Will You Add? - Business

What is PO Financing?
Are you a distributor, reseller or wholesaler of goods? As a distributor, your biggest accomplishment – getting a very large order – can turn into a nightmare if you don’t have the financial resources to deliver it. Why? Because if you don’t fulfill the order, you risk losing your client.But there is a simple solution to this problem, and you won’t find it at your local bank. It’s called PO financing. PO financing provides you with the necessary financing to buy the goods from your suppliers, deliver them to your customers and close the sale.And you can use PO financing even if your company doesn’t have credit. How? By using your purchase order from a strong customer (or the government) as collateral. It’s an ideal tool that can help a company grow past its current financial limitations.Let examine a sample PO financing transaction. It usually has 6 steps:You get a PO from your clientThe po financing company pays your suppliers via a bank wire or letter of creditThe order is delivered to your client, who accepts it You invoice your clientYour client pays the invoice, concluding the orderThe transaction is settledAlthough PO financing is a great tool, it is not for everyone. Given the associated risks, most po financing companies will only finance transactions that:Sell goods/products that are manufactured by a 3rd partySell goods to reputable clients or government entitiesHave profit margins of 25% or moreIf you meet these criteria there is a big chance that PO financing will be able to help you. And an additional benefit of PO financing is that is relatively easy to obtain and can be set up in a week or two.

d to Further Evaluate a Candidate’s “Telephone Personality”.

• Where Appropriate, Used to Schedule a Candidate Visit at your Office for Going Forward with Hiring Process.

Delivered consistently, a Structured Telephone Interview is part of a Legally Defensible Hiring Process – as all Candidates are asked for the same information in a uniform and consistent fashion.

STEP 4: Deploying Pre-Employment Assessment Testing – to Confirm Personality Traits/Job Fit and Skill Set(s).

Candidates for Call Center Agent Positions need to have a Unique Constellation of Traits - and Specific Amounts of those Traits - in order to Successfully Complete the Job Requirements.

A Call Center Agent’s Success Depends Much More Upon Personality/Job Fit Factors than Product Knowledge, Past Experience or Skill Set.

Merely knowing how to react in a Customer Service Situation is Far Different from Actually Engaging in the Necessary Appropriate Behavior – Consistently - and for the Long-Term.

This is what Call Center Agent Personality/Job Fit Testing Measures.

SPAS – Service Personnel Appraisal System - is CD-Rom based Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Screening Software, which is Easy to Deploy, Very Cost-Effective and Highly Predictive of an Individual's Suitability for a particular Call Center Agent Position.

SPAS Weeds Out Job Candidates Who Burn Out Fast Because They Aren't Suited For The Work, and Identifies The People With The Skills, Motivation, and Work Ethic to be Top Call Center Agents.

There are Specific Versions of the SPAS Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Testing Software Validated to Test for Call Center Agent Positions such as:

• InBound Customer Service
• OutBound Telephone Sales (B2B) Business-to-Business
• OutBound Telephone Sales (B2C) Business-to-Consumer
• Inside Sales Agent
• Tier 1 Technical Support/Help Desk Agent
• Central Station Monitoring Operator
• Telephone Collections
• Telephone Answering Service Operator
• Reservations/Guest Service Agent
• Government Information & Referral Operator
• Tele-Counselor
• Mystery Shopper

Whatever Call Center Ag

Teaching The Big Boys To Think Small
Last week I told you about a recent report from The Conference Board that has a lot of big company CEOs concerned about competition from smaller, more innovative and entrepreneurially-minded companies. To refresh your memory, The Conference Board's CEO Challenge 2004 reported that 87% of the 540 global businesses surveyed cited innovation and enabling entrepreneurship as priorities for their companies, and 31% considered these issues of "greatest concern."These CEOs understand that their big company status no longer guarantees that they will win contracts and retain market share based solely on their size and track record. They understand that the greatest threat to their businesses is not coming from the boardrooms of their largest competitors, but from small companies born in garages, on kitchen tables, and in tiny, rented offices.It's a fact that smaller companies, by need and design, are more innovative, more flexible, more decisive, and faster to move than their larger brethren who are entrenched in operational processes and corporate procedures. Small companies are typically not led by career executives for whom every decision must be predicated by hours of meetings and mounds of documentation. Most small companies are led by their founders; men and women who were cut from an entrepreneurial cloth that has yet to fade. It is when a company grows to the point that the founder steps aside to make way for professional managers that the company loses its innovative nature and entrepreneurial flair.The good news for large companies is that they have definite advantages over small companies, especially when it comes to resources and funding. Turning a Goliath into a raging horde of David's is never easy, but it can be done if the company is willing to make changes to internal processes and attitudes, and commit the time, money, and personnel

Reduce Turnover • Raise Productivity • Lower Absenteeism

A typical Call Center employs 3 Different Types of Call Center Agents:

1. Top Performing Agents - “Grade A” Agents with the “Right Stuff” that pushes them to Succeed, and the seemingly Natural Compatibility with the Duties of the Position. You probably have a few in your Call Center Operation now and wish that you could duplicate them.

2. Adequate Agents - “Grade B” Agents who Perform their Duties Adequately Enough “to get by” – but No Better.

3. Marginal Agents - “Grade C” Agents who have a High Level of Absenteeism, Low Productivity, Poor Performance & Poor Customer Satisfaction Ratings and who have a Negative Impact on Agent Team Morale.

We ask for a lot from today’s Call Center Agent: Handle More Customers & Calls, Order Taking, Cross-Selling/UpSelling, Being Proficient with Computer & Support Systems, Being Non-Confrontational & Good-Humored, Work Well in a Team Environment, etc., etc.

As a Call Center Hiring Manager, your Challenge is Twofold:

1st – How Do You Find a Sufficient Quantity of Quality Applicants for your Call Center Agent Positions?

Many North American Labor Markets have reached the Saturation Point for Call Center Agent Applicants in the Local Labor Pool. In fact, 64% of all North American Call Centers now find it a “Major Struggle” or “Somewhat of a Challenge” to Find Quality Applicants for Call Center Agent Positions. And 37% of Call Center Employers are now Reporting “Severe” Competition for Call Center Agents by Other Employers.

2nd – How Do You Weed Out the Job Candidates Who Will Burn Out Fast Because They Aren't Suited For The Work, and Identify the People With the Skills, Motivation, and Work Ethic to be Your Top Call Center Agents?

While Almost Everyone can Use a Telephone, Not Everyone is Cut Out to Work Successfully as a Call Center Agent.

Hiring the Wrong Call Center Agent is the Root Cause of Turnover and Absenteeism, and is a Significant Drain on your Bottom Line, on Customer Satisfaction, and on your overall Call Center Agent Team Morale.

Today, the Average Annual Turnover Rate of Full-Time Call Center Agents is over 30%. The Turnover Rate for Part-Time Call Center Agents is Worse (84% - with 15 Month Avg. Job Tenure). And, the Average Cost to Recruit/Hire/Train a Replacement Call Center Agent ranges from US$2,600 – US$15,000 (depending on the type of Agent Position).

Every Failed Hire Causes You to Throw Precious Budget Dollars Down the Drain Retraining Recruits for the Same Position. Not to Mention the Lost Sales & Service Opportunities, Poor Customer Satisfaction Ratings, Lowered Productivity and Higher Absences associated with a Poor Job Fit.

There are a Series of Best Practices Steps you can take to address these Two Issues in order to Recruit More Top Performing Call Center Agents:

STEP 1: Create an Agent Success Profile – What are the Core Competencies, Personality Traits, Skill Set(s) and Demographics of your Optimal Performing Agents?

Who are your Top Performing Agents?

You should be Profiling your Top Performing Agents for their Gender, Diversity, Economics and Education.

Across all Call Center Industry Segments (except OutBound TeleSales and Technical Support/Help Desk), over 75% of all Top Performing Agents are Female and 66% of them are Working Mothers. Only 5% have College Degrees, and 30% of them participated in “Welfare-to-Work”, Unemployment Insurance or Public Assistance within 6 months prior to their Hiring.

Is there Specific “Must Have” Skills/Knowledge that your Top Performing Agents need?

How do your Top Performing Agents Profile in Terms of Typing Speed/Accuracy, Computer Literacy, Specific Industry Knowledge/Experience, etc.?

What are the Key Personality Traits of your Top Performing Agents?

Are you looking for an InBound Agent? (A Persuasive Communicator Motivated by Security, Work Environment, Coworkers / Team, Service and Recognition).

Are you looking for an Inside Sales Agent? (A Persuasive & Persistent Communicator who is Service Oriented, yet Motivated by Sales Opportunity).

Or are you looking for an OutBound Sales Agent (An Assertive & Persistent Closer who is Motivated by Income and Conquering Challenges and who Initiates Customer Interactions).

STEP 2: Create a Recruiting Strategy – Create a Recruiting Communications Plan that Identifies & Targets the Job Seekers that Meet your Agent Success Profile Criteria.

Your Recruiting Communications Plan should include:

Personal Referrals

Print Advertisements

Elementary & High Schools (Part-Time Job Opportunities for Working Mothers of Students).

Colleges, Universities, & Technical Training Programs (Part-Time Job Opportunities for Students).

Minority Organizations (Native Americans/First Nations, Gay/Lesbian, New Immigrant Support)

Online Job Postings

Virtual Communities

Job Fairs

Outplacement Programs (Transferable Skills: i.e. Laid-Off Customer Service/Sales Staff).

Unemployment Offices

Welfare-to-Work Programs

STEP 3: Deploy an In-Depth Telephone Screening Process – All of your Recruiting Advertising should use as the Call-to-Action a 24x7 Automated "Employment Information Line"/Phone Screen which is then followed by a Structured Telephone Interview.

A 24x7 Automated "Employment Information Line"/Phone Screen Can Be As Simple As An Extension on your Current Voice Mail System:

“Hello … and Thanks for Calling … you’ve reached the 24 Hr. Employment Information Line for the ABCXYZ Company.

At ABCXYZ Company you will have the Opportunity to Have Fun … Make Good Money … and provide a Service that Our Customers Really Appreciate.

You’ll Earn a Guaranteed Base Wage of $__/Hr … Bonuses … Get Training … and All the Support you’ll need to Succeed.

We’re Conveniently located Downtown … with Easy Public Transit Access … and there’s Plenty of Parking nearby.

To Succeed … You’ll need to be Confident … Professional … and have an Excellent Telephone Communication Style.

To Take The Next Step in Our Hiring Process … at the Sound of the Tone … Please Tell Us Your Name … and Please Spell Your Last Name.

Also … Please Give Us Your Telephone Number … and the Best Time to Call You Back.

And finally … Please Read Back to Us the Ad you are Responding to … and Remember … this is a Telephone Audition … So give it Your Best Shot!

Here Comes the Beep … So Give Us Your Name … Your Telephone Number … and Read Back the Ad.

Good Luck in your Job Hunt …

Thanks for Calling.”

A 24x7 Automated "Employment Information Line"/Phone Screen can also be as Sophisticated as an Interactive IVR System:

“This Position requires you to Read … Speak … and understand English. Are you able to do so?”

“Press 1 for YES … Press 2 for NO”

“This Position will require you to work Non-Traditional Hours … including Evenings … Weekends … and Holidays. Do you wish to continue this Process?”

“Press 1 for YES … Press 2 for NO”

“This Position is Fast-Paced … Structured … and Requires that you have the Ability to Multi-Task. For the Majority of your Shift … you will Remain at your Workstation … while Assisting Callers and Customers by Telephone. Your Performance will be Monitored and Measured … to Ensure the Highest Levels of Customer Service. Do you wish to continue this Process?”

“Press 1 for YES … Press 2 for NO”

You will Save Time and Money using a 24 Hr. "Employment Information Line"/"/Phone Screen by:

• Reaching More Applicants Faster.
• Recruiting Top Candidates Before Your Competition.
• Building a Bigger Applicant Pool.
• Ensuring that Applicants have a Clear Understanding of Important Job Requirements.
• Assessing Applicant’s Ability to Follow Basic Instructions.
• Conducting “Voice Auditions” to assess an Applicant’s “Telephone Personality”.
• Reducing time spent with Unqualified Candidates.
• Maximizing Applicant Buy-In and Participation in your Hiring Process.
• Part of a Legally Defensible Hiring Process.

The Job Candidates who pass through your 24 Hr. "Employment Information Line"/"/Phone Screen should then be promptly followed up with using a Structured Telephone Interview.

A Structured Telephone Interview is:

• Used to Further “Sell The Job Opportunity”.

• Used as 2nd Screen of Candidates for “Must Have” Skills & Attributes (Start Date, Shift Availability, Wage Rate, Typing Speed, Specific Product Knowledge, Sales Ability, Security Clearances, etc.)

• Used to Further Evaluate a Candidate’s “Telephone Personality”.