What's New?

The Academy brings its specialized business center training to ABCN's 16th Annual Strategic Summit in September. Team members and managers will benefit from attending the four SuperSession workshops being offered on Wednesday and Thursday during the week of the Summit. Don't miss your opportunity to hone the skills of your front desk and supporting team, as well as increase your closing ratio and revenue per workstation. For a full schedule of the training events, please visit the Strategic Summit site.

Masters of the Academy

The only German word we know is "Paulaner" and that's because it is our favorite beer. Luckily for the Academy, we now have a German native who has joined us as a Master Trainer. Ellen Rafflenbeul-Heuson resides in Germany and is excited about using her training skills to improve center performance in her home country. Ellen brings over a decade of experience in leading business centers to improve service performance. Her addition to the team strengthens the Academy's positions as "Your Global Training Solution." You can contact Ellen at erheuson@theallianceacademy.com.

Training that Works

Running a center is one of the hardest jobs we have ever had. It was also one of the most rewarding. We quickly learned that we could not do it alone and needed a team that shared by commitment to customer service.

One technique that worked in creating a successful team was a morning and evening team download. It is a simple process of checking in with each team member to learn about any client situation that I needed to be aware of, special projects they were working on, and to connect with the team on a personal level.

Knowledge is power and sharing information empowers the entire team. If you would like to learn how to empower your team through sharing information, contact contact Susan Smith at ssmith@theallianceacademy.com.

Case Study

Trust Issues

Here's a staggering statistic for you: a recent ASTD (American Society for Training & Development) survey indicates that only 53% of employees trust their senior leaders, compared to 75% who trust their direct managers. This lack of trust could be related to the discrepancy between what senior leaders say they will do and what they actually do.

When it comes to standard things that are done in companies – changes in pricing strategies, new product offerings, center acquisitions or closings – the typical employee does not know all of the details. A common misunderstanding of senior management is the idea that if they communicate something once, it satisfies all of the requirements.

The difficulty senior management encounters when building or rebuilding trust is that they are somewhat removed from the rest of the company. Most executives don't regularly get to interact with employees, which puts a burden on them to take care in how they communicate and behave.

Senior management need to dedicate more time to different forms of communication to their most important asset – their center team!

If you would like to find out how your senior management can increase the trust their team has in them, contact us today.

Focus On...

Watch Your Language

In the workplace, we all express enthusiasm, warmth, and confidence, as well as arrogance, indifference, and displeasure through our facial expressions, gestures, touch and use of space. It is impossible not to communicate nonverbally.

The way you carry yourself when you walk into a room, the firmness of your handshake, the quality of your eye contact – all of this nonverbal activity is picked up consciously or subconsciously by whomever is watching. And people are making judgments about your status, character, and credibility based on how they perceive you.

Follow these tips to improve your nonverbal communication:
• Smile – It says, I’m friendly and approachable.
• Shake hands – This is the quickest way to establish rapport.
• Remove barriers – Sit next to the person you’re dealing with.
• Maintain eye contact – Greater eye contact leads to greater liking and feeling of inclusion.
• Use palm-up hand gestures when speaking – Open gestures are perceived more positive and are more persuasive than closed gestures.
• Lean in slightly – Leaning forward shows you’re interest in the other person.
• Synchronize your body language – Subtly match his/her stance, arm position, and facial expressions. Mirroring a person’s nonverbal behavior is a signal that you are engaged.

Insider Tips

Relationships are not built from behind a desk. We know that you have calls to return, reports to run and a stack of filing that seems to grow over night. But, the human touch is the key differentiator in creating loyal and happy customer. When we were center managers, we made it a point to walk the floor at least twice a day to check the center and check in with our clients. Not only did we get a little exercise, but we learned more about my clients during that stroll than we ever would have behind the desk. So, put it on your daily to list to get out and connect with the clients who have trusted you with their business.

For more Insider Tips, visit the Academy site to access the Training Bytes section.