Steve Martin - Call Center Expert
Call Center Technology Expert for over 24 years.
 I started in the call recording business in 1982, when it was just call recording. I was working on the technical side of the house installing and maintaining recording systems for hospitals, doctors, lawyers, police departments, fire departments, court rooms, and some call centers (not really called call centers then).
Working with these customers, on systems that were critical to their business, I learned early on the real meaning of customer service. I learned it on the front line, face-to-face with the real customer/business owner. These professional people didn’t hesitate to voice their concerns in no uncertain terms. But if you listened, they simply wanted their systems to work. I learned to see things from the customers’ point of view (customer vision). Customers don’t want to hear excuses, what happened, technical explanations, etc. They just want/need their stuff to work…now!
Within a year I was managing a support staff and trying to instill this “customer vision” I had learned. Hiring quality people and training them not only on the technical side, but also developing their customer service skills. It became clear to me that these customer service skills were just as important as their technical skills. As they became more competent I gave them more freedom and with that they became empowered to resolve issues without my involvement. As a team we learned to be proactive and provide more preventative measures.
I learned a lot in those years. Not only how telephone and recording systems work, but also the real meaning of customer service. Every time I enter a retail store or call a company I take note of the quality of service provided. My wife hates it when I go to the grocery store with her. I evaluate the service on the trip home and my standards are set pretty high, she really hates my critiques.
 Working in the call center business for about 24+ years in both sales and support has provided me a unique look at the business. I have extensive experience with many different recording systems (also know as quality monitoring systems), telephone systems, workforce management systems, call accounting systems, analytics, e-Learning, call center Benchmarking, Interactive Voice Response, post call survey and more.
I have provided systems for centers as small as 2 agents and as large 800 agents. Working with these small and mid-size centers is such a pleasure because they are usually so grateful to get someone to not only actually return their call and listen to what their issues are, but also provide a system that fits their budget.
My past experiences are a part of my everyday work. When offering a product or service I take those learned lessons to heart. When we provide a system not only does the implementation team show up for the install but you’ll also see your sales guy too.
Customer service is critical. That is the call center business and why I spent four paragraphs talking about my early experiences. I enjoy this market because customer service means something to me.
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