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. 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. 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. But what I've seen and I've cracked a few codes is that when you speak to somebody, I believe that the phonetic tell signs are even stronger than if someone, if your micro expression reading them in person, they could just have twitches, just be nervous and sure, congruence is there. But the purest of pure is you're focused on the way somebody speaks. https://youtu.be/RgLRnWNgBVQ https://youtube.com/shorts/-RY2sq1yuk8?feature=share https://youtube.com/shorts/4ioKxk3kNyY?feature=share https://youtube.com/shorts/FrXNBYV1aBc?feature=share https://youtube.com/shorts/yc1Zyi8SpdY?feature=share 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