inside view / jul 2014
Culture.Service.Growth.
By Susan Hash
Contact Center Pipeline
A PEOPLE-CENTRIC CULTURE THAT
ENCOURAGES STAFF TO BE CREATIVE,
TAKE RISKS AND TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
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Culture.Service.Growth.
A
Susan Hash
Contact Center
Pipeline
t some point, every employee has entertained the notion that, “If I were in charge, I would
do this or that differently.” It’s a fleeting thought that typically surfaces when someone is
frustrated by an internal obstacle, a complicated process or a pointless policy. Generally, leaders
never get to hear what their employees would do differently, because most organizations tend to have
multiple layers of bureaucracy that discourage new ideas.
That is the type of rigid environment and restrictive thinking that Tim Montgomery and Tim Handren
were determined to avoid when they launched Culture.Service.Growth. (CSG) in 2010. As veterans of
the contact center world, Montgomery and Handren were familiar with the obstacles that traditional
contact centers struggled with—and which prevented frontline staff from delivering world-class service.
They knew that there was a better way. A former contact center consultant and advisor to some of the
world’s most recognized service organizations, Montgomery also has held a variety of leadership and
executive positions within leading companies like USAA, Coca-Cola and The Scooter Store. Handren,
former COO of USAA, brought 25 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industries.
The two realized that they could draw on their combined expertise to create the ideal contact center
business model—one based on an open, collaborative environment that encourages employees to
be creative and take risks, and which treats people with respect. As Montgomery puts it, “We had the
ability to build the company that we always wanted to work for.”
Four years later, the business is thriving—CSG has a staff of close to 600 and rising. Its “Service 1st”
culture is both a guiding principle and a way of life that has contributed to the company’s growth and
well-earned reputation for delivering a world-class customer experience across sectors. But overall,
Montgomery says, CSG’s success can be attributed to its people.
Managing the Agent, Not the Seat
Both Montgomery and Handren were passionate about creating an employee-centric company. Most
importantly, they wanted to ensure that CSG’s management practices focused on helping employees
to be successful.
“In most call centers, leaders are taught to manage the seat rather than the agent,” Montgomery points
out. “They put a lot of metrics squarely on the shoulders of the frontline reps, and their conversations
with them are about numbers. We decided that we were going to focus on behaviors—treat people like
adults, expect adult behavior and have adult conversations.”
To that end, Montgomery and Handren decided to forgo the traditional call center policies that are
irrelevant to the work. Take dress codes, for instance, which some managers spend a considerable
amount of time discussing, planning and enforcing. “Our dress code policy is simple: Wear clothes that
you’d be comfortable going to dinner with your grandmother in,” Montgomery says. “We don’t waste any
time worrying about what people wear. We spend our time focusing on what they do.”
Specifically, CSG leaders concentrate only on behaviors that within the agent’s control—attendance,
schedule adherence and continuous improvement. “Our scorecards and conversations with our agents
are around show up, follow your schedule and get better,” Handren says. “Every CSG employee understands that all three are the key to success—or the key to failure—and it is 100% within their control.”
Because the quality process focuses on behaviors rather than scores, agents look forward to the
feedback, which they view as a growth opportunity. As Montgomery explains, “the quality program is
something that we do for the agent, not to the agent. It’s not just a form, it’s a conversation about
getting better.”
Importantly, coaching and feedback are not limited to QM sessions. Each team lead at CSG is
required to spend at least half of his or her time on the call center floor conducting real-time side-byside monitoring and coaching.
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Culture.Service.Growth.
CSG’s remarkable growth over the past four years can be attributed a talented staff that provides world-class service. A fun, festive atmosphere contributes to the contact center’s high
employee satisfaction.
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Culture.Service.Growth.
Involved and Accessible Leadership
One of the benefits of building your own company is the ability to develop effective, well-defined
processes from the start. At CSG, the focus has always been on simplicity and freeing supervisors’
time to allow them to spend of it on coaching and developing their teams. For instance, CSG supervisors don’t spend the bulk of their day summarizing, compiling and generating weekly or monthly
performance reports. “We have one version of the truth for everything,” Handren says. “Everybody
works from that version of the truth, so our supervisors don’t have to spend their time manipulating
spreadsheets. They have quick point-and-click access to all of the information that they need.”
In addition to eliminating the typical time constraints that prevent supervisors from concentrating
on agent development, Montgomery and Handren removed the physical barriers that separated
leaders from the frontline staff, as well.
Instead of disappearing into offices or closed-door meetings, CSG’s managers and leaders are
always visible and approachable. In fact, there are no offices. Everyone—agents, team leads, supervisors, managers—sits in cubicles on the call center floor, including Montgomery and Handren. “We
have an ‘open-cube’ policy,” Montgomery says. “It doesn’t matter what your title or role is, you have
a cubicle. Everyone is accessible all the time. It’s pretty amazing. We’re continuously finding ways to
improve because we’re constantly listening to everyone.”
Agile Environment Encourages
a Different Kind of Leader
Competing effectively in today’s fast-changing business environment calls for flexibility and quick
decisions. Yet too many organizations are hampered by cumbersome planning and decision-making
processes.
Because CSG lacks the rigid hierarchy that characterizes traditional organizations, decision-making
is immediate and straightforward. In most companies, getting to a decision typically requires a series
of meetings and presentations that can stretch out over weeks or months. “By that time, we would
have had it done and implemented,” Montgomery says.
Instead, he adds, CSG has a strict “no PowerPoint” policy. “If you have an idea or you want to do
something, come in and talk about it. We’ll spend a few minutes on a white board, and we’ll make
a decision and go.
“We want everybody to continually challenge, take risks and make decisions so we encourage
people to try new things—and to fail,” Handren says. “People who have been in traditional businesses
and call centers have a fear of failure, so they’re almost paralyzed to act. We want our staff to go
100 miles an hour.”
Not everybody is comfortable in such an open, collaborative setting, though. Montgomery initially
thought that seasoned call center leaders would embrace the culture, but as it turned out, that was
not the case. “We haven’t had a lot of success bringing in leaders who have a lot of experience in
other call centers,” he says. “It’s hard for people to unlearn their bad habits. Our environment doesn’t
allow for any kind of bureaucracy—at all. The things that have made leaders successful in other
organizations don’t necessarily work here.”
Auditioning for a Position: CSG’s Got Talent
It’s not surprising that most of CSG’s managers and senior leaders have been promoted from within.
“They don’t have that fear,” Montgomery notes. “They’re not bringing with them that legacy. It’s refreshing—they have great ideas and are willing to try new things. They may not always get it right, but at
least they’re taking a swing—and we love that.”
So how does CSG find creative, motivated staff who will thrive in its unique environment? Traditional
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Culture.Service.Growth.
recruiting and hiring based on call center or customer service experience was not bringing in the right
type of talent. The company needed a hiring process that was as distinct as its culture. Two years
ago, they launched a new program, called “CSG’s Got Talent.” Here are the program’s highlights:
Qualified candidates are sent an email invitation to participate in a voice audition via IVR. The
email instructs candidates to call a phone number for the initial screening, which will take them
through three scenarios. The email doesn’t mention that there is a fourth scenario—an additional
question that requires participants to think on their feet. “It’s surprising how many people just hang
up because they don’t know what to do,” Montgomery says.
Candidates who successfully pass the voice audition are invited in for a panel interview. The panel,
which is jointly run by a supervisor and a frontline agent, includes 10 to 15 staff members. The group
interview consists of behavioral questions that allow the panel to see how an individual interacts
with others and whether he or she is a good fit for the culture.
Candidates who are approved by the panel are then invited in for a formal interview, which, in many
cases, is conducted by a frontline agent. As the greatest advocates for the company, frontline staff are
enthusiastic participants in the screening process. In fact, an online recruiting video—created entirely
by frontline agents—serves as a strong testimonial for CSG’s culture (view the video at CSGrocks.com).
Engaged Employees with a Voice
Employee engagement processes can never be static, and at CSG, leaders and managers are
constantly gathering feedback from staff about what they like about the company, what changes
they’d like to see and what leadership can do differently—whether through informal conversations
on the call center floor or via regular “stay interviews.”
While frontline employees always have the ears of their supervisors, managers and senior leaders, they also have their own employee-run forum. Called the “Culture Club,” it consists of 15 to 18
frontline employees who represent each department and campaign. The Culture Club meets on a
regular basis to gather ideas and feedback, check the general morale pulse of the center and to
plan fun activities, pot lucks, outings and decorations.
There is no doubt that the open environment, festive atmosphere and having a strong voice in the
company have been powerful motivators for CSG staff. But Montgomery believes that the biggest
impact on employee engagement comes from the respect that the frontline agents get from their
managers, which is demonstrated on a daily basis.
The proof that it’s working? About 85% to 90% of CSG employees come from internal referrals.
“We use that to help us gauge the health of the organization,” he adds.
Susan Hash is the Editor of Contact Center Pipeline.
[email protected]
(206) 552-8831
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Culture.Service.Growth.
About Contact Center Pipeline
Contact Center Pipeline is a monthly instructional journal focused on driving business
success through effective contact center direction and decisions. Each issue contains
informative articles, case studies, best practices, research and coverage of trends that
impact the customer experience. Our writers and contributors are well-known industry
experts with a unique understanding of how to optimize resources and maximize the
value the organization provides to its customers.
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