What Does a TV Show Have to Do with Managing CS Agents?
We understand that some CS managers reading this will be skeptical about the “lessons” they can learn from a TV show. But our previous blog post with some lessons from “Bob’s Burgers” was wildly popular. We’d like to think it’s because we came up with some helpful and entertaining tips.
That’s why we’ve drummed up more ways this popular animated series can help businesses improve the customer experience. As fans of the show, the writers here feel that there’s always more to learn from this tenacious family trying to keep their restaurant afloat. Now, here are five lessons Bob’s Burgers can teach customer service managers.
Strong Teamwork Is Invaluable
One of the best running jokes in the show is Bob’s constant criticism of his family for their horrible work ethic. Even in the pilot episode, he pulls them aside for the infamous “pep talk” to say, “Listen, you’re my children, and I love you, but you’re all terrible at what you do here. And I feel like I should tell you, I’d fire all of you if I could.”
While Bob’s employee encouragement may need a little work, and the Belcher kids can’t resist taking little digs at the restaurant, ultimately they will always do what it takes to work together to support each other and the family business. As middle child Gene proudly declares, “We’re Belchers, from the womb to the tomb!”
Even if your employees don’t have a connection that strong, they should still be able to work effectively as a team. Like the Belcher family, your employees won’t always agree, but they should always know how to work together to reach a common goal. This camaraderie will not only make it easier to reach those goals, but it will also help foster enthusiasm that’s reflected in customer interactions.
Employees Want Clear Goals and Objectives
In the season-three episode, “Bob Fires the Kids,” Bob does just that. But he does it for good reason. When Bob finds an old box of sad toys, he realizes that his childhood summers spent working at his father’s restaurant left no room for fun. Bob wants to avoid the same mistake his father made, so he kindly “fires” the kids and tells them to enjoy their summer.
But while Bob thinks he’s doing them a favor, the kids find that their newfound freedom is too unstructured. They return to the restaurant begging to go back to work. As it turns out, the Belcher children actually enjoy working at the restaurant because it provides them with a strong sense of purpose in their otherwise hectic lives.
Your employees also desire that sense of purpose. While many businesses try to boost performance through various strategies, such as reward-based competitions, the truth is that most employees are driven by a desire to do their job well. Therefore, they need to have well-defined objectives and the right feedback to help them succeed.
Keep Your Employees on Track
As dedicated as the Belchers are to the restaurant’s success (or at least keeping it from closing), they still can sometimes get a little…sidetracked. And it’s not just the children. Even parents Bob and Linda are not immune to distractions. A perfect example of this occurs when the Belchers are hired to cater a Bat Mitzvah in the episode “Mazel-Tina.”
At first, Bob is reluctant to take the job because he fears that the rest of the family will abandon him, leaving him to do all the work by himself. His fears are not unfounded; it’s not long before every family member (including Bob himself) wanders off, neglecting their catering duties.
Offer Quality Feedback, Not Just Criticism
It’s certainly not news that all employees get distracted at times, no matter what kind of business you’re running. But when you’re working in customer service, it’s important to find ways to keep employees focused on customer interactions. One way to do this is to implement a speech analytics solution that can offer a complete view of how your agents perform in every interaction. Monitoring agent performance highlights each agent’s strengths and weaknesses, while showing managers exactly where their agents need extra training.
Did you know we offer tools that can help you do precisely that? If you’re looking to monitor agent interactions, we offer easily searchable call transcripts to help managers pinpoint problem areas. We also offer a full suite of automated tools, such as agent scorecards to provide 100% visibility into agent performance.
So rather than giving a half-hearted pep talk full of criticisms, give your employees quality feedback that helps them understand where they stand and where they can be even more successful.
