Diverse Recruitment Approach with Storytelling and Public Speaking

It's all shapes and sizes, my friend. You could have the soft-spoken female to be at the right place at the right time or the assertive Philadelphia kid like me, which might be a different taste. But I tell you what, I mean, there's certain checkpoints prior to someone being sitting in a class. They'll, of course, be making some recordings for me, for us to consider. Looking at their resume, who cares? Turn it over and write me a couple of paragraphs of a coming of age moment. So you can tell Jacob and I when you beat up a bully. That's what I want to hear from you. So at least I can hear a really good story. But then when we're in class, you stand up. So you're practicing public speaking in front of a dozen people. You hold the script in your left. You use your right hand for illustrators. I will assist you in your balance and your pausing and your breathing. Ed Up Xcelerated Excellence podcast. Educating ESL Call Center agents with teacher Richard Blank A podcast for the advancement of educational effectiveness and equity for traditional and non-traditional educational experiences and contexts, higher education and beyond. The podcast seeks to engage educators, scholars, entrepreneurs, advocates, and policy makers at all levels. Our Guest is ⁠Richard Blank⁠. He is a native of Philadelphia, PA and CEO of ⁠Costa Rica’s Call Center.⁠ Richard shares the ingredients for supporting and preparing call center representatives for high-impact engagement with clients. He addresses the role of AI in call center productivity and the role of empathy as an effective tool in human interaction. He shares how developing community and engagement lead to retention of employees. Richard gives back to the community by offering scholarships for students. The Power of Storytelling and Vision For me, the greatest thing in the world are storytellers. If you get it behind a fire, then that's even better. It's even more old school. But someone that can tell a good, good story and paint a really nice picture. So that's why I recommend that when you really need to think or put in your oomph, close your eyes, you'll get a splash of vision with no distraction. And it's very easy for you authentically to describe what you see. And the majority of the time it's within you that's coming out of you and you're relying on your intuition and your vision. I mean, I'm not spacing it out there, but come on, Jacob. I could only imagine you with a full classroom conference hall look. I've seen you in your suits looking super sharp and good smiles all around you. Hugs aplenty, people sharing only the greatest moments and what's to come, exchanging phone numbers, slaps on the back, buying each other rounds of drinks, making plans. Come on I can picture it I can taste it I'm sure you do surf and turf, so everyone gets happy at dinner. I know you. Why can't you tell people what you see? Why can't you get excited for their growth and for their projections? Using Professional Skills Beyond Work Ah, Jacob, do you know what happens with me? I smile because they have no bad habits. It's true. They didn't come from another center. They don't have a supervisor named Billy yelling at you. Make more calls. Come on, Jacob. Tell me about that time you're at the center. There's always a coffee breath supervisor screaming at you that you should be hanging up on Mrs. Jones and making another call. It's like a squire to a knight. And here's the beauty of it. And just like the school and the other professors that you have that share ideas, these are the sort of things you can use outside of the office to save a marriage, a Thanksgiving dinner, a friendship. Socio-Cultural Impacts of Remote Work I think that might have increased things by about five percent in regards to production. Okay, so we're at 85%. Why aren't we in the 90s? You lost a complete 15% in regards to the on-site training, the camaraderie, the IT support, you know, the arcade game room. How about just getting out, shaving, putting on clothes and looking smooth? You know, you got to keep your game going. How about this? I've had a lot of people through the 17 years that have met here, gotten married, and have had children. I've had some call center babies that have been here the whole nine months, and I say hi to them every day, talk to the tummy. What's my point? That's not going to happen anymore. Those two people through Destiny might never meet now. We've hired a bunch of people post-COVID, but those A and Bs are never going to make C anymore. Strategic Language Use in Call Centers That's a wonderful question. First, let me address the fact that I won't bring any languages in here that I can't personally understand. I can't have Tommy on the phone, Carson. So I got to know. So it's going to be English, Spanish, and I'll even do Portuguese. We have enough Portuguese speakers here and I understand enough. Of course, it could go into two languages. It depends on the client. If you need to turn in a recording to them or you need to set up an appointment and no one in the office in corporate speak Spanish, you got to ensure that the person you're speaking with has a translator or can speak English. The Importance of Creativity in Communication It's better to be a rudder than the ship. And it's a nice thing to do. And so I've seen that we've been able to prolong conversations in the metrics that you have working at a center. And our conversion ratios have increased. Our contact ratios have increased. And even if we need to make a custom-made voicemail or email because of COVID or the way people are communicating, if you just do a little due diligence like you and I did prior to this podcast, people put a little of that magic dust on top and get their attention. And so be clever. Actually try. Just don't make it a print. Come on, Jacob, make it a painting. Make it something that people are going to remember. So at least through merit, you're getting their attention and having the chance to make your case. The Romantic Side of Call Center Work so tell us, what does it mean and what does it feel like to work at a call center? You sold your soul. Man, some people would rather do public speaking than this, and they feel that more than death. I'm only kidding. It's not for the faint of heart. You need to build up endurance for it. In my mind, I saw the romantic side of it. It's really beautiful rhetoric and semantics and a phonetic delivery. As good looking as you and I are, Jacob, the majority of our clients can see us over the phone. So you're losing that sort of suit wearing smile. https://youtu.be/RgLRnWNgBVQ Jacob Easley II, Ed Up Xcelerated Excellence podcast, Richard Blank,Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center