The call center and telephone answering business is for the most part in the hands of private family businesses. In some cases, these companies have second and third generations running these successful operations. This industry is not known for perhaps being the highest paying in the business world, and for the most part, call center staff have no post-secondary education. However, it is a business where growth opportunities within the business, as well as personal growth, can occur at a very rapid pace. It comes from the level of care, the desire to improve and make our customers feel good. I call it the “School of Common Sense.”
I have learned that the reason people stay in this business is because of a strong sense of community. Belong. To fit in. It is also a place for them to grow as people. Many of us in high-level positions in this business have seen countless new employees enter our world as meek and mild-mannered people, often afraid of their own shadow. Countless times we see them blossom into happy, amazing and productive individuals.
Why did this happened. I think it’s the cry baby club. Yes, the owners of this industry work hard. They take great financial risks to build their businesses. It is your leadership style that trumps everything else. They care at the deepest level about their employees. This kind of care is not regularly seen in the “we’ll measure you to death” corporate world. The great owners in this industry understand that it is the people that make this business the amazing business that it is. Without their talented staff they would be nothing. It is not about the latest technology that embraces us. Our customers don’t really care what’s in our server rooms. They just want us to make their customers happy and do it profitably. It’s that easy.
The level of respect goes beyond the employer-staff relationship. The level of respect between the owners and the top management of the competitors is truly amazing. I feel like sharing knowledge and wanting our competitors to grow so we can all grow is unparalleled in any industry. This year’s convention, like others in the past, sees several awards given to industry leaders for outstanding mentoring, leadership, and giving back to their staff and in their communities. It is during these presentations that “The Cry Babies Club” takes hold. I have seen CEOs of large companies with hundreds of employees to supervisors with a team of 10 crying out to be recognized for their docks. Each and every one feeling totally humbled. There is no greater honor.
I ask my readers outside of this industry to look at our industry with a different vision before we are judged unfavorably. Among our ranks, leaders are born every day. Yes, right here in North America and not in a far away land.