#185 Katie Davies of DDC OS chats about her passion for The North & DDC Discusses

[00:00:00] Hello and welcome to another episode of Get Out of Wrap. Today I'm joined by Katie Davies, who is the

[00:00:08] client development director, a DDCOS. Good friends of mine and Katie is awesome. Katie, thank you so much for coming on today

[00:00:17] Thank you for having me, very excited of course! Yeah we've chatted a few times and at some of your great events

[00:00:25] DDC discusses and other industry events so I'm really looking forward to this. You're now at DDC

[00:00:35] where were you before, where did this all start for you? Yes I am three years in as of next month

[00:00:43] DDC which was a flow and previous to that I was and before I had my son who's now just 10

[00:00:52] I lived in New Zealand for four years. I remember when I was first introduced to the world of BPO

[00:00:58] and previous about my career was in recruitment so many many years in lead

[00:01:03] centre of Lee's doing recruitment so that was in mixed rubbed and accounting finance

[00:01:08] treatment, lots of customer service recruitment, lots of sales recruitment as well

[00:01:13] and went to New Zealand doing recruitment but how do you want to get a visa that way?

[00:01:18] And then selling to the world is a BPO so not really outsourcing on the people side of

[00:01:23] the things that more processes and automation like that. I was recruitment all about people

[00:01:28] isn't it? There's a lot, a hell of a lot of people in our industry that have

[00:01:34] made that kind of cross over both ways because I think they're they're very aligned on that

[00:01:40] their people people focused naturally and that you deal with all sorts and it's about matching

[00:01:48] requirements to solutions. Did you find, how did you find the crossover?

[00:01:54] Easy because it's all about people's benefits so when you're in recruitment

[00:02:01] work for recruitment agencies and you have to part it's a do you think what do you do? It's like

[00:02:05] seeing you in a straight agent isn't it? It's not the arm that is in recruitment

[00:02:09] Michigan trans-Sarm isn't there and so it's an absolutely pleasure to be rated in this industry

[00:02:15] and I'm listening to it when I started at DDC I wasn't who aware of what I would be to

[00:02:20] add a city ass or really like to work to their base at least so I just sort of said yes to the job

[00:02:23] not really know what it would be. So starting off very much on the sort of contract side of things

[00:02:29] of the management of our clients contractulates and now I'm more in the sort of depth of

[00:02:36] the network inside it which is kind of my that's my DNA really is networking as well as people

[00:02:42] will know especially in the north a fly big flags for the north of England and we'll go on

[00:02:48] about to yeah we'll we'll we'll get on to that what was the pull then because I love that kind of

[00:02:54] I just want to work for you guys but what was the the pull how did it come about? Well I need

[00:02:59] somebody that worked there so Joe who worked there so I got back from when I was in New Zealand

[00:03:04] and I knew I was moving back I hadn't a son and I knew I was moving back I wanted to work for

[00:03:08] a company similar to the company that worked for all in New Zealand and I found a company and

[00:03:13] that was a DDC but Joe worked at that company at times and so I basically went on LinkedIn

[00:03:19] and stopped everybody at that company and so somebody appreciated to be with Amanda Givry and

[00:03:24] that was Joe and then we kept in touch basically and I think for me it's a fact that it's quite

[00:03:30] it's owned a money it's very it's got a very low and cool feel about it but with an international

[00:03:34] reach I didn't realise I would be travelling as much as I am which I love as well so I go to

[00:03:39] London to fly a lot but get to go to our Bosnia sign a lot and I just they're like everyone is lying

[00:03:46] so she's even there but everyone is like family and I you know they will send messages for my

[00:03:52] son and he likes to write to them and we send them many eggs that I'm many eggs so I thought you

[00:03:57] know they're what? That's it. It was just but I go and so if I send rights to the wind

[00:04:02] and it's both in the end and in Christmas cards and things like that so yeah it's lovely it's really nice

[00:04:07] that's brilliant well I you know Joe's been on this podcast I've met Joe loads of times

[00:04:13] Chrissy of course and I got to spend some time with you guys and your and your team leaders

[00:04:20] and it yeah it sounds cheesy but I can say first hand everyone I come into contact with the

[00:04:27] DDC says the same thing says that it's very much kind of you're all very connected and working

[00:04:35] together and Jay do course Jay's been on it's like you're all in a cult.

[00:04:41] Well Jay's line manager so it's it's weird yeah and it is we are a bit of a we're not a cult

[00:04:46] so what's Joe pin but we are and you know what we can get this dish we can get things done

[00:04:53] which has a lot of so I'd work for really small businesses and I've worked with big

[00:04:56] corporate as well and we're in the middle which is quite nice and so if you need something

[00:05:00] doing you can you can get it done and we can constantly being as a parameters which we do

[00:05:06] it's a lot of turn and that I like some people don't like that way of working but that's my

[00:05:11] kind of way of working really fitting things around what people need rather than having

[00:05:17] an off the shelf. Well you you're definitely an innovative organisation, innovative

[00:05:24] people and we're going to talk about something that you guys have done that I absolutely love

[00:05:28] that's very very different but you mentioned something at the start that you you like to fly

[00:05:34] the flag for the north and this is this is a big passion of yours isn't it?

[00:05:38] You're so awesome. It's like that, it is and anyone who has a big place in the north will

[00:05:46] we'll understand this and I know it sounds like we're beating on the same drum but there's so much

[00:05:51] focus on the sales then a lot of our events especially our industry events are in London

[00:05:57] and rightly so so the majority of them because that is obviously our capital city it's the

[00:06:02] wiki place to be but the north is an absolute hype of contact centre and customer service activity

[00:06:08] it's it's managed that everybody knows everybody is well and I think not everybody has the

[00:06:14] opportunity to do it a little under all the time it's a full day out of not two days sometimes

[00:06:19] of you're traveling and if you think about our own patients so that leads a Manchester Liverpool

[00:06:25] worrying to earn it and you've got obviously the north and I love the north is you've got

[00:06:28] a door and a new capsule and suddenly for me it's about I would like to to create more networking

[00:06:35] in the north basically we're not saying we're against the sales they were not

[00:06:38] signing seeing or anything like that but I think that there's so much to be said and there's

[00:06:42] different conversations in the north as well we have different issues and different challenges

[00:06:47] to overcome things like traveling for structuring you know recruitment different

[00:06:51] everywhere goes in there and attracting their right talent etc and salaries and things like that

[00:06:56] so I'm just saying it working my way around in building relationships with all the people

[00:07:02] people that we've noticed no really well as as loud in the north. I think you're able to say

[00:07:07] your pro north you're not anti-south and that kind of passion and pride in your

[00:07:15] in your area in what it means to be from the north and I think that everyone can recognize that you

[00:07:22] know I guess sometimes in the south we're a little bit selfish jealous of it you know we're a

[00:07:27] little bit kind of like oh you guys absolutely you're proud north news or we're kind of like a

[00:07:32] little bit sanguine about being in the south but what is it then do you think all of those

[00:07:39] contact centers you mentioned and I think when I last looked there's definitely more contact

[00:07:46] centers in the north but what is it you think that makes being in the north and being in our

[00:07:54] industry unique what are some of the slight differences or the real kind of positives?

[00:08:01] Well you touched on it there about about the site that we're proud of it and so

[00:08:06] feels like he probably put a bit more to network. So we we we how the lunch in Manchester

[00:08:13] and it was just that there's a lunch for any of the reason and everyone you've wanted to

[00:08:18] be really funny we didn't know that everybody would know everybody and it's really interesting

[00:08:25] to hear you know where it is in the different challenges that everybody has as well

[00:08:31] I think that makes this as unique we want to so if I've heard about I'm basically a lead

[00:08:36] and if I've heard about an event again some of them I would travel up to that event

[00:08:40] it's not too tricky for me to do that so it needs a bit of quantity to wind and so it's

[00:08:44] about it's a bit more accessible as well and it really is this I think some of them for example

[00:08:51] is now huge when it comes to contact centers the societies are shooting up it's actually

[00:08:56] becoming quite a challenge for people there to keep up with being with competition but

[00:09:01] and if you look at studies as well about language which fits in nicely we've got what we're

[00:09:05] going to talk about actually but people do like an all-than language especially you know a

[00:09:10] Jordi language got issues up there with languages that people like so you know people do take

[00:09:16] to yeah I think back in the day I'm pretty sure that a big consideration a big factor of

[00:09:23] from when first direct will kind of vary prevalent in the media and things like that but they

[00:09:29] spoke about it was a key consideration where they low where they started their first contact

[00:09:35] center was to utilize people with an accent the customers find trustworthy I know it's funny isn't

[00:09:44] it yeah so that I'm wait because you know we employ all sorts of people with varying

[00:09:50] accents and we're you know we have a present support as well and yeah I think it is something

[00:09:55] that some companies do based their decisions on but I mean I'm biased that my best friend is a

[00:10:00] journalist and of course I'm a bit you find it nice out and you know one can't in that

[00:10:08] no matter where you are people will talk to you so you're we're sat in a table with your friend

[00:10:11] and it's able to actually just start chatting to you and that just doesn't it you know that was

[00:10:15] what some new ceiling was like because while you started got stickier saying nice to me

[00:10:22] but I don't know people are getting a problem doing

[00:10:27] well you might have just seen that to let Hugo out then our best friend said lame up at the

[00:10:32] late we're all the floor but no people do you jump about cut smile at somebody else in London but

[00:10:38] I I don't think that I find it by smile it's a little bit shallow back so

[00:10:43] and you got and you guys these type of get together and making a conscious effort that you're

[00:10:50] going to do more in the in the north and like you say there's kind of lots of people know each other

[00:10:56] but what what do you gain from doing those type of events yeah sure it's it's awareness of the

[00:11:02] great stuff that you guys that you guys doing your capabilities but what else do you come away from

[00:11:10] those events with? I'm a personal level all you know I'm still learning massively I've only been at

[00:11:15] DDC for three years and so this and people are interested who have been that's it you know

[00:11:22] ground-hiddler and so I'm constantly learning and I will answer you know and I will be a bit

[00:11:26] cheeky and ask my conclusive or sight or if somebody will tell me a bit more or so on a personal level

[00:11:32] it's that knowledge and that I get I take away so much from everyone that's there that's

[00:11:37] obviously on the business level it's about brown to wear and about people understanding who we are

[00:11:42] because we're not we're not a huge player in the outsourcing world and and I think that could

[00:11:48] as a huge advantage as well but it just means that we're not as well in there and it's some of

[00:11:52] the bigger players and so it's nice for us to be able to go to events and say oh yeah we've never

[00:11:57] heard of you it sounds a bit more rude and it's quite like that like that we have not we've

[00:12:02] not conquered completely yet but wrong wrong route. It's nice to have that challenge and it's also nice to

[00:12:08] be you guys have a what as you say you're have an international presence and you've definitely

[00:12:15] got some numbers but you also had trial as well right that you're not moving a whole cruise liner

[00:12:21] around that might take five miles to turn slightly left you can you can move and evolve

[00:12:27] and respond to your clients quickly. We mentioned as well that these kind of events and how

[00:12:33] innovative you guys you guys are I've I've talked many, many times how much value I get from

[00:12:40] DDC discusses and for those of people that are listening or watching that don't know what is

[00:12:46] DDC discusses. I am trying to get this right but I have a different version of the result

[00:12:53] of what it is but basically in our industry the most important element is conversations,

[00:13:01] communication and conversation and there's a lot of people have a lot of opinions on

[00:13:07] bullying and in our belief slightly different angle is to take the opinions of actual genuine

[00:13:16] academic and studies and the science basically so it's the science behind our industry but mainly

[00:13:24] about the communication element of it. So for example the first event we held we had Elizabeth Stokeo

[00:13:33] and I know that that name will resonate for quite a lot of people watching there she's very

[00:13:36] very popular and Elizabeth so if I'm to say to you a conversation I'm at Lissiex you would say oh

[00:13:41] she's gonna talk about and I again it's a lot of AI I'm nothing to do with that is actual

[00:13:47] analysis of conversations and in order to really shine and what we do we need to take

[00:13:53] it step back and understand what is a conversation and how does it work and actually to be successful

[00:14:00] any kind of generated AI you need to be a good psychologist really and a good communicator so

[00:14:06] that's what we do so we hold these events like they're they're they're certainly small audience around

[00:14:10] the table and the first one for example is a best we'll talk about and go through her

[00:14:17] her studies and analysis and then we throw it out to them to the room and we have a round tone

[00:14:22] discussion about it hugely popular so we bring it with done them in London so far so obviously

[00:14:28] with which and why we're doing the bit London when you say we said that

[00:14:34] that was probably you wasn't just me actually very good friend of yours at Owens

[00:14:39] Sarah looks at the same she can't tell what is she said why do we do one of these at

[00:14:43] log and so so we're doing one in Manchester in June and again it was hoping to get Elizabeth to

[00:14:48] that one because she's just such a good speaker and it's such a good topic and I think it opens

[00:14:54] up people's minds to this world that we have and there's a bit of a bigger sister say so she's written

[00:14:59] our books but strategic and got more here but she'll be in search of saying what she said in that

[00:15:04] room well won't be relevant in under the years time because that's the way that technology is going

[00:15:09] however the fundamentals of conversation and how we convers will never change really so yeah they're

[00:15:16] super exciting out there just a little fruit we challenge technology which is quite nice because we

[00:15:21] are all that the people and I think we can safely say that most events were going to now

[00:15:26] our all tech heavy which is fine because that's not happening in industry but it's nice to

[00:15:30] take us that I can talk about people side of it and I think that's that's the foundation is how

[00:15:36] how you're going to use the tech is based on it should be improving things it should be making

[00:15:41] things better more efficient but it's got to be based on what are the fundamentals of let's say

[00:15:48] conversation and as you know from that very first event I was like a giddy schoolboy because

[00:15:56] I'd read Elizabeth's book the one that you showed there tall the science of conversation

[00:16:02] many you know years before and I absolutely loved it and the opportunity to meet her in the

[00:16:08] person and meet her in person and to listen to her talk about it and to play some examples you know

[00:16:14] for a it like you say when someone says conversational analytics I'm sure there's a large chunk of

[00:16:21] people that kind of glaze over and go oh god but it's so fascinating because it's about us connecting

[00:16:28] and she shares so many interesting examples about the patterns of how you talk to someone

[00:16:37] and that we are built to recognize those patterns from respond accordingly and when they're

[00:16:44] not quite there and you're aware of them and the level of detail you know she is a professor

[00:16:51] I think she's a LSE now but she was at love for a normal matter of that wrong but this is a whole

[00:16:55] team of academics who have studied from the innocuous boy a boyfriend and girlfriend who will

[00:17:03] maybe have in some problems all the way through to talking hostage situations you know

[00:17:09] with the real extremes so the day today to the extremes and by analyzing how people communicate

[00:17:15] backwards and forwards she was able to and thought as all in the room to be able to predict

[00:17:22] do you think this relationship is strong based on how this five seconds of their phone call has gone

[00:17:28] and you can know this isn't it that their relationship's not in a good place and then expands

[00:17:33] on it you know and that kind of the nuance and the detail is something and the interest as well

[00:17:40] that you have the emotion that you feel you know talking and listening to an expert talk

[00:17:45] about something like this is still for me very very different from tech and it it I came away

[00:17:53] from that event thinking if you look around our contact centers and what we're asking front

[00:18:00] like team members to do there's so much here that could help them so much because she also shared sales

[00:18:08] calls and customer service calls and all things and just some minor changes just some clever

[00:18:16] communication skills and tips can make a massive massive difference to our training to our coaching

[00:18:23] and ultimately to the performance that we see in our contact centers so I was blown away by

[00:18:30] that very first one and then the subsequent ones the meeting of the academic world and contact

[00:18:37] centers it's one of those great ideas where you think why haven't we done this before?

[00:18:41] Yeah but no hidden agenda for there and a lot of people that are invited to present it and

[00:18:47] then usually have a business surrounding that that they want to elevate so elevate not necessarily

[00:18:53] the depoticking a business that they've put the service and it might as somebody wants to elevate

[00:18:57] to keep it some gentility they are whatever it is there is no hidden agenda there genuinely is

[00:19:02] there that's what they do and that's what they know and it's applying how do we apply that to our

[00:19:08] world it's just yeah you're right it's just so different I think once people understand the concept

[00:19:15] of it they're being to one and that's it like so in a hook to really so the good news is

[00:19:19] the one in Manchester we were secured a bit of the bigger space so it can house we can ask for you

[00:19:24] more people but we need to make sure that we've got the rights dynamics in order to strategists

[00:19:29] still be able to join in and have that conversation as well. And I like the fact that you guys

[00:19:36] and how you curated that event weren't afraid of having you know there were people in there that

[00:19:42] had a real knowledge and passion for speech analytics and you'd think that the two

[00:19:49] might not go that there might have been conflict but actually like you say the academics there in

[00:19:55] this case Elizabeth and there was Dr. Saul Adams I think when there's been a doctor

[00:20:00] Phoebe asked with them but their passion is knowledge and sharing and so there were some great

[00:20:09] conversations from tech people yeah you know and and the academic you know yeah people that said

[00:20:18] monks amongst you know sort of reviewing the various types of that I mean it was yeah it was good

[00:20:24] it was nice yeah the effort to feel challenged but also able to have their impulse allow

[00:20:32] and when and where did you say it's happening yeah so we were just we put aside Thursday the

[00:20:40] 20th of June and I'm so so so excited because it really just got a very modest it will definitely

[00:20:46] be a Manchester it's likely to be so to in London we're out we hold it at the British Library

[00:20:51] it's likely to stay somewhere magnificent and sort of that regal like that but that has some

[00:20:56] reference to academia and we're hoping to get a little bit of the story which is why it's confirmed

[00:21:00] but if it's not specifically someone with the equal qualifications for discussions so yes

[00:21:07] if anyone wants to find out more we do have a DDC discusses linked in page actually that's purely

[00:21:12] dedicated to that but yeah just just ping me on linkedin or ever because it as I say it's not

[00:21:18] selling event for us we don't get up and we don't talk about who we are we don't say you know we'll

[00:21:22] introduce the event and that's it this is about every day's a learning day and I'm in that

[00:21:27] working day so yeah and I think I was lucky enough to do some interviews with people after

[00:21:34] which is there were coming out just a couple of minutes and there was a common theme all the

[00:21:39] way through that everyone had been positively disturbed then it was kind of unexpected in a positive

[00:21:46] way and that there was something different you know it was something different from because

[00:21:51] there are so there are great events in our industry but this is something very very different

[00:21:57] yeah well thank you for saying that you're a good pleat from him too

[00:22:02] I will I would you'll be there anyway we'll say to you it will send you the best see

[00:22:07] well they might be a restraining order because I was with Elizabeth I was I've read your book

[00:22:12] what uncertainty people have the event that the looks that we did in Manchester is the first thing

[00:22:17] that we've done look north so far which is in January yeah people don't have the

[00:22:21] half way through the book or they've read the books so yeah she's a popular she's a popular person

[00:22:29] and as well as DDC discusses what is it that you've got going on at the moment for yourself

[00:22:35] and also for DDC yes so we're gonna do more continue doing more events in the north so we've got

[00:22:42] Birmingham opinions which are actually have been office in Birmingham and we will be moving

[00:22:46] so it was sort of moving around right so Manchester is the focus that be some events like DDC

[00:22:52] discusses like Birmingham definitely the north east it only to sample time I own the

[00:22:57] other patch and further off these and it'll be a mixture of well have to DDC discusses events which

[00:23:03] is around table as well as just networking lunches do notice that kind of thing really

[00:23:09] um yeah and just continue down the bread that we're going out every down the way

[00:23:16] we're saying just growing our just growing our network real like which is what I enjoy it

[00:23:20] slowly slowly earning and and of the Sunday the industry I think you're right I think it's an

[00:23:27] undervalued focus and skill is the concept of networking and some people who poo it I don't know why

[00:23:35] because everything is good anything is good has ever happened in my career has been in part or

[00:23:41] directly because of my network and you've mentioned something to me before you know it's like

[00:23:49] you can still enact and converse with people that technically you're in competition with

[00:23:55] oh yeah I need to look at it and it's the best I think what's really nice is you especially

[00:24:02] say that a lot of people work from home as well you have a you're at a pinion of what the

[00:24:06] industry is doing all for example you you think you're the only one so a business like it's

[00:24:11] not the only one that's still struggling with whether hybrid working is the right way and actually

[00:24:15] you get a real with the people you realize that's what everybody's talking about and everybody's

[00:24:19] worried about it or about everybody thinks as a business that all of the businesses that really

[00:24:25] far forwarding technology and then they're getting a room with everybody else and realise

[00:24:29] everyone's right at the beginning of that journey and you just feel better to know you need to

[00:24:32] know that you're not doing it alone and yeah run me all sorts of people from Apple Pesters and I

[00:24:37] love that there because this room for everybody out there really is and we've all got something

[00:24:42] different spring to the table definitely is that what came across at your last event then that was

[00:24:49] it it was the hybrid life it was a big problem yeah so we we have a lunch and we didn't have an

[00:24:55] agenda for this we didn't have any topics it was just a kind of meatkeeper like Lionel Peep

[00:24:59] Hawk and the topic soon quickly came onto hybrid working because actually there was a business

[00:25:04] there that I've never ever had to send that start home using it locked down they had the special

[00:25:09] to bring people in and they still haven't sent people home and those businesses die that have

[00:25:15] tried to bring it really back and then people who were doing a bit of birds and everybody's still

[00:25:19] how the hell is really confused of what they're right thing to do is as an as a business it's hard

[00:25:25] because it's really really hard to attract good talent but there are people out there working

[00:25:30] now for in the contact centre industry that have never fully gone into an office they might have

[00:25:36] come to a retail background and that's the mentality background and in lockdown they started

[00:25:41] working from hair was a contact centre agent and everybody's got their opinions on it I believe

[00:25:48] I said it's in people love but if you think about all that managers and babies that haven't

[00:25:53] happened because we've all been working for a very good room so a lot yeah a lot of people

[00:25:58] that working contact centres are very sensible people all sorts of ages it's not just the younger

[00:26:03] demographic but social people and I'm saying that's where I certainly know that all of that

[00:26:07] centres that we've got everyone that at best friends their godmother's twitch of this children and

[00:26:13] you know that it just feels like this a slightest disconnect in that because of obviously

[00:26:18] what happened and because of lockdown but there is also a lot of people who have become a

[00:26:24] custom to work from home and today back into an office might be quite a big deal so it's such a

[00:26:29] huge topic still believe it or not and out for everybody. I think that's a really important

[00:26:35] consideration actually that sense of community outside of the actual moments that you're working

[00:26:44] the communities that exist within the venn diagram if you like a lot of overlap in things all

[00:26:50] all resonate from the contact centre so whether it is your part of a sports team, a social group

[00:26:58] or you just you get into the routine that you hang around with a bunch of people for more

[00:27:02] different departments and you're always playing pool at a local pub on a Thursday night and

[00:27:07] like you say from that and that kind of being in close proximity with with people

[00:27:15] leads to other relationships and you're right actually I wonder what the impact will be when we look

[00:27:20] ahead years from now has to those kind of maybe unforeseen outcomes of where we're at kind of

[00:27:29] from a hybrid point of view and I love something you said earlier around that being able

[00:27:37] without there being a marketing or bluster behind it but being able to sit amongst your fellow professionals

[00:27:46] and go you know what my boss is banging on about because this the I this is personal experience

[00:27:53] is worried that we're behind the curve on this type of technology or we should be doing this

[00:27:58] or we should be doing that because that's what you might see on your LinkedIn feed or

[00:28:03] yeah applications that are out there and then you get around a table with people and you start talking

[00:28:09] and you've soon found out oh wait a minute we're kind of all still here at the start line

[00:28:13] but it's in that lifestyle you know really all faced with kittings around is it's happily married

[00:28:18] and how it was applied out there then you meet up with them and like oh we can't stand it

[00:28:23] or let us say he's such a big era and it's I think some vulnerability is actually very

[00:28:29] welcomed in all walks of life but just being able to say we you know we want to learn

[00:28:36] from really as I think that's fine I think yeah I'll go to the Mac carefully found

[00:28:40] that book oh don't let's not get on to politics to be around everyone like we'll be around

[00:28:45] all that kind of but I also think you know that kind of as well as the kind of

[00:28:53] black market benchmarking if you're like what you're kind of going are where are you how do you

[00:28:57] do this how do you do that where are you with this the other thing that I've always come away from

[00:29:02] events especially yours with his tips and where someone else might be doing really well at something

[00:29:10] and yours you're not there yeah that you come awake and I'm gonna try that that's great

[00:29:15] and then everyone's happy to share that's the thing yeah we have that actually so another big topic

[00:29:20] when we had the lunch was sort of the extra curricula works that agents can do so the more

[00:29:27] charity side of things and so for me and it was actually on the on the reindeer and with basically

[00:29:33] if you do yeah random acts of kindness so do do things for the people that make you feel good

[00:29:38] about yourself you will live longer apparently it's true apparently tough and I think that

[00:29:43] we need to be able to do and this was a big topic the marriage it's the opportunity to be able

[00:29:48] to do random acts of kindness in our own worlds so you're from time to do that we're

[00:29:53] the next team in elderly neighbour whether that is but also in their context and to well to be

[00:29:57] able to offer a customer something and I think we we everyone's not pan pinching but trying to

[00:30:02] watch the yeah the pins and the pound spoon been able to give agents that free rain to help

[00:30:08] customers it massively proves their experience as an agent but also massively improves the customer

[00:30:14] experience as well I think there was a one of the big coffee brand one of the coffee chains used

[00:30:19] to give their work is a sign pound voucher every day to give to any body and so you

[00:30:27] imagine how good that's out so some of the comments that tell another they said that's all me

[00:30:30] you can help that and they took that away and they said they were abusing it and giving

[00:30:34] to their friends or whatever which they want it still makes them feel good yeah and I've been in

[00:30:39] a supermarket before and they and that one of those in the supermarket is given somebody some

[00:30:44] siloers that was how clearly how in your bad day so they're obviously got a budget to do that

[00:30:47] and I think that was a big topic as well and everyone wanted to learn what other companies were

[00:30:52] doing in that space to try and understand because and it's really high for a contact sent to

[00:30:57] people because the person who's running that side of things would be loved to say to the

[00:31:01] angels you've got a budget of this you're allowed to give away or you're allowed to give

[00:31:06] this much credit how much of any bomb Mr and Mrs fine on that's all that's always to say you

[00:31:13] not allow but I think it's that was definitely a topic that people are interested in in those kind

[00:31:18] of what how can we enable agents to be able to deal with things from start to finish and

[00:31:23] that and to honest well that that that altruism creates feel good in so many it's like a

[00:31:31] pebble in a you know like isn't it because it's also makes you feel good about the company

[00:31:37] you work for and I truly believe this is like the future of work is there's no where that's measured

[00:31:45] more than contact centers and and those things we measure everything and we measure it because

[00:31:52] it's easy and it's easy to equate a lot of things back to pounds and profit and all of those things

[00:31:59] and I'm not saying for guests and things yeah I'm not saying forget those but that kind of

[00:32:07] that the people the people side of things and altruism especially and given people the opportunity

[00:32:13] freedom license and agency to make a positive difference around them and trust them that they'll

[00:32:20] make the right decisions with that freedom I think is amazing I love it you know yeah and I think

[00:32:28] but we need to stop worrying about people running these tentatively stop worrying about the

[00:32:33] capabilities of the agents to make decisions because these days especially with technology

[00:32:38] the types of issues that agents are dealing with on a day basis are more complex than they've

[00:32:42] ever been technology's taken really easy to work with my older all that so it's our less than the

[00:32:48] tricky stuff and that's going to be quite hard going on them and all day every day just to

[00:32:52] be able to stop the trick yeah tricky ticket items so to be able to have that free ray not free

[00:32:59] in is it for it to be able to have that freedom to make those decisions themselves I mean what's

[00:33:04] the worst it's going to happen there's a lot of things I'll certainly monitor them so they start

[00:33:08] giving away too much you'll start not quite reading it right so people pick up on that anyway

[00:33:15] I think it's about given them a supportive space so that supportive space means that they're supported

[00:33:22] and can be coach but they're also able to make mistakes because like you say

[00:33:27] if you're dealing with more complexity the chance is to make a mistake or increased

[00:33:34] but if you learn from that and you don't feel like you're going to be put down because of it then

[00:33:40] you're more likely to learn and develop and some of the stuff that you guys do with your

[00:33:46] L&D and how way you know I was so impressed for your team leaders and how competent they are

[00:33:55] but also how much freedom they are given to manage their own team to manage themselves like a

[00:34:02] business within you know all with within the parameters that come from being an outsource or

[00:34:08] a course but it was really really impressive yeah I mean they're amazing out there and

[00:34:14] they actually genuinely want to be of coming in so we have a we have more of a wrote a basis

[00:34:20] with people coming in and it's great I go in once a week because I don't I don't

[00:34:25] quite far away from the also but that yeah that's so on the ball and they are there a community

[00:34:31] definitely and they have a they have a land where that Chris has passed actually in

[00:34:36] January and in January sounds weird but it was a new year at the front of a guns and we'll call it

[00:34:39] yeah and everybody was there so all departments or teams right to sign up through team

[00:34:44] to collect that sentence is treated what we do everything is there and it was such a diverse

[00:34:49] eclectic weeks of people it was just the best fun ever and it's really good to get to know

[00:34:54] these people but they yeah they're just brilliant out there oh that yeah the best I mean

[00:35:01] I love what you do and I love just how you operate so and I can't wait for the next

[00:35:07] DDC discusses are great I'll brave the journey up north bring a jump Earth and so

[00:35:16] for people that want to know about that people that want to know about any of the other stuff

[00:35:21] that you're doing or other networking events or just get to know you the best way for them

[00:35:25] to do that is through LinkedIn right yeah just yeah the dog LinkedIn they will get they will

[00:35:32] be met with a friendly Northern face and me now well Katie thank you so much for coming on

[00:35:41] it's been nice to talk about DDC discusses your background and I know that your passion

[00:35:47] not just for the north but some contact centres and customer experience and what we do as an

[00:35:52] industry is palpable so please carry on don't worry I've got to terminate it ever so

[00:36:01] well thank you very much for coming on get out of rap but thanks so honey I'm a great day