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EXPERIENCE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

BY KATHLEEN M . PETERSON , POWERHOUSE CONSULTING , INC .

12 CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE

Speaking of rules , have you ever read First Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman 1 of the Gallup Corporation ? If not , you may want to consider it . The overwhelming message of the book is how to be a more effective leader by taking a new and fresh look at what you are trying to accomplish and how you are doing it . This is great stuff and although the book is several years old , I still highly recommend it . First Break All the Rules is primarily focused on leadership ; buried within it are findings of 20 years of Gallup research on what customers really want .

The research is the result of surveying over a BILLION people to identify what really matters to them about service . The findings are organized into four categories , labeled as low-level and high-level satisfiers . 2 The low-level satisfiers are Accuracy and Availability . Achieving these “ only prevents dissatisfaction .” The

1

First Break All the Rules , Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman , Gallup Press , 2005 Edition

2

Ibid . high-level satisfiers are Partnership and Advice . The authors state that achieving these are " not easy to do but are difficult to steal ” ( as in replicate ). 3

I would like to use these findings to stimulate thinking around simplifying the process of understanding , reacting to customer needs , and crafting the “ rules of engagement ” with your team . These findings serve as a foundation for assessing the operational side of the Customer Experience in the Contact Center ; in fact , they apply quite nicely . So , here is my take .

LOW-LEVEL SATISFIERS

If we begin with low-level satisfiers , we must recognize that there are no “ points ” earned for achieving Accuracy and Availability . But there are operational elements that assure their achievement .

3

Ibid .