July 2009

My recent experiences with a technical support call center have left me wondering what we might be doing that’s getting in the way of our success - processes we follow because "that’s the way things are done here". What 'scripts' should we change to improve understanding, increase creativity or improve our effectiveness?

Have a lovely summer, get outside and enjoy it while it’s here.

Warm regards,
Karole

No one knows the troubles I have seen

It was just a little exclamation mark on my toolbar but it portended a series of unfortunate events that have come close to overwhelming me and sorely tested my self-management skills.

The exclamation mark I noticed was my backup software reporting ‘damaged sectors’ on my computer hard drive. When my IT service wasn’t able to repair the problem they recommended I contact the manufacturer (unnamed 4 letter word) to get a replacement hard drive. As the computer was less than a year old it would be covered under warranty.

That was when all the fun started. Over the next 3.5 hours I spoke with 4 different people, each person explaining that they couldn’t help me but they would transfer me to the correct person. And each time the phone went dead, requiring me to call back. I caught on after the first time and insisted that they give me the number in case the call didn’t go through.

The height of my frustration came when one of the agents asked me to get a screwdriver and remove the hard drive from the computer. By that time I was so irritated that instead of meek compliance, I started to argue “I’m a girl, I don’t have a screwdriver.” But he won. Without that step they would no longer be able to assist me and the problem wouldn’t be resolved. Chastened I found a screwdriver, removed the hard drive and then was immediately told to replace it.

Not surprisingly that didn’t fix the problem. But we were following the script complete with the constant reassurances “I’m so sorry for the inconvenience ma’am”. When all the steps had been followed they finally acquiesced and agreed to what I had asked for in the first place –a new hard drive.

The new hard drive was up and running by mid-May which should be the end of the story. Unfortunately, several weeks ago, my screen went black – not fade-to-black, sudden black. (Who knew I would ever wish for the famous ‘blue screen of death’?). Once again I dialed the technical support service and steeled myself for another round of call center fun and games. Press 2 for this, 3 for that. “What’s your express service number?” So on and so forth.

2 hours later, my computer still wasn’t working and I discovered that it was 2 days beyond the 1-year warranty. During my year of ownership they had replaced the motherboard, the video card and the hard drive but my frequent flyer status didn't get me anywhere. I tried pleading with them that the computer had been with them for repair for at least 10 days during the past year so surely they owed me the 2 days grace. “I’m sorry, that’s another department; I’m in technical support.”

I called 6 different numbers - and each person told me that despite the inconvenience, for which they were very sorry, they really couldn't help me - I was calling the wrong number and needed to speak to a different department ‘customer support’. I breathed deeply and made sure I smiled before I thanked them in my nicest Canadian voice full of understanding for the challenges I posed and contrition for my unrealistic expectations but could they please give the correct number to call? And then I bravely dialed, sat on hold for 20 minutes only to discover that not surprisingly, this too was the wrong person. When I finally did reach ‘customer support’ they firmly told me that a year was a year and they wouldn’t fix the computer under warranty. And, yes, they agreed I had had a lot of trouble with the computer. They were very “sorry for the inconvenience.”

I’ll miss that notebook. It was bright red and just the right size. But looks aren’t everything. I ordered a new notebook 3 weeks ago which, I’ve been assured, is on its way from China. It’s a very boring black and very unremarkable. Let’s hope it stays that way.

What is your team doing that makes no sense?

IDEAS YOU CAN USE

1. What ineffective conversations are cluttering communication between people in your organization? Are people talking about the things that matter? Are they having open, honest and robust conversations? When people follow ‘scripts’ they aren’t having the meaningful conversations needed to really understand issues and engage in the dialogue required to find creative solutions or overcome misunderstandings. Scripts aren’t only used in call centers; at times we all revert to formulaic responses either because we don’t care or we fear having the kind of conversations that really matter. Trust is at the heart of a team’s ability to have courageous conversations that “interrogate reality” a description used by Susan Scott in her wonderful book Fierce Conversations. Communication is how teams learn. Do your teams have the communication skills needed to learn from each other?
   
   
2. What unproductive activities are taking up bandwidth in your team? What percentage of your team’s time is spent on the truly important activities that will move the project forward? Are people spending too much time reading and responding to emails rather than really thinking about the issues and challenges the team is facing? It’s too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day ‘stuff’ that infiltrates our working spaces. Make sure you are spending time on the things that really matter – the activities that are important to the project and the organizational goals. Recent research has shown that spending uninterrupted time on projects tasks, rather than completing the task in chunks spread over days or weeks, can improve productivity by as much as 50%. What should your team do to ensure each person focuses their energy proportionate to the importance of the task and lets go of the little stuff?
   
   
3. What unnecessary oversight is limiting the creativity and innovation in your group? When we don’t trust others we compensate by adding additional reviews and sign-offs. Similarly, managers are overfunctioning for their staff when they get involved in every meeting or deliberation. The effect of these behaviors is to shut down creativity and commitment. The best managers know how to help others think rather than telling them how to think. They substitute open-ended questions for oversight and in the process stimulate innovation and engagement. And above all they help others to see the learning present in every situation.

About the Sutherland Consulting Group
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