careers.
- - Experiencing frontline service work fosters empathy and understanding, preparing individuals for diverse professional challenges.
- - Remote work facilitates better alignment and education among staff, even beyond traditional office settings.
- - It allows for continuous operations during unforeseen disruptions, like power outages, as employees can work from home.
- - Tools and alerts can enhance communication and accountability, allowing for effective remote supervision.
- - Employees appreciate flexibility; if management can work remotely, so should all staff members, reflecting trust in their capabilities.
- - Companies provide perks like free lunches to keep employees on-site during work hours.
- - In-person gatherings should focus on team bonding and celebrations rather than forced activities.
- - Outsourcing jobs overseas is seen as detrimental to the American workforce and economy.
- - Tax penalties should be imposed on companies that outsource to promote local employment.
- - People have the potential to earn more, which enhances their ability to support families and communities.
- - Maintaining trade with other countries can benefit the economy, although it’s important to consider regulations on workforce exchange.
- - Teaching valuable skills and resilience is crucial for customer service team management.
- - Tolerating bad behavior is unacceptable; both employees and customers should be held accountable.
- - High performers may reduce their efforts if they see ineffective team members not facing consequences.
- - Adopting a professional mindset at work is crucial for maintaining productivity and team morale.
**The Benefits of Remote Work**
Increased Productivity: Remote work has been shown to enhance employee productivity, as many individuals perform better in a familiar and comfortable environment. Studies indicate that remote workers often exceed their in-office counterparts in output due to fewer distractions and a more personalized workspace.Flexibility and Work-Life Balance: Employees appreciate the flexibility that remote work offers, allowing them to tailor their schedules around personal commitments. This adaptability contributes to a healthier work-life balance, leading to improved job satisfaction and reduced stress levels.
Business Continuity: Remote work enables companies to maintain operations during unforeseen disruptions, such as power outages or natural disasters. Employees can continue providing customer service from their homes, ensuring that business processes remain unaffected.
**Challenges of Customer Service Roles**
Underappreciation and Underpayment: Many customer service employees feel undervalued and underpaid, often working in high-stress environments without adequate compensation. This perception can lead to low morale and high turnover rates in customer service roles.Diverse Workforce: The customer service sector is characterized by a diverse workforce, which can be both rewarding and challenging. Employees come from varied backgrounds, bringing different perspectives that can enhance team dynamics but may also lead to misunderstandings if not managed well.
Skill Development: Working in customer service helps employees develop valuable skills such as conflict resolution, communication, and empathy. These skills are transferable and beneficial for future career opportunities, making entry-level customer service positions a vital step in professional development.
**Effective Remote Team Management**
Use of Technology: Tools like Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams facilitate effective communication and collaboration among remote teams. These platforms help maintain a cohesive work environment, enabling managers to support and monitor employee performance efficiently.Trust and Accountability: For remote work to be effective, managers must foster a culture of trust. Employees should be treated as responsible adults capable of managing their tasks independently. This trust can lead to higher morale and better performance.
Performance Monitoring: Even in remote settings, managers can track employee performance through various metrics and tools. This visibility allows for timely feedback and coaching, ensuring that all team members are held accountable for their contributions.
**Company Culture and Employee Engagement**
Promoting Inclusion: Remote work allows companies to tap into a wider talent pool, promoting diversity and inclusion within teams. This diversity can lead to innovative ideas and solutions, enhancing overall company performance.Maintaining Engagement: While remote work offers flexibility, companies need to implement strategies to keep employees engaged. Regular team meetings, virtual social events, and recognition programs help foster a sense of community and belonging among remote workers.
Balancing In-Person Interactions: While remote work is beneficial, in-person interactions still hold value for team building and collaboration. Companies should find a balance, scheduling occasional gatherings or team-building activities to strengthen relationships and company culture.
Remote work has become a prominent topic in the modern workplace, particularly since the pandemic accelerated its adoption. While there are varied opinions on its effectiveness, many advocates highlight its potential benefits for both employees and organizations.
Increased Productivity
One of the primary advantages of remote work is increased productivity. Studies have shown that employees often perform better when working from home, as they can create a personalized environment conducive to their work style. The absence of typical office distractions allows for better focus and efficiency. Additionally, remote setups can eliminate commuting time, allowing employees to allocate more time to their tasks.
Flexibility and Work-Life Balance
Remote work offers significant flexibility, which can lead to improved work-life balance. Employees can manage their schedules more effectively, accommodating personal commitments alongside professional responsibilities. This flexibility can enhance job satisfaction, as workers feel more in control of their time. Furthermore, treating employees as adults by allowing them to work remotely fosters trust and can lead to a more engaged workforce.
Diverse Talent Pool
Organizations benefit from remote work by accessing a broader talent pool. Companies are no longer limited by geographic constraints, enabling them to recruit the best candidates regardless of their location. This diversification can infuse teams with varied perspectives and skills, enhancing creativity and problem-solving capabilities.
Cost-Effectiveness
Employers can also experience cost savings through remote work. Reducing the need for physical office space can lower overhead costs significantly. Moreover, businesses can save on expenses related to utilities, office supplies, and maintenance. These savings can be redirected towards employee benefits or investment in technology that supports remote collaboration.
Challenges of Remote Work
Despite its advantages, remote work is not without challenges. Not all employees thrive in a remote environment; some may face difficulties with self-discipline or feel isolated without face-to-face interactions. Organizations must implement strategies to maintain company culture and ensure effective communication among team members. Tools like Slack, Zoom, and Discord can facilitate collaboration and keep teams connected.
Conclusion on Adoption of Remote Work
In conclusion, remote work presents numerous benefits, including enhanced productivity, greater flexibility, and access to diverse talent. While challenges exist, proactive management can mitigate these issues, making remote work a viable option for many organizations. Embracing remote work not only supports employee well-being but also aligns with the evolving landscape of modern work environments.
Transcript:
0:01 - hey welcome back to another episode of0:03 - CX Riot radio where we talk about
0:05 - customer experience and stuff still in a
0:10 - hyper caffeinated State now I thought
0:12 - the mood lighting would be a lot cooler
0:14 - looking than
0:15 - this but it is what it
0:18 - is so who am I my name is David I am the
0:22 - caffeinated
0:25 - cxo chief experien officer and I talk
0:30 - about customer experience and employee
0:33 - experience and contact centers and
0:36 - customer service and Company culture
0:40 - and stuff like that right so I've been
0:45 - doing this for a few years took a couple
0:47 - weeks break because honestly like I said
0:51 - in my last video which if you're not
0:54 - subscribed or you don't watch my YouTube
0:58 - Channel please do I don't post
1:01 - everything as a podcast but like I said
1:04 - in that kind of ran out of things to say
1:08 - right how how often can you just repeat
1:10 - the the Mantra make things easy for your
1:13 - customers to do business with you or be
1:17 - nice to your customers or don't treat
1:21 - your employees like
1:22 - [ __ ] right how many different ways are
1:26 - there of saying that
1:31 - honestly about three or four years worth
1:34 - I guess so I'm seeing it on LinkedIn now
1:37 - more than ever too and it's become
1:42 - more what's the word hallm
1:45 - Marky as it goes on and if your entire
1:49 - thing can be boiled down to a Hallmark
1:54 - card what the [ __ ] is happening all
1:57 - right like little clich sh like treat
2:02 - your employees like gold cuz they're
2:05 - going to treat your customers like
2:08 - gold bro I was saying that back in
2:13 - 2020 people have been saying this is
2:15 - like there's been customers right so why
2:19 - is my nose so shiny in this oh well so
2:24 - but it is what it is as they say
2:28 - and again that's a mantra that I wanted
2:32 - to stop in 2024 but it just it's the
2:35 - gift that keeps on giving it's the gift
2:39 - that keeps on giving folks
2:43 - so I mean what are you going to do so in
2:47 - a
2:49 - abrupt
2:52 - turnaround in a about
2:55 - face we me us cuz I'm talking to you
3:01 - right now we're going to be talking
3:03 - about other things that deal with
3:04 - customer experience and all that other
3:08 - Jazz that I put in the beginning of this
3:12 - right and we're going to do it while I
3:14 - sit in the dark in my garage with a
3:17 - lantern and a uh one of those disc light
3:21 - things that I got from felow cuz when I
3:23 - turned on the overhead lights in the
3:25 - garage it was was too bright right it
3:29 - was too bright I mean this is way too
3:31 - dark but I'll I'll get to figure it out
3:33 - as I go I think this is going to be my
3:36 - preferred place to record these episodes
3:39 - now now as we go on and I learn more and
3:44 - I do it more the audio will improve the
3:46 - lighting will improve this that and the
3:49 - other will improve but until
3:51 - then you don't have to watch the video
3:53 - you can just listen to it I mean it is a
3:55 - podcast after all and video on podcast
3:58 - is a fairly new
4:01 - phenomenon so well like maybe a year and
4:04 - a half two years old on Spotify but it
4:07 - is what it is you know or if you're
4:09 - watching on YouTube hi sorry how you
4:13 - doing love you look at that look at the
4:16 - way that light reflects my glasses
4:17 - that's crazy you listening to the Potter
4:20 - going to see that that bright glare so
4:23 - like I had a fifth grade teacher right
4:26 - he wasn't my teacher but he was a fifth
4:28 - grade teacher while I was in fifth grade
4:30 - he also taught a fifth grade class and
4:32 - his head was like that he also used to
4:35 - wear gray
4:40 - sweatpants yeah so I mean whatever you
4:44 - know what are you going to do it was
4:47 - kind of gross cuz uh yeah yeah kind of
4:54 - gross the mothers loved
4:56 - him bald and all because of those great
5:00 - sweatpants but we're going to talk about
5:03 - leading a team of customer service
5:05 - people because there is nothing more
5:08 - rewarding and
5:10 - challenging than that all right and I
5:13 - know I know some of you guys uh are on
5:16 - the front lines in customer support or
5:18 - customer service and others are you know
5:22 - not on the front line and you either run
5:24 - a team or you run the people that are
5:26 - running the teams or you run the person
5:29 - that's running the people that are
5:30 - running the teams I think I got that
5:32 - right or you just stumbled upon this and
5:37 - you're watching it anyway and that's
5:38 - cool too not everything has to be
5:42 - perfect so not everything has to make
5:45 - sense
5:47 - but like I
5:49 - said I'm going to repeat myself probably
5:52 - a lot in this look at that shadow that's
5:54 - a bad idea um anyway so it's one of the
5:58 - most rewarding and challenging things
6:02 - there is an
6:04 - existence and that's
6:07 - okay why is it both rewarding and
6:10 - challenging
6:13 - because nobody wants to be Frontline
6:17 - customer service you
6:19 - don't grow up and having your childhood
6:23 - dreams be like I'd really like to be in
6:27 - a call center when I grow up or or you
6:30 - know what I want to do I
6:34 - want to do tech support for people who
6:37 - can barely turn on a computer for the
6:41 - rest of my life I want that to be my
6:46 - career
6:48 - so it is what it is so nobody's really
6:52 - happy doing what they're doing because
6:54 - they all think they should be doing
6:56 - other greater better stuff and on the on
7:00 - the same wavelength of that
7:02 - is most customer service people
7:05 - regardless of Industry are criminally
7:09 - underpaid so not only do you have to
7:14 - realize that a lot of people's dreams
7:16 - were dashed against the
7:18 - rocks at least
7:20 - temporarily but they're like poverty
7:25 - level almost individuals whose one page
7:29 - away from getting their car
7:31 - repossessed that's okay we're we're all
7:33 - there I mean 60 70 maybe even 80% of
7:37 - Americans are the same way so it is what
7:40 - it is right doesn't matter what industry
7:41 - you're in doesn't matter what your role
7:43 - is most people are one or two paychecks
7:46 - away from
7:47 - homelessness American dream so
7:54 - but they're also very very very diverse
7:58 - right and and diverse
8:02 - in demographics and Heritage background
8:06 - but also diverse in thought and diverse
8:08 - in actions so which makes it one of the
8:12 - most
8:14 - fun places to work at too right because
8:17 - you never really meet the same person
8:20 - twice right there are people that will
8:23 - definitely like trigger memories of
8:26 - other people in these fields but for the
8:29 - most part everyone you everyone you meet
8:33 - everyone you train everyone you work
8:35 - with are going to be a completely
8:38 - distinct individual and I know a lot of
8:40 - people out there are saying aren't isn't
8:43 - everybody
8:45 - no no there are a lot of cookie cutter
8:49 - people out there and that just fill a
8:52 - certain template with some variations
8:55 - here and there like this person is just
8:57 - like that person but this person
9:00 - has blonde hair stuff like that right
9:07 - so it's also one of
9:10 - the um places where this is the
9:13 - rewarding part right where what you
9:17 - teach what you preach and what you
9:21 - tolerate can change lives for the better
9:25 - right and this is from the
9:27 - employee so
9:30 - the skills that you learn doing
9:32 - entrylevel Frontline customer service
9:34 - work can be translated into any
9:38 - career most any career there is out
9:41 - there right so dealing with people
9:45 - calming people down deescalate irate
9:51 - situations explaining a bill to someone
9:56 - with a third grade education and making
9:59 - them a understand it or walking someone
10:01 - who cannot read through setting up a
10:04 - security panel right for their
10:12 - home ask me how I know that one all
10:14 - right so anyway uh you're going to find
10:18 - that some of the skills that you teach
10:20 - some of the skills that you preach and
10:22 - some of the behaviors that you tolerate
10:24 - will go a long way into making somebody
10:28 - better and more or better suited or
10:32 - better prepared for a career outside of
10:35 - customer service which is fantastic
10:38 - every human I think should work at least
10:41 - one or two years as a Frontline customer
10:45 - service person right whether that be in
10:47 - a call center or fast food
10:50 - or um you know any of that stuff retail
10:55 - right and I think that would be like the
11:00 - equivalent and I don't mean that I don't
11:02 - mean to say this to like disparage
11:04 - anybody but it would be like you know
11:06 - those countries that make you serve in
11:08 - the military for one or two years right
11:11 - I think you'd come out the other side a
11:14 - better person or addicted to
11:18 - drugs either or right
11:24 - so and that's up to you so whichever way
11:28 - you go that's your choice I don't
11:32 - know
11:34 - but leading a team on customer service
11:38 - is fun if you do it right and this can
11:41 - be in person this can be remote it
11:43 - doesn't [ __ ] matter it's the same
11:45 - [ __ ]
11:46 - right like what what's the fundamental
11:49 - difference Susie can't microwave her
11:52 - fish curry in the break
11:56 - room right if you're all remote
12:03 - but these days
12:06 - slack
12:08 - Discord I would say Microsoft teams but
12:11 - [ __ ] Microsoft teams Zoom right all of
12:16 - this stuff you can have a more cohesive
12:20 - aligned better educated staff than if
12:23 - you were all sitting in the same room in
12:25 - the same building and it gives you the
12:27 - added benefit of not having to have
12:30 - people in your office every second of
12:32 - the
12:34 - day
12:36 - because you're that popular and cool or
12:39 - they just have questions or they just
12:41 - want to be off the
12:44 - phone so I am a big big proponent of
12:49 - remote work and I don't think I've made
12:52 - that clear in my previous
12:55 - episodes just kidding I think you all
12:58 - know what my feel on it are um I think
13:01 - that you can run a team more effectively
13:04 - more
13:05 - efficiently when people are remote
13:08 - people like working remote a lot better
13:10 - they're more productive Studies have
13:12 - shown and um when the power goes out at
13:17 - your corporate building and your
13:18 - generator fails or the internet fiber
13:21 - wine is cut this that and the other
13:23 - right you can still have people doing
13:26 - your customer service for you from the
13:28 - company confort of their own home now
13:31 - it's not for everybody not everybody can
13:34 - right either they live in a really
13:36 - crappy area where the internet sucks or
13:40 - they don't have a quiet place to go at
13:42 - their home right they have kids or dogs
13:47 - or neighbors and uh the neighbors are
13:51 - loud as [ __ ] right so you kind of want
13:55 - to probably have a place where people
13:56 - can gather and
14:00 - then they can come into the office if
14:01 - they so choose or if they're
14:04 - underperforming back in the office
14:07 - [ __ ] right that kind of thing
14:10 - but for the most part it's not only
14:11 - people are performing and people are
14:14 - doing good right and they're doing their
14:17 - job because let's face it and we're
14:19 - talking about call centers right now
14:21 - every single thing that someone does in
14:24 - a call
14:25 - center you can see right and everything
14:29 - single thing that they're not doing you
14:31 - can see so there shouldn't be
14:35 - any anything like weird about
14:41 - it
14:44 - so yeah [ __ ] it okay so
14:50 - but anyway so but and people who say
14:55 - they can't that just proves that they're
14:57 - stupid right if someone says oh I I
15:00 - don't know how to run a remote team or I
15:03 - I wouldn't know how to have everyone
15:07 - remote and still like keep that company
15:09 - culture or keep them all productive
15:12 - they're just saying that they're they're
15:13 - an idiot honestly because it's not hard
15:16 - I mean people have been doing it for 20
15:18 - years on a [ __ ] video game right
15:21 - World of
15:22 - Warcraft and I bring this up in my book
15:24 - The Blue callar call center right where
15:27 - it's no different running a team is no
15:31 - different than running a guild on World
15:34 - of Warcraft In fact running a guild on
15:37 - World of Warcraft at least back in the
15:39 - day right before it became whatever the
15:41 - [ __ ] it is now was
15:45 - harder and more aggravating and more
15:49 - frustrating than running a team of
15:51 - remote customer service
15:53 - workers just was right because first of
15:57 - all wow
15:59 - ow see what I did there but second of
16:04 - all people are not being paid to uh play
16:09 - World of Warcraft unless they're on
16:10 - Twitch or something right
16:13 - so it is what it
16:15 - is so I need to know how to do that man
16:19 - I need to learn how to do that because I
16:22 - started playing World of Warcraft
16:23 - classic again season of Discovery though
16:26 - because I I like a little a mix aoo
16:29 - because I I I played all the way through
16:30 - like cataclysm right and when I came
16:34 - back into
16:36 - uh
16:37 - shadowlands right I did not like retail
16:42 - at all I did not like the new W stuff at
16:45 - all I thought it was boring I thought it
16:48 - was uh dumb and I didn't like how
16:51 - everything was dumbed down so when
16:54 - classic was released and I got the
16:55 - chance to play it oh my gosh it's better
16:59 - than I remember it 20 years
17:02 - ago yeah but I also know all the quests
17:06 - and all the story lines and all the
17:08 - mechanics so season of Discovery lets me
17:11 - have a little bit of why am I talking
17:13 - about that that whatever
17:17 - um but running a guild a rating Guild on
17:21 - World of Warcraft was more difficult
17:25 - than running a team of people doing
17:27 - customer service from their
17:31 - house so and if you don't believe
17:35 - that that's fine you don't have to but
17:38 - it is especially when you have tools
17:42 - where it says hey this person missed a
17:45 - call and then you get them an alert
17:47 - saying they missed the call you be like
17:50 - hey what's up I was putting in notes why
17:52 - do you have the customer on the line
17:54 - while you're finishing up your notes bro
17:59 - right and then you know that happens a
18:01 - few times and you just bring that person
18:03 - back in the office where you can have
18:04 - someone supervise them or you can
18:06 - supervise them so and then when they're
18:09 - when they get better at it and they've
18:11 - uh been coached and they've been uh you
18:15 - know they're not doing it
18:17 - anymore go home work from there I don't
18:20 - want to see you anymore and it's not
18:23 - like that right that's that's put in a
18:26 - way for comedic effect you know what
18:28 - that is is it's called a [ __ ] joke
18:31 - but it is what it is so here's the
18:36 - thing people like
18:40 - flexibility people like being treated
18:43 - like
18:44 - adults and when the
18:46 - CEO or the big
18:49 - boss can work from home or work from
18:52 - their hotel room when they're on a
18:55 - trip why can't the person making $18 an
18:58 - hour do the
19:01 - same why
19:03 - don't why doesn't management trust them
19:07 - enough to do
19:09 - that I think that's the
19:12 - question if you don't trust your
19:14 - employees to do their job why do you
19:18 - have those employees or why have
19:20 - employees at all if you can't trust any
19:22 - of them to do their job when you're not
19:24 - hovering behind
19:26 - them that seems crazy
19:29 - but you
19:34 - know who am I to
19:37 - judge tell you who I'm David the [ __ ]
19:39 - caffeinated
19:41 - cxl
19:42 - so but and we all know the real reason
19:46 - behind a lot of the return to office
19:49 - mandates corporate real estate the
19:52 - restaurant the overpriced restaurants
19:54 - downtown and cities that
19:59 - survived off of charging office workers
20:02 - $17 for a [ __ ] salad plus $5 if you
20:07 - want it chicken on
20:08 - it right
20:11 - so it's the same reason all those tech
20:13 - companies had or have like beer on tap
20:17 - or free lunches things like that they
20:21 - had those conveniences not for the
20:25 - employee but so the employee wouldn't
20:27 - leave the office on their lunch or
20:30 - immediately after their shift
20:32 - ended same thing with company happy hour
20:36 - and [ __ ] like
20:40 - that now I do
20:43 - agree that there are times when
20:48 - co-workers should get
20:50 - together and actually be in the same
20:54 - location as each other and that is for
20:57 - like company outings
20:59 - that is for
21:00 - company build team building activities
21:04 - but not any cringe ones right
21:08 - not that [ __ ] thing where everybody
21:10 - grabs like that parachute thing and like
21:12 - lifts it up and someone goes in the
21:14 - middle stuff like that
21:19 - no but like out to a nice
21:23 - restaurant not to talk business but to
21:26 - talk amongst themselves
21:29 - or a company party right and a real one
21:33 - like get a venue or company picnic where
21:37 - people
21:38 - celebrate Milestones within their
21:41 - company like they met or beat a certain
21:43 - Revenue Target or an e a Target anything
21:46 - like that everybody gathers with their
21:48 - families at a
21:50 - park has a barbecue or something I think
21:52 - that's
21:56 - cool hard to do if you're not all local
21:58 - but still if you are all local and you
22:01 - all live within a certain radius and you
22:04 - still allow people to work from home
22:06 - which is awesome of you
22:08 - because let's take Los Angeles for an
22:10 - example right and fires aside and all
22:14 - that
22:15 - jazz what is normally a 20 minute drive
22:19 - could balloon up to an hour and a half
22:24 - depending on traffic right it's like
22:27 - Parkinson's law for B [ __ ] so it it
22:31 - is what it is but
22:34 - like that's an hour out of someone's day
22:39 - right that they're not getting paid for
22:41 - in fact it's costing them
22:43 - money
22:45 - and yeah so the cool thing is there's
22:49 - really no excuse for people to Be Tardy
22:52 - when they're remote what was their
22:54 - traffic in the
22:56 - kitchen so I I don't know this this
22:59 - episode's turned into a rambling mess I
23:01 - apologize for that but the the thing is
23:05 - treat your employees like adults Because
23:09 - unless you're running a child sweat shop
23:12 - they are
23:14 - adults trust but
23:18 - verify if you think someone's not up to
23:21 - Snuff don't let them work remote if you
23:24 - think someone's not going to be
23:25 - productive don't let them work remote
23:28 - but for the people who have proven
23:30 - themselves for the people who have been
23:33 - at your company for a long time nailed
23:35 - every kpi set the standards for the
23:38 - people around them who gives a
23:45 - [ __ ] you
23:49 - shouldn't if someone's more productive
23:52 - if someone's happier if someone's better
23:57 - working not at the office and they're
24:00 - still
24:02 - working who
24:06 - cares and here's another thing
24:09 - right 1% drop in Revenue oh customer
24:13 - service now done overseas all right and
24:17 - I know not all not all but
24:20 - enough okay and I sometimes people will
24:22 - call me out for saying Outsourcing is
24:24 - bad like not all Outsourcing is bad and
24:26 - I know it's [ __ ] not okay
24:30 - and I have no problem with onshore or
24:34 - Nearshore or even for the most part
24:37 - offshore
24:41 - Outsourcing I do but for the sake of
24:43 - this argument I don't okay um I have no
24:47 - problem with onshore Outsourcing okay uh
24:51 - Nearshore depending on how you want to
24:54 - whatever you want to Define that as is
24:58 - sometimes a necessary
25:01 - evil but when I am pretty agnostic when
25:06 - it comes to national pride
25:10 - or nationalism right except when it
25:15 - comes to America's working
25:18 - class and that's when my red white and
25:20 - blue America
25:22 - First nationalism comes
25:26 - out I think
25:29 - that American
25:32 - companies should
25:34 - employ American
25:37 - workers
25:38 - period I
25:40 - think well that's what I
25:45 - think and I think that any company that
25:49 - outsources their Workforce to Offshore
25:53 - to overseas should be penalized with
25:56 - taxes and ridiculed in the public
26:01 - space that's me and if you've made it 26
26:05 - minutes into this thing which I doubt
26:07 - you have or the people that actually own
26:10 - offshoring actually have I think
26:15 - um
26:20 - well I get it okay I get where you're
26:24 - coming from you're saving companies a
26:25 - lot of
26:27 - money I I don't think it's good for the
26:29 - nation I don't think it's good for our
26:31 - Workforce and I don't think it's
26:34 - good for the companies
26:37 - themselves yeah they save a few
26:42 - dollars I don't think they should
26:46 - but it is what it is so and yeah most of
26:51 - the stuff I own was probably built by
26:54 - children in third Ral countries
27:00 - but what am I going to do about that
27:03 - right I didn't set up the system I just
27:06 - live in it and to be honest I can't
27:09 - afford most American
27:13 - products
27:15 - but imagine and since we're like almost
27:19 - half hour in I know most people aren't
27:20 - listening to this anymore I'm just going
27:22 - to go off on a little tangent here
27:24 - okay
27:26 - so if
27:29 - Trump eliminate income
27:33 - tax I
27:35 - think I think a lot of people are going
27:38 - to be a lot better
27:40 - off so because right now on average how
27:44 - much are you spending on federal income
27:48 - taxes 30% 33%
27:52 - 40% what would you be able to do in your
27:56 - life granted everything else St stays
27:58 - the same with 35 let's let's meet in the
28:02 - middle with 35% more in your
28:07 - pocket for a lot of
28:10 - people well they're going to be able to
28:13 - afford more right they're going to be
28:17 - able to buy more they're going to be
28:21 - able to provide more for their families
28:24 - and for their
28:25 - Community cuz I am a big
28:29 - fan of uh Adam
28:34 - Smith and if you don't know who Adam
28:37 - Smith is I have one of his audio books
28:39 - actually on this channel or on my
28:41 - YouTube Channel cxr radio um The Wealth
28:45 - of Nations I think it's only part one
28:47 - that I have up but it's a great book
28:50 - great book on economic uh Theory right
28:54 - so and I think we shouldn't stop trade
28:57 - with other countries right just maybe
28:59 - not trade
29:00 - workforces
29:02 - so I don't
29:04 - know I don't know maybe I'm just mad
29:06 - because when I tried to call my bank
29:09 - earlier I couldn't understand anything
29:11 - they were saying and I pride myself on
29:13 - being able to understand accents right I
29:16 - pride myself on that I've been in the
29:17 - call of Center game since I was 17 years
29:20 - old there's only a couple of accents I
29:22 - don't understand right that I could
29:25 - never begin to understand and most of
29:27 - those are from the deep south of the US
29:30 - I just can't understand what they're
29:31 - saying um everything either runs
29:34 - together or
29:35 - it's I don't even know bro or they use
29:38 - weird words for things like they call
29:41 - magazines books
29:44 - and things like that which funny story I
29:48 - was doing a retention for a magazine
29:51 - company and this person calls in we're
29:53 - like hey I need to cancel the
29:55 - subscription for these books I'm like oh
29:58 - oh oh no you must have the wrong number
30:01 - we don't sell
30:03 - books okay bye they hung
30:09 - up I was
30:11 - young I was young it was funny though
30:16 - that was the same call center where I
30:17 - took uh paxel paxel the uh I don't know
30:21 - what it
30:25 - was all I know is that it made me sleep
30:28 - my entire shift at the call center but
30:31 - they were nice enough to put me on a
30:33 - queue that only got like a call an hour
30:36 - and uh every time the thing would be if
30:39 - I'd wake up take the call pass back out
30:42 - don't take paxel if it's not prescribed
30:45 - to
30:46 - you that was the same call center where
30:49 - uh after I left there um my
30:54 - supervisor um killed himself in an
30:56 - occupied Wall Street thing in Vermont I
30:59 - believe so that was fun um he had some
31:03 - he had some demons um like I remember
31:07 - one Christmas Eve I was working might
31:10 - have been Christmas Day because I always
31:12 - volunteered for the holiday so I'd get
31:14 - that time and a half right but
31:17 - um he was drunk drunk as a
31:25 - skunk and me being the
31:29 - nice person I
31:31 - am I covered for him when another
31:34 - supervisor came over he was like hey
31:36 - have you seen this guy I mean doesn't he
31:38 - seem a little drunk I'm like I don't
31:41 - know not really you seem
31:44 - normal
31:46 - so saved his job that day only for him
31:50 - to repay us with suicide I
31:53 - guess rest in peace man I miss it you
31:56 - were cool so he also had a Denny's bit
32:00 - my my my other friend she had a like
32:03 - surface piercings on the back of her
32:04 - neck and he was drunk go figure and he
32:08 - like bit them
32:09 - off which probably hurt she said they
32:15 - hurt maybe he wasn't a good guy I don't
32:19 - know but anyway that was at the Denny's
32:23 - in Lon Maine shout out to that Denny's a
32:26 - lot of good memories of that one
32:28 - um but that was my days in a call center
32:32 - in Maine where I worked at 3:30 to
32:35 - midnight shift so I'd still have an hour
32:38 - to head up the bar before I went home
32:41 - and played World of Warcraft until the
32:42 - sun came up cuz I didn't have to be at
32:45 - work until 3:30 so I could uh basically
32:48 - fall asleep when the sun went down wake
32:51 - up or when the sun came up uh and then
32:54 - wake up at around 1:00 do all my stuff
32:57 - stuff and then go to work so those are
33:01 - good
33:06 - times
33:08 - so this is me without a script this is
33:12 - me without stuff written down to talk
33:14 - about this is me just letting
33:19 - my rattled ADHD brain go right but we
33:24 - still manage to stay mostly on topic so
33:26 - I think that's a good thing
33:28 - this might be one of the longest
33:29 - episodes yet though because it's
33:31 - literally just me
33:32 - rambling
33:34 - but to bring it all back running a
33:38 - customer service team is both the most
33:41 - rewarding and challenging thing you
33:44 - could do one of
33:47 - um you can teach people a lot of
33:50 - valuable skills you can teach people a
33:54 - lot of
33:55 - resilience and
33:58 - as long as you're
34:00 - tolerating good behavior I'm not talking
34:03 - about like you know people swearing in
34:05 - the break room or anything which
34:08 - probably is bad because of you know HR
34:10 - and [ __ ] like that
34:13 - but if you're not here's the thing you
34:16 - should not tolerate bad behavior on the
34:18 - call
34:22 - floor and going to expand call Floor to
34:26 - mean uh slack channels or Discord
34:29 - channels as well or on Zoom calls right
34:33 - don't let your employees talk bad to
34:36 - customers don't let your employees talk
34:39 - bad about other
34:41 - employees it's weakness and it can't be
34:45 - tolerated yes some customers are bad
34:50 - people yes some customers are [ __ ]
34:53 - yes some co-workers are
34:55 - [ __ ] but when you're you're getting
35:00 - paid you can't call them out on that
35:07 - [ __ ] and I
35:09 - am
35:11 - obviously with the belief that you can
35:14 - and you should fire
35:17 - customers who harass who berate and who
35:22 - put down your
35:25 - employees and I have also with a mind
35:28 - that you should do the same thing with
35:30 - your employees that act just like those
35:36 - customers also you should not tolerate
35:40 - bad
35:42 - performance you either need to coach
35:45 - those people up to acceptable levels or
35:47 - get them out of the team
35:51 - because to tie it back to the Hallmark
35:54 - thing because I'm going to do a Hallmark
35:55 - thing here is um your good
35:59 - performers once they see that you
36:02 - tolerate bad performance their
36:05 - performance is going to slip and that's
36:07 - not
36:10 - good because why should they try why
36:13 - should they go the extra mile if you're
36:15 - not doing anything about the person
36:18 - who's obviously not performing and not
36:20 - performing on purpose right they have
36:23 - that Tik Tok thing of act your wage
36:26 - which in Theory I am all for right I
36:30 - like I said I think that people on the
36:32 - front line in customer service are
36:33 - criminally
36:36 - underpaid but when you're at work you
36:39 - have to adopt certain behaviors a lot of
36:42 - it is like rooll playing or
36:45 - acting I say role playing cuz Dungeons
36:48 - and Dragons
36:52 - right you at work are not John or Jane
36:56 - Smith
36:57 - you at work
36:59 - are the role of the good productive
37:03 - efficient
37:07 - employee and
37:09 - that's me being real
37:15 - okay
37:18 - so it is what it is I'm going to I'm
37:20 - going to cut it there I kind of ran out
37:22 - of things to say uh welcome back and
37:26 - I'll see you next next time on CX RI
37:29 - radio
.png)
Comments
Post a Comment