Plum’s Post

“He knew exactly who I was, and wrote to me that he was going to look me up” Once a week, a colleague of mine in Wolt Support receives a threat in the chat with customers 🫨   Harassment of customer service staff is not new. Unfortunately. But it’s time that we get wise about how to deal with it. Last year, we registered almost 450 customer situations at Wolt Denmark, where employees felt harassed, their personal boundaries crossed, or their effort to help was met with contempt. The majority of these situations were reported by female staff, and even though no gender at our support was spared these unpleasant situations of hangry customers, it is undeniable that women support staff were over-represented in our internal statistics. Two years ago, we started more consequently reporting these incidents internally, and we built a framework of how to deal with these customer situations. Thanks to former colleague Tine Duelund Schou 🙏 We established a code of conduct which would compliment our tone of conduct, the latter being our guidelines on how we communicate with customers and the former being a manual on how to de-escalate a chat with a hangry customer. We also called upon a digital advisor, Nadia Nikolajeva, who helped us set up automated responses for these unpleasant customer situations. This is imperative to de-escalating a potential conflict but it is also vital in securing, that no colleagues get emotionally involved to the point where they experience something traumatic. It’s a long journey, and we have made some progress already. The relative number of cases is lower now than two years ago, yet it is still too high. My colleague, Julie Holm Svendsen, has witnessed her fair share of nasty situations. Now, she tells her story to leading Danish business media Børsen, and the story resonates across borders. https://lnkd.in/dKW3cHvX Literally, the feature article was brought in Baltic media outlets following the publication in Denmark. And, of course, I dare to say. https://lnkd.in/dF7wstWr This subject is universal. Customer service is part of companies across industries and countries, and the abuse and harassment that people in support are exposed to has to be opposed. It has to stop, and I am proposing a more concerted effort to stop this unacceptable behaviour towards people simply doing their job. We need to address this as an issue to be solved internally more so than externally. It is our duty to find ways to accommodate this, demarcate it, and become better at handling this 🙅🏻♀️ So I am grateful for those of my support colleagues who have agreed to be interviewed. Most of them are female, which corresponds to who is most exposed to the abuse. On International Women’s Day it feels appropriate to address this issue; to celebrate the brave who come forward with their stories and to let them know we take this seriously 🫶🩵

💫 Agents Of Change: Empowered, Skilled, and Ready for Tomorrow 💼🚀 At Zendesk, we believe in harnessing the power of our products to uplift communities and ignite impactful changes. The Zendesk Agents of Change program underscores our commitment to Social Impact by partnering with nonprofits dedicated to workforce development and upskilling services for underserved populations. 🎉 Milestones to Celebrate! As 2024 unfolds, we are delighted to celebrate the growth of the Agents of Change program: - Nearly 200 Agents trained 🌟 - Five transformative new partnerships 🤝 - Expanding access to opportunity 🌐 Our program further commits by providing: - Grant funding from the Zendesk Foundation 💰 - Sponsored Zendesk software 🛠️ - Complimentary certification exams for tangible credentials 🎓 Through these avenues, nearly 200 individuals have embarked on new career paths, powered by confidence and equipped with industry-grade skills. Moreover, the collective earning potential has soared, crossing $3.5M in total wages by our graduates, creating not just workers, but robust career trajectories. A gigantic thank you to our phenomenal partner organizations who are the real change-makers. To our Agents of Change graduates, congrats of your efforts and career growth. Interested in learning more or becoming a part of this journey of transformation? Check out our most recent blog and sign up to become a hiring partner (https://zdsk.co/3HvCCph)

The secret ingredient for keeping employees *and* their People teams happy? Automated workflows 🧪💥 Just ask Cassandra Margolin, Head of People Operations at Jasper and Rippling Wavemaker. Learn how Rippling’s automation capabilities simplify her leave administration responsibilities 🎥

In case you missed our team of advisers on the Expresso morning show, you can catch up! Discover insightful nuggets and gain valuable perspectives to elevate your personal and professional journey, because time spent with us is #TimeWellSpent https://bit.ly/3wABCyu

Let me share a little secret with you!!! 🫢 When a new member walks through our doors at the office, I make it my mission to ensure they feel right at home. Andddddd, you see, starting a new job can be nerve-wracking, so I believe in setting the right tone from the very beginning for anyone & everyone who joins me…. Instead of bombarding 😵💫 them with a barrage of questions and tasks, ‼️ I take a more relaxed approach and…….. what’s that? they're usually eager to jump right into the work and start asking about deadlines and tasks. But I always tell them to slow down a bit and take the time to get to know everyone first. It's always me telling them, "Hey, don't rush! Take a breather, chat with your new colleagues, and get comfortable." Because, I genuinely feel that building good relationships with your team is just as important as meeting deadlines. So, how do you go about welcoming newcomers to your team? 👀

Happy New Week LinkedIn Family. Let me show you somethings that can help you “Manage you Customer”. How to handle a poor product or service. As a customer service specialist. 💫 Ask for the Customer's needs and preference. 💫. Keep your promises. 💫. Act quickly. 💫 Listen to the customer and show genuine empathy. You can respond to them by: 🎯 Express gratitude. It's easy to focus on all the stuff I am not getting, that I think I am entitled to. #happynewweek. #day6ofwinningonlinkedinwithtife. #20dayswinnigonlinkedinwithtife. #20daylinkedinchallengewithtife. #customersatisfaction.

What an exciting week at First Orion! We launched AFFIRM, which lets you know how you're showing up on your recipient's phone. No more having those awkward "Hey, you showed up as spam" conversations with your customers. With our testing platform, you'll know right away and can act accordingly. Think of AFFIRM as a seatbelt. You hope you never need it, but you're glad you have it when you do. Check out the video I made and let me know if you think this might be helpful for your company. #CallCenters #CCWVegas #TheWholeBunch

It’s so common to be negative in our casual conversations. For example, complaining about the economy, weather, other people, etc. What if instead we focused on more positive aspects of our lives when talking casually with others? Let’s work together to make casual positivity the norm. Let’s #BeHighPerforming !

Hey there! 👋 Guess what? We've got a lineup of call center superheroes who are more reliable than my last Wi-Fi connection. And yes, for those in the back, that includes the masters of the art of collections. 🎨 Here at Paramount , we're like the matchmakers of the call center world, but without the awkward first dates. We connect amazing companies (like yours) with the kind of people who actually enjoy solving problems more than I enjoy finding a good parking spot. Why are we shouting this from the digital rooftops? Growth: Our candidates are looking to grow faster than my quarantine plants (and hopefully with more success). Team: They’re ready to join your squad and become the MVPs you didn’t know you needed. Innovation: They bring fresh ideas that are more refreshing than a cold drink on a hot day. Diversity: Our roster is more varied than my Netflix watch history. Feeling intrigued? Want to avoid sifting through CVs that make you wish for a power outage? Reach out! I'm at blee@hireparamount.com, or just slide into my messages. Let's make your team stronger, one call center guru at a time. #CallCenterHeroes #TeamBuilding #Innovation #Growth #JustForLaughs #ParamountTalentSolutions

Midweek reflections: “Connections are the threads that weave the fabric of our lives, stitching together shared experiences, mutual understanding, and endless possibilities.” It may only be Wednesday, but weeks like this I absolutely love! Spending quality time with colleagues and forging new connections is invaluable to me, a constant source of inspiration and learning. Today’s conversation and time with Berangere Michel was fantastic. We chatted about work, our successes and how we’re overcoming challenges, reaffirming the importance of collaboration in everything we do. Yesterday, I had the privilege of collaborating with the Metropolitan Police. Sharing our best practices in Quality Assurance for their Contact Centres shed light on the power of fostering a culture of Quality and Service. Integrating technology and adapting our approaches became the cornerstone of our discussion, emphasising the need for continuous improvement. Looking forward, tomorrow I’m hosting a drop-in session with Michael Ewins as part of Care Experience Week. Another opportunity for insightful conversations, connecting with Partners, exchanging experiences, and exploring ways to support Care Experience further. These interactions are not just professional exchanges; they’re connections that fuel growth and empathy. Each encounter adds a layer of wisdom to our collective knowledge, propelling us forward in our professional journey. #wenotme #togethereveryoneachievesmore #investinconnections