January 27, 2012

Motivating Employees – What Makes Them Tick

Motivating Employees – What Makes Them Tick

Employee motivation is one of the central issues ruling the Human Resource Management field. Over the years, psychologists as well as management gurus have explored numerous motivational theories, conducting empirical studies to test the feasibility of these theories in real-world scenarios. Some theories have been successfully applied in several organizations, while others just bumped.

Nonetheless, the gallant managers, continue to struggle, trying to figure out what will make their teams ‘tick’. They do this because they know that motivation is the single most important element that leads to performance improvement, which in turn leads to improved ROI, i.e. return on investment and elevated customer satisfaction – just the ingredients required, to roll in the dough!

[Read more...]

Employee Engagement is a Habit (Well Two Habits Actually)

Employee Engagement is a Habit (Well Two Habits Actually)

Encouraging and sustaining high levels of employee engagement means that you’re going to have to create many new habits for yourself. The first is going to be that you make a habit of booking appointments with yourself to do the required work. Your new title is “Employee Engagement Evangelist”and you can’t possibly fulfill that role effectively by doing a few odd jobs in your spare time.

In whatever calendar system you’re using, book a block of time, preferably the same time, every day to do the work of Employee Engagement Evangelist. Make a promise to yourself to keep those appointments and to make sure you do, tell everyone else that you have made this promise. They’ll help keep you honest.

[Read more...]

Outsourcing Information Technology – What is It?

Outsourcing Information Technology – What is It?

Information technology (popularly referred to as IT) is an important aspect of doing business now. With a whole lot of consumers taking their business to the internet, outsourcing IT really does make a lot of sense, because IT experts are in huge demand in a lot of industries.

In addition to this, a lot of functions of information technology can be managed much more affordably if tasks are outsourced to independent firms and individuals instead of utilizing in-house providers.

[Read more...]

First-Time Trainers! Learn About the Critical Importance of “Knock’m Dead” Participant Handouts

First-Time Trainers! Learn About the Critical Importance of “Knock’m Dead” Participant Handouts

How many times have you gone to a seminar or workshop and been handed a few pieces of stapled paper to help you follow along with the speaker? You know, the pages with the little pictures of the overhead slides? We all get them, and I dare say that most of us throw them away, leave them behind, or eventually lose them without ever realizing that they’re gone.

Is that what you want happening to your participant handouts?

Here are three tips to make sure your handouts are a hit:

TIP ONE…Your idea won’t sell itself. [Read more...]

Reasons Why Companies Choose Call Center Off-Shoring

Outsourcing is certainly not a new concept in the global business world. In the past decade, the business world has experienced a great boom in outsourcing to the offshore destinations. Now the reasons that have led to the popularity of the offshore customer service centers are pointed out in detail in the article.

The offshore call center companies help business organizations to carry forward diverse business processes starting from telemarketing, technical support, telemarketing to customer service. Most businesses operating in the current market have already found out that there are several advantages to offshore call center outsourcing.

[Read more...]

Management Development Secrets – The Importance of Listening and Questioning Skills

When we interact with those employees we manage, we have an obligation that goes both ways. We need to be able to get our message across and we also need to be able to understand exactly what our people mean when they communicate with us as well.

To appreciate how we are getting our message across, we must seek the feedback of those we are giving information to, as well as being able to absorb that information ourselves.

When we want to get information from others, we need to be open enough ourselves to receive and where necessary, elicit clarity from those we are working with.

[Read more...]

Management Development Secrets – Making Fun Part of the Culture

The experience that your employees have when they work with you is worth thinking about, because it’s a topic that isn’t so high on the agenda of the activities you undertake as a manager.

Since all of them are important, it’s also good to show that you are human too. Having some fun is a vital component of showing that, in the main, you are just like the people that you manage and lead.

[Read more...]

Managing Without Fear

Sometimes as a manager you really need to find courage and you need to confront employees about poor performance. As you have probably found out, not all employees are open to criticism.

Some will react by speaking poorly of you and the company, some will even make threats. Some will apologize and promise to improve, but nothing changes. It may be tempting to get rid of that poor performer under the guise of downsizing, but the only way to handle this employee is to confront them about their performance. This takes courage.

[Read more...]

Cost Effective Employee Training Programs

Cost Effective Employee Training Programs

If you are fortunate enough to have an approved budget for employee training and development programs, you probably already have some great ideas for 2010 and perhaps have started implementation.

Granted, in today’s business economy, everyone needs to remain flexible and recognize that those funds may “go away,” but now is the time to get started. It is more important than ever to make sure that you use those training dollars wisely.

Jumping on the latest and greatest training bandwagon usually isn’t the most effective way to use your training dollars. Before you design a program, send people off to seminars, hire in a trainer, or purchase a bunch of videos and workbooks, learn what is needed specifically in your organization.

[Read more...]

10 Tips to Manage Your Time More Effectively

10 Tips to Manage Your Time More Effectively 

If you are like most of us, you have tons of “to dos” on your plate and short timelines for all!

Here are 10 tips on how to manage your time effectively and gets things accomplished without driving yourself crazy.

[Read more...]

A Look Into the Right Call Center Partner & Outsourcing

A Look Into the Right Call Center Partner & Outsourcing

Outsourcing & BPO is known by all and sundry of late. From giant players of the market to small time industries are hiring call centers as their outsourcing partners.

The offshore prices and on-shore quality give an added advantage over the reduced expenditure of in-house management and administration. Let’s dig out some caveats before making an actual decision of hiring a BPO as your outsourcing partner.

[Read more...]

What Makes a Good Call Center Representative

What Makes a Good Call Center Representative

Since contact centers increasingly are a company’s first line of contact with existing and prospective customers, choosing the right call center representative and training them have an enormous impact on customers’ loyalty and satisfaction.

When your call center representatives are successful and motivated, the center will make a direct impact on your business. Choose your reps well, treat them well, and provide them the tools and knowledge, and they will be successful.

Establishing a solid foundation of interpersonal and communication skills and highlighting verbal and vocal quality is vital for excellent telephone techniques for a call center representative. The callcenter is a professional business environment that is responsive to your needs and the needs of your customers. You want your customers to hear the assurance and self-confidence from each call center representative.

[Read more...]