Issue 36, June 2008
A Message From President Ronda
Trog
Submitted by Ronda Trog, Best Western
International, IARE President 2008-2010,
The IARE annual
conference in San Diego was my 10th conference with this association.
Looking back I am amazed at the changes in our industry and in the
organization. Our industry continues to evolve and technology along
with the behavior of the consumer is taking us in new directions all the
time.
IARE is also
evolving yet still committed to the founding principles of providing our
organizations with the opportunity to network and learn about new and
emerging trends and technology to help us be more effective. The
speakers for this past conference were exceptional, each bringing
knowledge and insight on a wide variety of areas that impact our
operations.
I encourage all of
us to continue to network this year via phone, e-mail or attendance at a
regional meeting. When meeting with vendors and your local peers please
speak about IARE and the value you receive in belonging to the
association. The more principle member companies that are part of the
organization the more we all learn and grow in managing our
organizations.
You may recall that
there were a number of previous IARE members in attendance for the
Karaoke Team Building night at the pub. Seeing how they flocked, at
their own expense, to San Diego to reconnect with friends from IARE
reassures me that this association is truly worth serving. I have had
the privilege of observing a number of those previous IARE members serve
as president. I plan to continue the tradition of facilitating the
associations' growth and focus on providing value to our membership
through networking opportunities and an annual conference that provides
great speakers and workshops for learning.
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IARE 2008 Conference - Success in San
Diego!
Submitted by Leesa Williams,
Sr. Director of Reservations,
Accor North America
It was nothing short of
success in San Diego at the recent IARE Annual Conference held in April
at the Westin Gaslamp Quarter! We welcomed 136 attendees, speakers and
sponsors for 2 1/2 days of information packed presentations, numerous
networking events, and a full house of exhibitors.
Conference highlights
include a dynamic opening session presented by Nolan Burris. His
presentation was titled, "The Wonder of Wow" and he delivered on his
promise of motivating attendees. One attendee noted that, "Nolan was
fabulous, great delivery AND provocative subject matter."
The opening night
teambuilding event involved Karaoke and a buffet dinner. It was great
fun and especially memorable thanks to the attendance of ten IARE Alumni
from across the country. The alumni were able to re-connect with
colleagues and friends from years past in a very lively environment!
We were honored that they spent personal time and money to be with us
and we value their past contributions to the industry and to IARE.
The participation of
twenty sponsor companies enabled us to provide one of the most
interactive trade shows ever. The support of these companies (and in
many cases, their active membership in IARE) is what enables us to
provide valuable networking opportunities and presentations during the
annual conference. Without this support, the conference would not
be possible. We also benefit greatly from their presence at the trade
show - it's a definite plus to be able to spend some quality time with
vendors outside of the office environment!
Next year's conference
will be at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in historic St. Louis. The
dates will be April 19-23, 2009 and we look forward to seeing you there!
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Beware the Accidental Employee
Developer
Submitted by Dan Hoesing,
Senior Director
of Brand Web Distribution, Carlson Hotels Worldwide
Turnover is an
unpleasant reality of business. It doesn’t even have to be
excessive to create problems. Most organizations have experienced a
situation where turnover occurred with no plan or ability to
immediately fill the role. The mad search ensues and maybe
the right candidate is found before the cycle starts all over
again. It is safe to say that most of us have some work to do in
this area. One of the keys to reducing unplanned turnover for key
positions is employee development and succession planning. We, for
the most part, are not very good at this.
According to the
University of Minnesota office on Human Resources, “Employee
development is a joint, ongoing effort on the part of the employee
and the organization for which he or she works to upgrade the
employee’s knowledge skills and abilities”. They suggest a balance
is required between the individual’s career needs and the needs of
the employer to get work done. They also site research that points
to employee development increasing productivity and longevity. Well
of course it does, but who didn’t know that?
If you run a search on line for employee development programs, you
will see nearly 3 million hits. There is an entire industry around
training and developing “other people’s” employees. Yet as late as
2005, according to a study by the Society for Human Resource
Management, 84% of companies do not use formal programs for
developing employees.
Leslie Levine, an accomplished author on the subject and
president of Life Integration Concepts,
suggests employee development is broader than just one
category or formal program. It is a comprehensive approach that
includes formal programs and other less tangible items:
-
Make work
more than just a pay check
-
Mentoring
programs
-
Employee
training programs
-
Tuition
reimbursement
-
Promote
from within
-
Reward
star performers
-
Foster
creative learning process
Regardless of how
you define employee development or the amount of formal programs you
have, you will find few that disagree on its importance. The critical
question to ask then is why are we so bad at it?
To answer this question, I encourage you to first read a recent
interview from Money Magazine posted on
CNN Money with executive coach Marshall Goldsmith. This interview
provides a unique view of success and some of the problems or delusions
that come from it. When related to employees, the concept offers a
paradigm shifting view of development, framing it around the managers’
prior success and the problems that can come from the number 1 habit of
winning too much. Goldsmith suggests that when you reach a certain
level, winning the battle of ideas with employees won’t move you any
further. You can always win, you’re the boss – but should you?
Ultimately, subordinates need to implement those ideas and they are much
more effective for the organization when they implement their own.
Creating the environment where your employees can initiate, plan and
execute their own ideas not only develops them, it demonstrates that
their boss is able to effectively expand the organization exponentially
by fully utilizing the power of engaged employees.
Goldsmith’s most compelling example is that of an enthusiastic employee
entering their supervisor’s office with a great idea and all of the
energy in the world to make it happen, only to leave with an admittedly
better idea but only a fraction of the enthusiasm to implement it
because the idea is no longer theirs. His point is that what you gain
by your recommendations (maybe 5%) you more than lose from the lack of
enthusiasm (as much as 50% or even 100%) by adding to the idea, or in
the employees mind making the idea yours and not theirs.
As vice presidents, directors and managers we’re all smart people and
good at what we do. We’ve earned our positions by being right most of
the time and that has led to our success. If you have this view, and I
would suggest that many in mid level management positions do, it is a
very individualized if not somewhat self-centered view of the universe.
It also
carries an enormous burden to keep being right and adding value that is
directly attributed to you vs. less attributed value in higher quantity
that may move the organization further. Most of us have the
perception that we have clawed our way to our current top perch by
ourselves and the only way to move further is to continually interject
value to demonstrate our worth to the organization. This is the perfect
environment for the accidental employee developer to emerge.
Below is a list of descriptions that describe an accidental employee
developer. If they seem a little too familiar, you may be
subconsciously limiting your potential and that of your organization -
not to mention the negative impact on your employees!
You might be an accidental employee developer if you…
-
have never
delegated something that was truly important to you, unless you
simply had no choice
-
intercede to
eliminate all risk of failure on behalf of your employees
-
only have
development discussions with your staff every year at review time
-
find reviews
are a chore; you fill in the blanks under the goals but view them as
something you have to complete every year
-
believe
employee development is a joint task as defined above, but in
reality rely exclusively on random, on-the-job development as you
encounter it
-
intentionally
or unintentionally place the development burden almost entirely on
the employee (think hard about this one)
-
discover
personal confrontation is uncomfortable to you; in your mothers
words: “if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at
all”
-
deliver
negative feedback so passively even you don’t know what you are
saying
-
have no formal
or informal succession plan for employees - including your role
-
have a
succession plan, but haven’t shared it with the involved employees
-
encounter
tenured employees coming to you for obvious decisions that shouldn’t
require your involvement
-
don’t know
about it, it doesn’t get done in your organization
-
have employees
that rarely surprise you with outcomes
-
always make
your employees ideas better
-
receive little
feedback from employees
One of the true
challenges with being “right” all of the time is when we sit with
ourselves we often self justify to further the myth. Now review the
above questions from an employee perspective. Really think about how
your actions might be interpreted by your employees. If you really
don’t know or it would be awkward to ask, then you have more to work on
than you might think.
What you give in employee development you ultimately give yourself.
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Peak Efficiency: Home Agents Are Just
the Ticket for the Travel Sector
Submitted by Mark Frei, Senior
Vice President of Sales, West Corporation
It’s the bane of every travel industry
contact center – striking the delicate balance of having just enough
agents to handle call volume. With staffing costs accounting for an
average 75 percent of operating expenses, underutilized agents are a
major money-waster. Not having enough resources when needed can quickly
translate into irate customers, lost revenue, and stressed-out staff.
Even with the rise of automation, agents
are still the heart and soul of the call center. Tools such as
predictive analysis can’t enable the brick-and-mortar call center to
instantly ramp up when unexpected call spikes happen. And experienced
high-quality agents are increasingly difficult to find and retain.
Successfully maneuvering around such
day-to-day and hour-to-hour staffing issues is critical to running a
cost-effective and high performing contact center. As a result, travel
call centers are discovering that home-based agents offer distinct
benefits that address these staffing challenges.
Just-In-Time Staffing
Home-based agents offer greater scheduling
flexibility than traditional brick-and-mortar agents. They can quickly
be online and serving customers during spikes in call volume and just as
rapidly discharged when not needed. Plus, commute times and inclement
weather won’t keep home agents from their duties.
Skilled, Savvy, and Steady
Work-at-home agents typically have higher
levels of education and more years of business experience than
traditional agents. Since home agents tend to be in their 30s and 40s,
they are less interested in job-hopping and more interested in achieving
a better life-work balance. Statistics reveal that turnover among home
agents is significantly lower than in-house agents and it’s easier to
find agents with travel industry experience and other specific skills.
ROI: The Home Team Wins
When compared to traditional US-based
brick-and-mortar call centers, home agent solutions typically generate a
lower cost per call and reduce facilities costs. Plus with better
education and skill levels, home agents are more productive than their
brick-and-mortar counterparts. It’s hard to ignore the fact that
home-based agents outpace all types of brick-and-mortar alternatives
when it comes to return on investment. The home agent ROI advantage
ranges from approximately 20 percent when compared to US-based and
offshore agents to as high as 45 percent when rated against near-shore
agents.
Adding home-based agents to the travel
contact center staffing mix delivers scheduling flexibility that goes
beyond the limitations of the brick-and-mortar environment. The benefits
of fewer staffing headaches, lower costs, and higher productivity are
rapidly positioning home-based agents as a vital tool in achieving peak
efficiency.
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New IARE VP
Commitment to Lead
Submitted by Denise
Pullen, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, IARE VP/President Elect
2008-2010
It is an extreme honor and
privilege to be elected to the role of IARE Vice President/President
Elect. In my new role, I am fully committed to achieving the mission
and vision of our organization. IARE has contributed significantly to
my personal and professional growth over the past eight years that I
have been part of the organization. In my experience, the more involved
and passionate I become about IARE, the more Hyatt and I have gained
from the investment of my time. I intend to create opportunities for
others in the IARE organization to share in this legacy. Growing the
strength of the IARE membership is key to it’s long term viability.
With the ever-changing trends in travel and call center industries it is
imperative that our connection to industry leadership peers be easily
available for benchmarking and a fresh perspective. Our Annual IARE
Conference has always been an unmatched resource for industry education
and networking; attracting new travel call center representation will
only add to the effectiveness of our benchmarking efforts. Anyone who
wishes to share your passions, skills and abilities are welcome to
embark in this journey. It is as easy as joining a IARE committee or
recruiting new members for the association. I’ll share one word of
warning, “Be ready to achieve more than you ever thought possible and
cherish the chase!”
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New IARE Members
Welcome to the following new
IARE Members:
eStara Cambridge, Massachusetts
Hyatt International - Pacific Melbourne,
Australia
IHG Makati City, Philippines
IHG Baguio City, Philippines
IQ Services Minneapolis, Minnesota
MGM Mirage Las Vegas, Nevada
Neutral Posture Bryan, Texas
Nexidia Dallas, Texas
NextIT Corp. Spokane, Washington
Parallax Technologies Clarkston, Michigan
Snowfly Incentives Laramie, Wyoming
Westjet Airlines Calgary, Alberta
Xzamcorp Boardman, Ohio
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Advertise on the IARE Web Site
Looking to reach
top decision-makers in the hospitality contact center industry? The IARE
web site
will now accept banner ads! The IARE web site is the place
where IARE Members go for industry information and is, of course,
accessible to thousands more
seeking information on this unique industry. Don't be left out,
click here to access a rate
sheet and order form.
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