A Grateful Company Culture: Feedback Leads the Way

 

This month at VitalStorm, as the holiday season approaches, we find ourselves reflecting on the achievements of another successful year. While contemplating the continued growth of our company, the one word that resonates most strongly as the defining coda to 2016 is “gratefulness.” Using this as a springboard for our last Company Culture blog of the year, we thought it would be appropriate to highlight an entire department that embodies the word in both service and methodology.

Our indispensable Feedback team, who help clients examine, grade and refine their CSR’s call center performance, exude gratefulness in their careful coaching and everyday office interaction. In addition to increasing the number of booked leads for our clients, our Feedback team inspires the VitalStorm family with their integrity and grateful approach to their work.

“We have 10 Vital tools that we coach on; one of these is Gratitude,” according to Sara Moffett, Feedback Coach. “We always say that customer service begins and ends with gratitude. This is such an important part of every call – and relationships in general.”

Sara, who started as a Lead Qualifier (LQ) with VitalStorm in 2014, moving to Feedback a year later, is one of three full-time coaches in this busy department. Sara, along with Team Leader Wendy Roberson, and Feedback Data Support Xol Vergara, make up our vibrant Feedback team. Wendy celebrates her fifth year with VitalStorm next February and Xol recently moved from LQ to Feedback this past June. Instead of focusing on an individual staff member, the gracious co-workers decided to share the spotlight. Taking time from their busy schedules, the three of them answered some questions about their department – and the rich company culture they help cultivate every day.

 

Can you explain the basic function of the Feedback (FB) department?

 Xol: Feedback is a program to train CSRs in a strategic way to book more leads.

Wendy: Our main function is to help improve the customer’s bottom line through Coaching their CSRs on the Vital 10.

Sara: We help make their job easier (and hopefully more exciting) by providing a guideline to follow.

 

What is your specific role within the department? How does your role inform/impact the others in the department?

Wendy: I do my best to impact my team through leading by example and providing all the tools they need to succeed by achieving their goals here at VitalStorm.

Sara: My role is to work with our clients and coach them in monthly sessions. I also do data support (grading calls/ analyzing data) to better understand what hurdles our CSRs face. This helps others in the department by giving more insight about what’s happening in calls, which leads to better coaching.

Xol: My role in Feedback is data support. I grade calls based on the Vital 10, prep and post Weekly Challenges and prep PowerPoints for sessions. I am also starting to ease my way into presenting as well as providing some creative insight. Most of what we do in Feedback is tied together – and we prefer working together on tasks to bring new ideas or get things done more efficiently.

 

                             (l to r) Wendy Roberson, Xol Vergara and Sara Moffett.

 

What are the biggest challenges that you face on a daily/monthly basis?

Wendy: Our biggest daily challenge is resistance to change from our CSR teams. We strive to overcome this by building rapport with them and helping them understand we are on the same side.

Sara: We constantly remind our teams that a few small changes can have a big effect. We work with so many CSRs and the ones who are open to coaching tend to see the most success.

Xol: One of the biggest challenges I’m currently facing is my nerves when I present. I do enjoy presenting, but the CSRs can often catch you off guard during a session and derail your train of thought.

 

How does Feedback work with the other departments at VitalStorm?

Wendy: The LQ team is vital to our results in Feedback.  All calls must be qualified prior to our end of the month meetings with clients so we are presenting accurate results. (Regarding the PPC Department) We sometimes inquire on whether clients have paused their campaigns if we notice a drop in call volume, which can sometimes affect our Random Sampling of calls.

Sara: The Feedback team relies heavily on the LQs. Every call we grade must be qualified correctly for us to present the most accurate numbers. We also rely on the PPC department to inform us of clients pausing or changes in their campaign that may affect calls.

Xol: Feedback also works with the creative team that helps us design some of our visual content like the Road Map and the Vital Workbook. The IT team is also a huge part of FB when it comes to the online platform, Metrics, that we use. In the FB team, we like to continually improve our program and the IT team is always there to help us progress with new ideas.

 

What sets the VitalStorm Feedback department apart from companies that offer a similar service in the marketplace?

Wendy: Our Vital 10 tools set us apart from the competition, but more importantly the measurement tools we provide our customers, as well as the Weekly Challenges.  The Challenges keep the CSRs in their own calls and in constant contact with the Vital 10. Also, we’re passionate about helping our clients and we make it personal.

Sara: We truly care. We go above and beyond to ensure we’re giving the best training possible. That means sending weekly updates or reaching out regularly to stay in touch. If we see someone struggling we will not only find out why, but also look for a solution!

Xol: Because we are a small team, we can put our care and attention to the clients that we have as opposed to having too many clients that we can’t keep up with. Being small also means we have more flexibility with clients and can take care of any concerns or questions they might have.

 

What is a unique aspect you feel that you bring to the office?

Wendy: Being welcoming. I have a practice of getting to know everyone who joins the VitalStorm team.

Sara: I believe my attention to detail and willingness to find solutions bring a great deal to the table. I love creating processes and organizing our workload.

Xol: I am always willing to try new things. If I don’t know something, I’ll try my best to learn it and implement it.

 

How does the idea of gratefulness figure into your job? 

Wendy: Gratefulness starts when I wake up breathing and I have an opportunity to enjoy another day and I hope to bring that joy to the office and to our clients. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help our customers grow.

Sara: Any time someone calls a home service company, they’re likely going to spend a good amount of money. It’s imperative our CSRs show appreciation for every opportunity; even if a customer doesn’t book immediately. Great customer service truly does stand out and everyone expects to hear “thank you” – we must meet and exceed that expectation to stand out.

Xol: Gratefulness is an everyday idea with Feedback. Gratitude is one of the Vital tools that we coach the CSRs to use in every call – and we believe in practicing what you preach. We always thank our clients after every session and know that a little gratitude goes a long way.

Would you like to know more about how our Feedback team can help inspire and motivate your call center CSRs? Click here to learn more about this vital department – and why we are so grateful for their involvement.