2010 Contact Centre Industry Directory First Call Resolution–The ...

Personal profile
delegation had some travel
restrictions coming to Canada last
summer, so I went there.
I was training them in Canadian
best practices and tools and also
showcasing some of the things that
the City of Brampton was doing in
terms of how to be more customeroriented.
Later in 2009, the Chinese
officials came to Brampton as part
of a broader project study tour in
Canada. Now I’m remotely supporting
them in developing a management
toolkit and staff training manual.
Is customer service part of the
Chinese culture?
Well it is, but not in terms of the
way we’re doing it here. The project
taught the Chinese officials and
staff we interacted with to be
more customer-oriented. Their
environment is traditionally very
hierarchical so to put them at the top
of the hierarchy is very different.
The fact that customers can shape
what and how your organization
needs to deliver is a very new
concept. My piece was to teach them
- as managers- how are you going to
sustain this, and how are you going to
train your staff to be more customeroriented?
You need statistics. You
need some Leadership training.
You went to China to teach, but
what did you learn on your trip?
Where do I start?
Certainly, I learned a lot about the
Chinese culture. The main thing that
I learned was how small you can feel
“Our worlds may be different, but at the end of
the day it’s all about people, and that is what
customer service is all about.”
Shown here at the Great Wall of China, Rhonda Tsingos visited China last year as part of a Canada/ China partnership project that aimed to
assist Chinese officials to sustain a more customer-centric approach.
The Chinese have embraced these
concepts and are excited about them.
Once I got there and got to learn a
little bit about them, I realized that
we are not that different. Our worlds
may be different, but at the end of
the day it’s all about people, and that
is what customer service is all about. .
You gave advice, but what is
the best piece of advice you’ve
ever been given?
Who do you admire in
business?
The leaders I admire are people I’ve
worked for at various jobs. I’ve been
really fortunate that I’ve always
had excellent coaches. That is
what works for me- rather than just
naming someone famous.
What do you do when you’re
not doing this?
Do you know your team? Do you
know your people? Do you have a
coffee break with them once in a
while? Do you have fun together? Do
you have rewards?
We’re all in public service so you
can’t just say “Okay, I’m going to pay
you more.” You need to come up
with some innovative ways on how
you’re going to reward and recognize
people. These are new concepts to
Chinese customer service.
when you’re in a place that has so
many more people than Canada.
What I learned was that despite
the differences in our history, beliefs,
systems and ways of life, at the end
of the day, when you cut through it
all, it’s all about helping people. The
project gave me the opportunity
to help- which was great. It was
exciting to represent the City of
Brampton and to share some of its
practices in leadership and customer
service excellence.
I am constantly looking for advice on
ways to grow as a leader, so I always
try to act and look the part of the
next level I want to achieve. And I
think about what it is going to take
for me to get there, and then reach
out for that.
I take advantage of every
opportunity to be mentored by
somebody I admire. I also read
everything that I can about
leadership and just start doing it.
I love to ski. My family has a cottage
in the Muskokas, so I enjoy anything
to do with boating and water. I also
love to cook.
Elizabeth Winter describes herself
as crazy about call centres and call
centre people. She is founder of the
Contact Professionals Alliance (CPA),
the largest and fastest growing
peer-to-peer contact centre group in
Canada. For more information, visit
www.cpacan.com.
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