Allied Waste (formerly known as Sunset Waste) is a full-service refuse and recycling company servicing western and central Michigan . The company has approximately a 50% market share locally, and they are owned by the second largest waste removal company in the country. So why would they be concerned about customer service?
"Customer service is the only way to differentiate in our industry," says Christine Montes, Customer Service Manager. "And let's face it - the only job more stressful than being a customer service rep is being a stay-at-home mom! If we want our people to thrive in this atmosphere, we have to give them the tools to improve their communication skills and help them manage stress."
Allied Waste chose Varnum Consulting's Nancy Skinner & Associates to help them reach their training goals for the customer service center, which services Allied Waste's seven locations. "We interviewed two other providers, but Nancy 's group was by far the most in tune with our needs, and the easiest to work with," says Montes. "They had the experience and credibility we needed, but more than that, we were comfortable working with them. They customized a program to our exact needs."
Varnum Consulting provided a two-phase program to help Allied Waste's customer service team gain confidence. First, they started everyone out with Positive Experiences on the Phone , a program designed to enhance communication skills, develop confidence, and teach techniques for handling stressful calls. Then they followed up with personal coaching one-on-one, to reinforce and fine-tune each person's skills.
"The improvement is amazing," says Montes. "I see a huge difference in the way our reps talk to customers. They're much better at qualifying problems and getting answers quickly. Instead of freezing when a difficult call comes in, the reps now view upset customers as a challenge. They're more outgoing, more confident, and they've started working better as a team. I use a secret shopper to monitor our service levels, and we're consistently receiving scores in the 90-100 range."
That satisfaction is absolutely critical to Allied's business, both for retaining customers and employees. It takes at least six months to train a customer service representative. In the last 18 months, Allied Waste has not lost one customer service person to an opportunity outside the company. That means the company has a much more experienced, confident and competent group of people on the phones than their competition has. Montes credits Varnum Consulting's training for part of this excellent achievement.
Was the investment worthwhile? "I would not have been able to dedicate enough time by myself to make this program a success," says Montes. "That's why I chose to go with a professional organization that could help me reach and even exceed my goals. I also learned that going offsite for training means something to the reps. It gives them a real sense of value, and you certainly get different results than you would with an in-house training session."
So is training finished at Allied Waste? "Absolutely not," says Montes. "Training is continuous - you can't do it just once. It requires repetition and reinforcement." Allied Waste plans to send a second group of customer service reps through Nancy Skinner's training soon. They're also talking about training their drivers as well, since drivers interact with customers every day.
