Book Summary Preview : Zap the Gaps!

The Big Idea
A fictitious character by the name of Bill Ambers is this book’s protagonist. Bill is the classic director of customer service in a call center. He faces the challenge set by his new boss, Angela Krafft, the arctype of the results-oriented boss. Angie simply wants him to “turnaround the numbers” and improve the call center’s customer service, without the support of a big budget. Together with his HR counterpart Sarah, and with the help of a mentor, Landscaper Michael St. Vincent, Bill learns to systematically dig to the root of the problem, discovering how to Zap The Gaps in his department’s performance.

Introduction
This book is about identifying gaps and their causes. Gaps cost companies billions of dollars, and this book aims to give you a better understanding of how to dig for the right solutions and close the gaps between what your company is hoping to be, and what it is right now.

Our story revolves around the human-dependent business of a call center. Bill is supposed to discover how the best Customer Service Representatives handle calls and effectively resolve their customer’s problems on the first call.

Trees and Companies (and the people and teams who work for those companies) Have a Lot in Common

“We’re going to have to get to the root causes.” Bill Ambers studies his two Mexican fan palms, wondering why there was a huge difference in their growth rates. Although both were planted on the same day in the same spot, one was taller and the other dwarfed. Finding the root cause of a problem would be the first of many lessons Bill would learn over the next few weeks.

The Announcement

• Bill meets the new division president of Dyad’s Business Services, Angela B. Krafft.
• She’s refreshingly candid, informal, and very different from his past bosses. She’s been brought in to turn around the numbers. Decrease the call abandonment rate of the call center. Reduce the five-minute waiting time for customers down to two minutes. Bill’s role is made clear: Change the numbers or we all lose our jobs.
• Find a solution, she tells Bill, in two weeks.
• The getting-to-know-you meeting ends with Angie asking Bill to play in her stead for a charity golf tournament. Bill obliges and takes his leave.

On The Greens
Bill plays in place of Angela Krafft. He meets a “gardener” or big-time landscape businessman Mike St. Vincent. Mike learns about Bill’s problem at work, and offers some business advice.

• Identify The Business Needs.
  . . . . . . . . . . . .

Want to read the rest of this summary? click here >>