Rising through the Ranks: What a CEO Learned from Picking Up the Office Phone

Allan J. Murray, the CEO of a health insurance company, spends some time every week at his company’s call center. It isn’t just a matter of finding something to do or helping out his staff. To him, it is a means of getting to know the community and growing with the company.

To give you a background on the situation, call centers agents like unitedcallcenter.com operators spend their day on the phone, addressing the concerns of customers. They go through proper training to provide good service and a knowledgeable response. Murray recognizes the unique and indispensable role they play in the success of his company, so he dedicates a few hours each week to this task. According to him, it emphasizes empathy and promotes positivism.

Here’s what else the CEO has to say about it.

Customer Service Calls Teach You to Listen

One of the reasons why Murray requires each new employee to undergo call center-related training before their tenure is because it teaches them to listen. What’s the use of unique selling propositions and clever advertising if you are not sensitive to the needs of consumers, after all?

Picking up the phone forces employees to interact directly with customers and exposes them to the different needs and situations of each one. This is important to running a company because empathy catches customer attention. Moreover, it lets them know you are listening to their concerns and that you genuinely care about helping them.

Dealing with Customers Teaches You to be Positive

Murray acknowledges that answering calls means listening to a lot of complaints from customers. Hearing their annoyance and frustration, however, shouldn’t bring you down. Rather, it gives you the opportunity to find the silver lining in various situations. Remember, this is your product or service the customer is talking about, so you have to help them solve the issue and see the brighter side of it.

On another note, answering calls fosters positivity when you hear directly from the customers how grateful they are about the product or your service.

No matter how high you’ve risen in the company hierarchy, it makes sense to look back and remember your experience as a member of the rank and file once in a while. Similar to what Murray did, you can learn a thing or two doing something outside your usual lineup of tasks. The most menial tasks can teach you more about your customers and the company than you think.