Retail and hospitality teams are very customer-focussed, and because of that, teamwork is essential. You need your team to work together and support each other. A team that works well is one that is immediately more professional and generally nicer to be around, which is a boon for your business. The retail and hospitality sectors […]
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The pandemic has resulted in a shift in work practices; several companies have moved from the usual in-office or onsite work methods to virtual offices. In America, about 26% of employees are currently working remotely. Remote working is fantastic. Employees get to work from the comfort of their homes, while recruiters can choose from a […]
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Building rapport is the art of establishing an emotionally comfortable relationship with a person during a conversation.
When I first started as a call centre trainer, I listened to a sales team leaderâs briefing. Like many naturally talented salespeople, he couldnât explain how he was so good.
He told his team to build rapport with their customers. One recent recruit asked: âHow do we build rapport?â He replied: âBe yourself!â
I thought to myself: âWhat does that mean? There must be a way to train for this.â
I did some research on the internet and found various techniques. These are the top four which I included in the first training session of our agentsâ onboarding course.
1. Use the other personâs name
Dale Carnegie said people like nothing more than the sound of their own name. Using a personâs name can get and hold their attention very effectively. Like all games, this one has rules.
Make sure you know how to pronounce it. I work with people from all over the world. I often first see their names in written form. So I will ask them, âHow do I pronounce your name?â No one wants to hear someone mispronounce their name, and they will appreciate that you have taken the trouble to say it correctly.
Donât overuse it. The classic stereotype of the âslimy sales guyâ uses a customerâs name at the end of every sentence. Use the personâs name at the start of the conversation, and then at points where you want her to pay special attention. That should not be more than once or twice.
Names can be a sensitive topic. In the English-speaking world, using first names with complete strangers is considered normal. In the Czech Republic, itâs still common to use âMr.â/âMrs.â and a surname. Be careful to fit in with whatâs normal for their culture, or you could be seen as disrespectful.
2. Question, answer, comment (QAC)
When two people talk for the first time, they often ask each other questions.
At a conference, you might ask: âWhat do you think of the event?â
When your partner replies, respond with a comment before asking the next question. Hereâs an example:
âWhat do you think of the event?â
âItâs not what I expected. I was hoping there would be more presentations.â
âReally? What aspect of XYZ are you interested in?â
The comment, âReally?â shows you are interested in her answer.
Two points to note: your comment needs to be appropriate to the answer, and you should not use the same comment for every answer, otherwise, you will sound like a bored telemarketer.
3. Something in common
Finding something in common with the other person is a good rapport-building technique. If you are talking to someone, you are in the same physical or virtual environment.
You could ask a question or comment about the event you are both attending.
You could comment about the signal quality of the video conference call you are on.
If you meet face to face, you could do the classic British thing and talk about the weather!
You could also volunteer some personal information, such as mentioning your children or pets. People love to respond with a similar comment of their own. Suddenly, you find that you both have teenage sons or Jack Russell terriers. You have something in common to talk about!
4. Humour
This is the most effective, but the riskiest way to build rapport. Humour is usually culturally specific. What makes one person laugh could leave another person cold, or even get you a fist in the face.
I wait for the other person to make the first joke, to gauge what works for her.
If youâre going to make a joke, donât make a joke at the expense of anyone you are talking to.
I know someone who was talking to the managing director of another company. He made a humorous comment about salespeople. The managing director had spent the first 20 years of his career in sales.
You may think that self-deprecatory humour is a safe option, but in some cultures, making jokes about yourself is seen as a sign of insecurity and weakness.
Start by watching other people and how they build rapport.
Watch what other people do in meetings or conversations. Watch TV or films where people have conversations. Police dramas are great since police officers usually try to build rapport with witnesses and suspects who they interview.
Start actively practicing by trying one technique at a time in conversations. Watch how your conversational partners react, and take that as feedback.
I used a practice activity where every new trainee had to ask the other trainees five questions to get to know each other. They had to use rapport-building techniques. Fifteen minutes after the exercise kicked off, the classroom sounded like a party!
If you go to a networking event, prepare four or five simple questions and go around the room and try to talk to everyone, using the rapport-building techniques. See how they react.
I love hearing how people get on when they use these techniques, what works for them and what doesnât. Send me a message and let me know how you got on!
Part One: Data Strategy Is More Important than Ever in an Age of AI.
This will be a multiple-part series on data strategy and how it is the precursor to data management and data governance.
Firms often skip many essential steps to creating a data strategy favoring data lineage/governance, usually for regulatory compliance rather than creating a holistic yet integrated vision for data. While practicality is always good, it can be at the bane of getting the most out of the firm's data over time. When a data strategy does not guide data governance, this keeps data governance in a defensive position in general; it is a big mistake that keeps data governance in the basement of the organization, being perceived as a cost center and not the revenue and monetization driver that data governance can be.
Let's start with what a data strategy is and why your organization needs one. Then we will discuss in future articles how data governance needs a tighter connection to strategy.
Data strategy and how I like to think about it is a sharp vision for how your data is organized and turned into knowledge throughout the organization.
There is data, information, and knowledge. Each of these has some organization of data and planned use cases. I like this pyramid or hierarchy paradigm for data strategy. As you go higher, it's about generating insights and improving the quality of decisions based on clean fit-for-purpose quality data.
Some key considerations in your data strategy, and I will not prescribe the answers to these considerations here:
1) How do you define quality data
2) Who gets to move data and to where?
3) Is there a planned level of data duplication, or is it, as they say, the "Wild West" with replication all over the place?
4) Do we want to have one version of the truth or multiple versions of the truth? What are the risks and benefits of each?
5) Are we using an ETL process or ELT in the age of big data
6) What types of data models are we using? Logical layers (star Schemas) no SQL, blob storage?
7) Are we using open gardens or data lakes, or a pond approach?
8) How do we define our data fabric at the firm?
9) What newer tools do we use for moving data. Are we using AI-based tools (RPA, etc.)?
10) Who can access PII or NPII data, and how do we create highly secured data zones?
11) How many self-service analytics tools do we allow? Do we need both PowerBI and Tableau?
12) Do we have an on-prem cloud approach or a full-on cloud data strategy?
13) Where do AI and cognitive technologies get their data
14) Do we have transparency in business rules and algorithms that drive our business?
15) How do we monetize our data, and at what point in the data lifecycle?
16) How many customer keys or unique identifiers do we carry?.
17) What is the role of generative AI?
18) How do we resolve the identities of both prospects and customers?
19) Who owns the data Do we have producers and consumer-defined roles?
20) Do we have a centralized or decentralized approach to data management, and is our organization clear about how we operate?
There is no formal data strategy if the firm doesn't have clear answers to many of these questions. In addition, a data strategy is not a data management framework, which would come next once you have defined the strategy.
"Why is this important?" you ask. It will help you set the priorities for data governance and data management organizations (DMOs), rather than just having them fall into a project or two and perhaps only viewing them as the people who handle compliance issues or controls. Remember DMOs, enable data science, marketing automation, AI, CRM, and many other revenue-generating functions. An integrated enterprise data strategy will allow you to scale your data management and governance efforts, making the work more important and meaningful and increasing the focus on the business objectives and ROI.
I look forward to your thoughts on why you think the tail is often wagging the dog regarding data governance versus data strategy.
In our next issue, I will discuss master data management and data governance in detail.
Today, more and more employers are conducting phone interviews before inviting job candidates to an in-person meeting. With more applicants available for each opening, employers do not have the time to invest in a meeting for every candidate that simply looks good on paper.
Phone interviews make it easier to screen candidates. Some of these phone interviews may include standard questions that ask about facts, such as your experience and any specific skills you have. However, there are also employers who dive right into some of the most challenging questions, such as giving you a scenario and asking for your response and plan to handle the situation described.
As a job applicant, there are benefits and disadvantages to a phone interview. Some people are well-spoken and are great on the phone, but in person, their nervousness gets to them. Some are more comfortable speaking in person but lack personality on the phone. Under both situations, it can be a challenge when you donât have feedback that may typically appear through face-to-face contact.
Regardless of the situation, you need to put your best voice forward to leave the employer with a good impression. This may be the only shot you have at getting a step closer to securing a job offer with them. Remember that the employer may change their mind about inviting you in for an interview if you fall short of their expectations or leave a negative impression on the phone.
Note that in a phone interview, your intonation is most important in how you come across, so you should be energetic and enthusiastic and change your tone to better engage the interviewer. You should also be prepared to ask some basic questions, although save the big ones for a formal interview.
Take the tips offered here to help put your best voice forward and further advance on an opportunity to a job offer:
Phone interviews may not always be scheduled. An employer may call you to respond to your submitted cover letter and resume, and the moment you pick up the phone an interview may occur right then.
Most employers will be courteous to first ask you if this is a good time, but that does not always happen. So, if you believe there is a chance an employer may be calling, be prepared by providing a professional greeting on your voicemail or when you pick up. Also, be conscious of what the caller may hear in the background if you pick up the phone. If itâs not an appropriate time or place to talk, let it go to voicemail, but try to call back immediately when it is more appropriate for you to talk.
Since the interviewer will not see your face, all they have to work off of is the voice you present, so make sure it sounds enthusiastic and energized with confidence. Try keeping a smile on your face as you talk and be aware of your tone and pitch so you do not come off sounding monotone.
Keep a âcan doâ attitude when you talk. It will leave a more positive impression than if an employer were to hear, âI canât,â âI donât,â or âI havenât.â Also, be conscious of how you speak; avoid the âAhs,â âErrs,â and âUms.â You can come across as unsure of yourself and lacking in confidence.
Many people list their cell phone number on job applications, cover letters, and resumes, which is fine, as long as when the phone is answered you have good reception. If you are the one initiating the phone call, use a landline to avoid static or dropped calls. It's also important to find a quiet location where you will not be disturbed or distracted.
Keep in mind points that you can use to help explain how your previous experiences or skills make you a good fit for the open position. Also, always have questions in mind to ask during the interview that show your interest and desire to work with the company. Donât forget to also keep your resume, a sheet of paper, and a pen on hand. Youâll need these items for reference or to take notes while on the call.
Interviews, whether in person or over the phone, should end with an understanding of what the next steps are. If it was not covered, be sure to ask. The employer may also view this question in a positive way that you care about this opportunity and have a desire for it.
Remember, phone interviews deserve a follow-up thank-you note or email to the individual(s) you spoke withâjust as you would do after an in-person interview.
Treat phone interviews as important as face-to-face interviews. The impression you make on the phone will also be taken into consideration when the employer is trying to decide between you and another candidate for the position.
We know how difficult it can be to ace a job interview, on the phone or in person. If you're still not feeling confident in your interview abilities, we can help.
We'd love it if you joined our FREE community. Itâs a private, online platform where workers, just like you, are coming together to learn and grow into powerful Workplace Renegades. More importantly, we have tons of resources inside our community that can help you prepare for your next job interview.
It's time to find work that makes you feel happy, satisfied, and fulfilled. Join our FREE community today to finally become an empowered business-of-one!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.
