NOV 2014

HOW TO RUN A BETTER BUSINESS RIGHT NOW

BIGGEST INFLUENCESBY SEAN BELANGER

LESSONS FROM SOUTHWEST

AIRLINES’ STELLAR CUSTOMER SERVICE

BY KATIE MORELLLESSONS FROM SOUTHWEST

AIRLINES’ STELLAR CUSTOMER SERVICE

BY KATIE MORELL

LESSONS FROM SOUTHWEST

AIRLINES’ STELLAR CUSTOMER SERVICE

BY KATIE MORELL

LEADBY LETTING GO DO OTHER PEOPLE WHY

GET LUCKY?DO OTHER PEOPLE WHY

GET LUCKY?DO OTHER PEOPLE WHY

GET LUCKY?

3RD ISSUE

LEADBY LETTING GO

life

MAGA INE

FEATURESWHO WAS THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE IN YOUR LIFE?remembering great impactsWe’ve all have had influential people in our lives, some neg-ative and hopefully most pos-itive. I wanted to share some key people that influenced me.

BY SEAN BELANGERCEO of ZVRS

CONTENTS...COVER: “Fishing” by Alexandra Gaudibuendia Khitrova...............................................1

Masthead............................................4

Relay’s Cornerby Matt Daigle...................................15

Leading By Letting Goby Adam Rademacher........................16

Who is the Customer We Should Be Focusing On? by Michael Fehmer.............................22

www.getazlife.com

LESSONS from Southwest Airlines’ Stellar Customer Service“Herb’s vision was that we were going to provide ex-cellent customer service in an industry not known for treating customers well...”

BY KATIE MORELLFreelance wrier and Editor

WHY OTHER PEOPLE GET LUCKYstrategy that worksWhy is it that some people are lucky while others fail? There are millions of people in this world who do all the right things. They

go to school. They work hard. They get a decent job. They buy a house

and have children. And still they struggle to get by.

BY CRAIG RADFORDDirector of Business Development, ZVRS

HOW TO KEEP FLYINGovercoming external

challenges at workWe do not always devise ways to have healthier outcomes. Moreover, we often hope that things will take care of them-selves or that someone else will make the issues just disappear for us.

BY AMANDA PARKOperations Manager, ZVRS

Q&Aby Katherine Kehneman.....................40

Not Just Another Numberby Dani Johnson.................................44

Capturing Compassion by various ZVRS employees................48

How Much Is Your Time Worth?by Frank Gallimore.............................56

WHAT CODE DO YOU LIVE BY?

mastheadthe creative team

of z LIFE MAGAZINE issue No 3

c/o Z Video Relay Service

WHAT CODE DO YOU LIVE BY?

KATHRYN JACKSON, Executive Officer

Tastes so good, Kats ask for it by name!

FRANK GALLIMORE, Editor in Chief & Designer

Don’t keep your dreams waiting.

ANDY OLSON, Creative Consultant

To Serve.

DAVID CAMPBELL, Culture Consultant

Faith, Family, Friends

EZRA MOORE, Web Master & Filmographer

01001101 01100001 01110100 01110100 01101000 01100101 01110111 00100000 00110111 00111010

00110001 00110010

GRACE BALTIC, Resource Executive

Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That!

CATHLEEN SQUIRE, Creative Consultant

Pleasant & Persistent

SARAH MCELHENY, Creative Ambassador

Spiritual Gangsta

Sometimes that’s a question that people get asked, and that I’ve been asked at least once. We all have had influen-tial people in our lives, some negative and hopefully most

positive. I wanted to share some key people that influenced me.

COURAGE/FEARFirst my Father: His name was Ray. I lost him five years ago at age eighty six. I could write so many stories about him but I will just tell you one huge influence he had on me. We all have ex-perienced some sort of fear. There are many fears and phobias in the world but I am a little less afraid because of my dad. He was a B17 pilot in World War II. At the age of twenty one he flew thirty five missions from England to primarily targets in Germany

WHO WAS THE

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as part of the Eighth Air Force. The Eighth Air Force lost more men in WWII than the marines did in the entire war. He told me of missions where only one of four engines were operating from being shot at. They limped back to England three hours behind the others, somehow mak-ing it home. He told me of one mis-sion where his co-pilot was knocked unconscious, his instrument panel was blown apart, and the bombardier was killed. Covered in his copilot’s blood, he thought he was also hit. With chaos around him, three injured crew and one dead he again made it home. In my life, when I find myself needing a dose of courage, I think of that twenty-one-year-old of the same flesh and blood, and his courage. I will share one more thing. My Dad was a man of faith. There were no atheists on B17 crews when the flax was flying and fighters were attack-ing. I never once heard Dad say a vulgar word. Never. At the same time he was one of the guys. He is a great model and that model always hum-bles me. (A side note, my mom was a great influence, she was smarter than anyone in the family, fun and funny,

and she taught me to not take certain things in life so seriously--especially myself!)

TRANSPARENCYSecond: A great boss. I have had three good ones but this one was the best. His name is Bill Stensrud. I worked directly and indirectly for him for four years. He had great account

strategy, as well as great sales and technology skill. He

was an MIT graduate and was and is in-

credibly smart. Those were all

good things. But what he taught me was trans-parency. Whenever I asked a

question about the

company or questions

about things I didn’t know or

understand, he would completely share with me. He

gave me details on things like finan-cial performance, profitability for the company, challenges with the tech-nology, how stock options work, how debt works and how equity works. He was the CEO of the company. For most of the time he shared with me even through I was two levels below him. He never made me feel dumb as I asked these questions and he never held back on teaching me the ins and outs of his job, what challenges we

“Whenever I asked a question about the

company or questions about things I didn’t know or understand, he would completely

share with me.”

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truly faced. I hope that I do the same. I strive to. Transparency (and mentor-ing) is so important.

BAD DOGThird: A very bad boss when I worked in Maryland. I had him for four years. A CEO again, I will not share his name. This boss was the opposite of the great boss listed above. He was not transparent. He did not share anything except with a very tight inner circle. He publically dressed me down for being involved in a market-ing meet-ing when I was an area sales manag-er. I still have that scar today thirty years later. He never compli-mented any-one, had a private bathroom in his office and had a parking spot with his name on it. Believe it or not, he promoted me to VP of Sales when the former VP quit on him. I learned from him how not to be. I will admit, I made one very big mistake. I worked there way too long. Nothing is worth working for that kind of boss. It’s bad for your profes-sional development, it’s bad for your health, and it’s bad for your soul.

FAITHDeacon Bill: Bill is a deacon in the Catholic Church. I am your typical Catholic. On again, off again. (I am getting better.) I have been very disappointed in the Catholic Church. I am a Christian before I am Catholic. I like to say “Catholic is part of who I am, not what I am.” I started going to a little church out at Clearwater Beach, and heard this unique Deacon

giving the sermons. This guy was something differ-

ent. He would en-gage the attend-

ees and ask questions. He

asks people to give him an Amen, and when they do he asks for an Amen again with

meaning. He asks

questions to the congrega-

tion like, “Hey, take a look around the

church, do you see a lot empty seats? Do you think we should be denying anybody access to these seats and this church? Do you think it would be okay if a gay person, a divorced person, a person of another faith, a person who has had an abor-tion, or an unwed mother should be welcome here? What would Christ say? We should, right!?” (People an-swer, “Right!”) And then he asks for an Amen and then Amen again. This

“Working for the wrong kind of boss is bad for your professional development, it’s bad for your health,

and it’s bad for your soul.”

is a man that stands up and tells the congregation that there are ladies in the audience that are more holy than him, and that they be should be up there talking and even saying mass. He believes priests should be married. He is married. He has not abandoned the Catholic Church because he knows it needs help and people like him. And he is a little seventy-year-old man with a Brooklyn accent who indeed is very very holy, and puts his time, effort, and faith on the line every day. He is also a seven-ty-year-old that runs 5 miles a day. I am so humbled by him. It was great for me to find him and his consistent inspiration. I met him just three years ago. He is very sick right now so I am praying for him. He will take your prayers as well. (Please note, I would never be influenced at work by some-one’s choice of faith. All are welcome here! And treated equally.)

Thanks for letting me share this. We all have role models. I am sure, as with me, when you look at your posi-tive role models it keeps you humble. ~ʑ

HOW PRESENT ARE YOU RIGHT NOW?

photo by Christelle Paviel @ http://justacapharnaum.deviantart.com/

introducing a must-read guide to setting yourself on the right pathto a happier,luckier life. to a happier,

synopsis by CRAIG RADFORD

At no time in American history has the culture been quite so rife with desperation. Eco-

nomic volatility, political turmoil, civil unrest, an anemic jobs market, peo-ple from all walks of life perpetually wanting more than they have—it all adds up to a population largely un-happy with their current situation. Yes, the economy over the past de-cade has played a role in shaping this dangerous collective ethos, but the doom-and-gloom 24-hour news cycle and the increasingly public manner of living brought upon by social media have helped shape the general ennui, as well.

On one side, the average person faces the notion that the world is getting worse every day and that there is nothing they can do to make their lives better. On the other side, social media subjects this same aver-age person to the overinflated sense that their friends and loved ones are living these tremendous lives full of fun and success. Over the course of a decade, the culture has bred a simultaneous yearning to be one of the “lucky few” while also giving everyone the (absolutely free) means to broad-cast the (potentially false) notion that they are one of the lucky few.

The result? Consistent, almost crip-pling desire to elevate one’s own life.

Unfortunately, in a world still very much figuring out how to manage these powerful new mediums to share information, most people have forgotten the age-old wisdoms that make the average person one of the lucky. There is a clear and identifi-able path to getting exactly what you want in life; it’s just that most of us are so busy worrying about how we don’t have the things we want that we forget to follow that path. For anyone, no matter where they find themselves financially, socially, ro-mantically, spiritually, or professional-ly, becoming one of the lucky is pos-sible. This book opens that possibility

to anyone.

It all starts with perception. The con-cept of “being lucky” is a perception. It is that feeling you get when you know you’ve “made it.” For many, making it means financial success. For others, it means finding job sta-bility. For still others, it means get-ting to the point where you can live your life stress free, happy, and with a renewed sense of purpose. There was a time not that long ago when it

seemed like there were thou-sands of avenues to that

elusive “lucky” state.

Social stressors were far less substantial, and career choices were abundant. One could start a busi-ness, learn a

trade, sign on with any number

of growing com-panies, go to college

and get an education that would lead to a strong,

stable, high-paying career—but to-day, a stable career is

rare, an education doesn’t always lead to monetary success, most com-panies aren’t growing anymore, and starting a small business is perhaps riskier than it has ever been.

Why is it that some people are lucky while others fail? There are millions of people in this world who do all the right things. They go to school. They work hard. They get a decent job. They buy a house and have children.

The concept of “being lucky” is a

perception. It is that feeling you get when

you know you’ve “made it.”

photos courtesy of the author

And still they struggle to get by. How can this be? Could it be that there something else to luck? Could it be that even those among us who think they have all the answers are missing something?

Yes. It takes more than hard work and determination. It takes more than dreams. There are two things that separate the lucky from the unlucky. The first is wisdom. This wisdom is born of old lessons as well as new. The second ingredient is desire, but not just any desire—a desire that lives within you and drives you every day. This book provides that wisdom,

and just as importantly, illustrates tested and proven steps to create that desire within you.

Anyone can do this, whether unem-ployed, owning a sputtering small business, drifting around in search for answers to personal problems, living paycheck to paycheck, strapped with mountainous debt, and on and on. The lessons in this book provide any reader with everything he/she needs to begin a journey toward a bright-er future. This book is the complete guide to becoming one of the lucky. ~ʑ

Find the book on AMAZON at http://amzn.com/1478392061

www.getazlife.com

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November 2014

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LEADING BY LETTING GO

by ADAM RADEMACHERart by David Perez @ https://www.behance.net/erdavid

LEADING BY LETTING GO

by ADAM RADEMACHER

It is amazing to watch a group of indi-viduals work toward a common goal and be able to work daily to achieve

that goal. But sometimes the secret to ac-complishing this is simpler than you think. Here’s the first step: LET GO. But taking that first step isn’t easy. It’s scary and initially looks like it is not the best thing for your teams. They will fail, they will not know how to do it. They will screw up. But by giving up control, they’re able to make decisions on their own, find that they have the courage and the collective wisdom to accomplish something that you wouldn’t be able to do alone.

Let me share with you a five year old who taught me this very valuable lesson...

It’s been an odd summer in Northern Min-nesota, that’s for sure. Temperatures typi-cally in the upper seventies to low eighties by mid-June are just now creeping into the lower seventies with no eighties in sight any time soon. Lately it seems the odd has become normal. Levi, age five, and Eli, age three, have been waiting for weeks for the rain and wind to stop so that we could take the pontoon down to the lake. The day came that I had the afternoon off and was no longer able to resist their insistent re-quests. Anticipating the inevitable weather changes, my wife packed a large range of clothing for everyone that included every-

thing from swimming trunks to a zipper hoodie and sweatpants, along with a few throw blankets ‘just in case’.

Fast forwarding past the “Are we there yet?” and “Daddy I need to go potty!”

we made our long and treacherous 5 mile journey to the landing on Lower South Long Lake. The pontoon had not yet left the trailer the first time the question was asked by Levi, “Can I go swimming?” At first my reaction to that

question was “Buddy, you don’t know how to swim yet,” to which he respond-ed in a snap, “But I want to learn.” Now knee deep in the water launching the pontoon into the lake, there was anoth-er reason that my child was in no way

going to go swimming today. The water seemed to be ICE COLD on my san-daled feet. If he wanted to learn how to swim today, that meant only one thing: I needed to be in the water with him. This was a very uncomfortable thought,

How many of us are just as guilty of being “logical” and “safety-conscious” when it comes to our teams?

How many of us are just as guilty of being “logical” and “safety-conscious” when it comes to our teams?

so, being the logical and safety conscious parent that I am, I told him, “I am sorry, Buddy, the water is just too cold for you. We can maybe go swim-ming another day.” Doing what any father-respecting child would do, he accepted my an-swer...for now.

How many of us are just as guilty of being “logical and safety conscious” when it comes to our teams? Saying NO or Not at this time just so that you won’t need to step outside of your comfort zone. But hey, I was selected to be in this leadership role because I know how to lead. They saw something more in me than just a subordinate, they trust me. In the video call center en-vironment in which we work, interpreting or translation services with American Sign Language, Spanish, and a long list of other languages, we utilize a system to make sure we do not burn out, taking necessary physical and men-tal breaks during the day. The Omnipotent and Wise leader of three years in a manage-ment position that I was, I fig-ured out on paper, with calcu-lator in tow, the most efficient and logical way to make sure that payroll costs were low. I devised a way to minimize the number of people on break at the same time while maximiz-

ing the number of minutes we were able to get out of each employee on the floor—and still be able to give them ten minute breaks every hour to rejuvenate for the next hour of the shift. The system was perfect. I would have been able to get six breaks in each hour and while each person was on a ten minute break, I would be able to have some-one sit in the seat and fill those 10 minutes in order to squeeze that extra hour out of my call center. I implement-ed the system while meeting resistance from my team and requests to modify the break plan. “I’m sorry, Team,” I said, “I just don’t think we are ready to make modi-fications yet. Maybe we can try another day.” Doing what any manager-respecting employees would do, they ac-cepted my answer...for now.

Pontoon launched, coolers transferred, life jackets on, we headed out to troll around the lake and look at the houses. It was turning out to be not such a bad day and we were really enjoying the family time. We broke out the crackers, sum-mer sausage, and cheese for a little snack. Then it happened again: “Dad, Can I go swim-

ming?”

“No.”

“Why Not?”

“Because the water is too cold.”

“But it wasn’t cold when I tried it with my feet,” he said,

breaking out those puppy-dog-melt-any-dads-heart

eyes. “Can I pleeeee-aaaaase go swim-

ming?”

Of course I could not resist this kryptonite look, my defenses were down, and plainly I was done arguing

with a 5 year old. My grandpa always

told me that life is the best teacher, so let

it teach. Let it teach I did. I gave Levi permission to get into the lake with a life vest on but he had to stay close to the pontoon. I knew that he was not going to last more than a minute. He would jump out of that water so quick, come up to me, say, “Daddy, you were right. The water is too cold at this time of year and I should have listened to you. You are most wise and I love you.” Be-ing his first time in the water since last season (Yes, we have those in Minnesota, it is not always snowing here.) he took it slow. Keeping his eye on me the entire time, knowing that

if anything happened I would be there to help in an instant, he climbed down the ladder on the back of the pontoon one step at a time. Eventually the minute passed, he stepped down another step, and an-other, and another, until he was hanging on the side of the pontoon with water up to his shoulders, floating around. He was having so much fun in the water. “Dad, can you swim with me?”

As my team was attempting the new break system, there were obvious flaws. The world of a call center is not perfect. Calls did not start or end pre-cisely when I needed them to in order for my break system to work. All of a sudden, my efficient 6 breaks per hour just got messy; Joe’s call lasted 5 minutes longer, pushing back Peggy’s Break. Then, coming back from her break, Peggy assisted a fellow team member with a difficult-to-understand customer, pushing the breaks back even further. Now we are only a few hours into the new greatly efficient system and only 4 breaks have been suc-cessful while 8 have not. The system was not working. I finally gave in and let the team try out the plan they were thinking of. Once I stopped holding that “power” so close to my chest and gave it up, what do you know, the system started working. It was not MY

system, but it was a working system that would take into account longer or teamed calls. On paper this system was not efficient, this was not the best for my team, and yet in practice it was much more efficient than my “perfect plan”. How is this so, what sort of witchcraft is this? I don’t know, but I went with the flow.

“Can I go swimming? YES. Do I want to go swimming in the cold water? NO.” But I did anyway. I decided that the only way this was going to work for me to get in was to jump head first. If I lowered myself on the ladder rung by rung, there would be a men-tal point (and a physical one) at which I would say, “I am going no farther.”

My initial feelings were ones of course of death and of screaming like a little 12-year-old girl that had just been sur-prised with Bieber tickets. Finally able to catch my breath, my body became used to the temperature difference. Ok so maybe it was not all THAT bad. I swam over to Levi still clinging onto the side of the pontoon. “Dad, can you teach me how to swim?” This

came out of nowhere. The kid who I tried for HOURS and HOURS last sum-mer to teach how to swim was now wanting to learn. We spent the next hour learning how to swim, eventual-ly even taking off our life jackets and swimming, putting our heads fully un-der water, learning how to control our breathing, calming down when we

do get water in our nose and mouth that makes us cough. I could not have been more proud of that kid at the

moment.

In the coming days of our new break

system, I just finally went with the flow. Not

giving edicts or giving the plan, but sharing

the vision with my team of the break

system, and letting

a natural evolution happen. Of course there were hiccups in the system, but the miraculous thing was that they were not entirely on me to fix them. This was not MY problem to fix, but it was a team hurdle and a team chal-lenge. Talking to each other, working together in a fashion I had not seen before in the center, things mor-phed and adapted on a daily basis. It brought more open dialog to the team and a stronger sense of owner-ship in the system.

Levi, now weeks later, asks to go swimming often. He has since bragged of his ability to swim on his own and has taught his brother to swim. (Of course with Dad’s nervous standby, and a reassurance from Levi of, “I got this, Dad.”) I have also no-ticed things he was previously too young for—or “just couldn’t do be-cause it’s too hard”, like taking out

the garbage or collecting the eggs and feeding the chick-

ens without assistance, for example—have

now become

commonplace because he’s a “Big Kid” now. He puffs his chest in pride at what I may perceive as me-nial tasks that are nonetheless, to him, a chance to grow into a leader.

The break system has changed with the needs of the team and the needs

of the company over time, and what we currently utilize looks nothing like the original iteration. But the amazing thing is that every change that hap-pened was taken by the team as an-other team challenge and not an edict from the “Higher Ups” to change. The team greatly appreciated this mea-sure of autonomy and was able to take time to become more proactive through personal accountability—an approach outlined in QBQ! The Ques-

tion Behind the Question,

written by John G Miller, a staple in our work environment. The autonomy extended has led to the team taking more ownership in the daily activities of the center, setting up the Birth-day Club, Sunshine Fund, Mini Store (where profits replenish our sunshine fund), and many other activities and events.

The most valuable lesson that my 5-year-old and my team ever taught me was that by taking a risk and letting go we in turn are opening up the opportunity for leaders to grow around us. The more leaders you have in an organization, or in life, the better off not only you are, but the ones that are around you.

Imagine one thing you can let go of at work. What’s one risk you could take, one

decision you could allow your team to

make collectively? Are YOU will-ing to make mistakes? Sometimes the small concessions we make as leaders become enormous milestones for those we lead. We may not realize sometimes when we’ve been keeping too tight a hold. And it only becomes apparent when we find our humani-ty and start taking risks. Go forth and take those risks.~ʑ

KEEP FLYING OVERCOMING EXTERNAL CHALLENGES AT WORK

HOW TO

KEEP FLYING OVERCOMING EXTERNAL CHALLENGES AT WORK

As employees on the frontlines we can spend a lot of energy

identifying types of external factors and challenges that negatively impact us daily. A great deal of thought is given to what those factors and challenges are and how they makes us feel. With all the expenditure of energy to identify what bugs us, one would think that it would result in positive outcomes. by AMANDA PARK

Sadly we do not always know how we can be proactive about overcoming negative external pressures. We do not always devise ways to have healthier outcomes. Moreover, we often hope that things will take care of themselves or that someone else will make the issues just disappear for us.

Waiting for problems to just go away or hoping someone else will make them disappear is a self-made delusion that prevents us for taking charge of our own thinking and our own health. We can take an active role in not allowing ourselves to become overwhelmed and to take on the role of the victim. In fact, with the right tools we can shield ourselves from external sieges. Moreover, we can still provide excellent customer service while providing ourselves with protection.

To illustrate what this looks like, envision a small plane preparing for takeoff. The roar of the engine shakes the plane as it taxies down the runway. As passengers we put little thought into who watches out for us before

takeoff and during our flights. We simply trust that there is a great deal of thought and work that is done by others to protect us and the plane. We trust that science is developing ways to reduce costs, protect the environment,

and look out for our safety.

We, in fact, leave ourselves in

the hands of experts who

continually research and develop ways to make flight better. One group

of experts from NASA,

at the Langley Research

center, are trying to develop a way to

reduce the dangers of bug splatter. Yes! Those tiny

little pests can have a horrible effect on the smooth surface of the plane. Bug splatter creates drag, and disrupts fuel consumption during takeoff and landing. Even bugs as tiny as gnats have a huge impact.

The issue with bug splatter is not only what it does to the plane but what it costs airlines for additional fuel. Splat-ter also has a negative effect on the environment by adding pollutants. In short, bug splatter is not a good thing!

The answer the “bug team” came

up with to combat this problem is to develop a special coating to apply to the plane’s wings. This coating would reduce the amount of contaminants and help with issues of drag, fuel expenditure, and pollutants.

The coating would not eliminate the splatter but it could reduce the amount and the size of the splatter, thus lessening the negative effects.*

What do planes and bug splatter have to do with our work environment?

Picture a day when you feel as if external factors are hitting you from every direction. You have a hard time thinking, creating, and delivering the type of customer service that you consider your trademark. You feel drained of emotional, physical, and spiritual energies. You are constantly “running on empty.” You start to see things with a heightened sensitivity and your reaction is to put up your defenses to protect yourself against real and imagined pain.

So where is the bug splatter team to take care of all this? In lieu of that, call center representatives have to apply their own coating. We have to find our own tools and go to work on protecting ourselves. While it is true that we might be able to assemble a ground crew for support,

the majority of the work is up to the individual.

In the call center environment, we have polled many of our frontline employees to find out what types of negative external factors and challenges they face. We asked them to list only those factors that they felt lead them to feel a loss of energy and passion about their work.

The top ten factors that “bugged” them are listed below:

We then conducted follow up interviews to receive more in-depth examples of how and why this happens. As we listened to their stories, there was little doubt they were covered in a great deal of splatter.

Throughout the interviews we heard call center employees talk about how they cope with these stressors. They stated that one kind of defense is to express

their feelings to other employees. This often starts in a form of debriefing

but then devolves into a laundry list of general

complaints.

They started to feel

surrounded by negativity and instead of

feeling better and empowered they felt worse. They would then resort to another line of defense, retreating into their strongholds and hoping things would pass. This too seems to create

the opposite result. They wanted relief and when they did not feel a reprieve, they began feeling helpless. The only way for many of them to cope was to count the minutes before heading out.

They expressed that they started to lose their passion for the work--work they once loved now became a chore. They stated that during these times they faced tiredness and became apathetic.

Then came the question--”What is happening to me?”

As illustrated above, these factors play a huge role in quality of our work and our overall health. The stress that employees feel is called occupational stress and is a major contributor to job satisfaction.

According to a study conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics White-collar workers account for most cases of occupational stress. The study also illustrates that those in sales and the phone industry have a very high rate of occupational stress. It identified that nearly two thirds of the days off work were due to occupational stress. Though the study did not cite what the

* http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/1999/oct/wk2/art03.htm

main causal factors were, they are easy to identify by observation and communicating with team members.*

Therefore, the things that “bug” us, if we are not protected, do have a very real impact on ourselves and our companies. Finding proactive ways to reduce workplace stress is key. Unlike the plane example, we do not have groups of experts creating special coatings for us. Though our leaders do have a responsibility to foster a positive and safe work environment, the actual application of the coating is up to individuals.

Because everyone is unique in what causes them stress it is important for

individuals to find tools that help them find relief. We recognized not everyone on our teams knows what kinds of tools may help alleviate the stress from external pressures. In order to provide this type of support we went back to our teams. We targeted team members who seemed to deal with external stresses best and asked them what types of things they use to stay balanced while at work.

During interviews the team members stated the importance of first having a positive and safe work environment and then added the following tips that helped them through rough days:

• Having friends at work.

• Having time to interact with friends at work.

• Being able to display pictures of family, pets, or other visual items in their work space. They stated that it helped keep them focused on what matters to them most (when facing difficult situations).

• Believing that most people are good people.

• Working for a higher purpose (not just a paycheck--though they liked that too).

• Flexible scheduling that allows team members to suggest a schedule that worked best for them a month in advance. They expressed great satisfaction when getting a high percentage of those hours.

• Having activities at work that were group planned. As well as having a variety of activities (“not one size fits all”) was appreciated.

• Having a positive work culture that everyone creates and maintains. They liked that our call centers are not cookie cutter call centers but that each had its own flavor and style.

• Opportunities to serve others and to be served.

• Accepting and REALLY knowing that no one is perfect and that we all make mistakes. A real understanding that mistakes are forgiven and moving on is perfectly fine and expected.

• Working with a group of peers that are supportive. These peers work to build and retain positive relationships. They help each other deconstruct negativity and replace it with positivity. The message is peer driven but supported by all.

• Having informal mentor opportunities with someone who can help develop stronger skills with team members.

• Permission to take risks and be applauded for successes and allowed to recover gracefully from risks gone bad.

They do not expect the issues to just go away

or have someone take care of “it” for them. They know that they are

supported by their teams and leaders and have ways to deal

with the “bugs” in a more proactive way.

The suggestions above have been tried and tested by people on the frontlines who deal with difficult external pressures daily. They say these tools have provided them with coping skills and a layer of protection. When using these tools they felt empowered and are now able to face challenges differently. Things that used to be very sensitive issues for them are now manageable and they can cope in a much more positive manner. They do not expect the issues to just go away or have someone take care of “it” for them. They know that they are supported by their teams and leaders and have ways to deal with the “bugs” in a more proactive way.

These team members who deal with external stresses well recognize that it is impossible to totally eliminate all bugs from hitting their plane. However, they know that if there is no coating and the bug splatter is left to build up, it takes a great deal of effort to remove. If left to build layer after layer, people begin to let the environment control them.

Employees start reacting instead of being proactive.

All of us want to make it to our destination safely with energy to spare. We want to have a

pollution free environment. We want to maintain a

strong passion for our work and

continue to excel

with our

customers. To do this

we have to ask ourselves some

questions.

• What types of bug splatter do you experience?

• Do you have the coating you need to help reduce drag, fuel expenditure and pollutants?

If not, find out what works for you. Get yourself a ground crew to work with you and share tools. Then apply the coating-- it can give you what you need to keep flying. ~ʑ

mock up template by Mucahit Gayiran @ www.behance.net/mucahitgayiran

According to www.callcenterhelper.com* call centers as we know them today can be traced to the mid 60’s; however, it was not until the mid-90’s that Sign Language Interpreters came in contact with them. Video relay

interpreting began in 1995 in a garage in Austin Texas under a pilot project and in a few short years has grown into over a half a billion dollar a year industry employing several thousand Sign Language interpreters around the country. So what have we learned in the past 20 years with regards to what customer service means?

If you could ask just about anyone on the street, “What does customer service mean to you?” you are probably going to hear things

like, “The customer is always right,” or “It means providing the customer with a

great experience,” etc. While both of these examples have their merit,

before I answer that question I would like to pose a preceding question: “Who is the custom-er?”

I believe the “who” has been lost in our corporate cultures around the coun-try. We saw this in the re-cent financial crisis when in-

vestment firms and bankers considered their customers to be their shareholders and executives leading

these companies. But it did not have to be this way!

Of course, each industry has end customers, those who either purchase goods or use the services provided by companies; but I would pose that if we focused upon the internal customers in a meaningful way, the end customers’ needs will always be met. Here is what I mean. While I will relate it specifically to the call center environment, I fully believe the concepts will prove equally beneficial in all indus-tries; from the mom and pop shops of this great land to the mega-corporations.

When we first started providing Video Relay services some 20 years ago, of course customer service was discussed but, to be honest, I never felt that our training emphasized enough what good customer service really meant on a per call ba-sis. Of course, it was understood that we must provide the customer with a great experience: be polite, responsive, and so on. It amounted to pro-viding the kind of service you would want your favorite grandmother to receive. And while that is helpful to keep in mind, it has taken me a while in this industry to come to the realization that good customer ser-vice is much bigger than that!

The end

customer has to be valued, treated with dignity and respect, but what about the front-line employees who serve them? How can one expect employees to give such a high level of consideration to their customers in call after call, day after day, week after week, in the way they deserve to be treated, when their managers or executives are not treating them in the same fashion? Too many provid-ers in the VRS industry--and I imagine in many other industries--set their attention on metrics or key perfor-mance indicators (KPIs) instead of on their personnel. Any business that does not pay attention to these items is destined to fail; however, finding a balance between KPIs and valuing an employee as your customer seems to be lost in many industries.

I believe that we here at ZVRS have found that balance! It’s not that we do not make mistakes, nor are we perfect in this application, but we work really hard to focus primarily on valuing our employees and treating them with dignity and respect. Our methodology is, quite simply, Servant Leadership! We do not have a ton of policies and procedures. In fact, we work very hard to avoid creating any more than are absolutely necessary. (Many of those are set by the FCC, given our industry.) By not having a ton of policies that in my experience are generally designed to keep peo-ple compliant, it frees up the manag-er to be that kind of leader who takes into consideration what the employ-ees are going through in their profes-sional and personal lives that may be a barrier to their success.

We work very hard at creating a circle of safety** whereby the employees

know that their managers have their back and trust them to make the nec-essary decisions in their day-to-day work. This is a place where they are greeted with a warm welcome at the beginning of their shifts, and there is someone to check in with them throughout the day to see if they need anything. The managers are here for the employees not the other way around. We take time to get to know them, not only in a work con-text but in a personal way, for when it is all said and done, this is about relationships!

Our employees rarely if ever even know what their KPIs are because KPIs become secondary to serving the employee and treating them in such a way that they know how high-ly valued they are! To the managers and executives that have to pay at-tention to the numbers: guess what, the numbers take care of themselves as well. In fact, when employees feel valued, respected, trusted and en-couraged, the natural outcome will be that they in turn, give that same experience to those they are serving: the end customer who continues to purchase our goods and utilize our services.

So in conclusion, what does customer service mean? Whether it’s the in-ternal or external customer, it means going that extra mile, greeting them with a smile, ensuring that those you serve feel valued and listened to. Be there for them, and above all, give them the respect and dignity they deserve. Yes, give them the service and treatment you would want your favorite grandmother to receive and see how all of your customers re-spond! ~ʑ

**Leaders Eat Last, by Simon Sinek

AN INTERVIEW with AMANDA MICHAELS

BY OPS MANAGER KATHERINE KEHNEMAN

Amanda Michaels is a Video Relay Service (VRS) inter-preter who works in a call

center environment that provides sign language interpreting remotely. (Think “3-way phone call”: one per-son on the phone, one on video, and the other on both). Recently I asked my team to tell me what a “Z Life” means to them. Amanda’s response left me wanting to know more. To understand where her WHY comes from.

KK: When you talk to your friends and family about what you do for a living, how do you describe it? How do you explain the set-up and tech-nology?

AM: For people who have no clue, I use examples of a variety of work I do in a day –from ordering a pizza to reuniting two people who haven’t spoken in 30 years. I always say “I never know what I am going to get when I walk into work that day.”

KK: What are some of the challeng-es you face working with ‘remote’ clients? How do you handle these barriers?

AM: To me they aren’t challenges, more like goal-setting opportunities. Those goal-setting calls happen a lot, so I go with it and make it work for every person involved in that call. I go with my gut. If there are any learning experiences to take away, I look to those the next time something like that comes up.

KK: Do you feel comfortable ‘follow-ing your gut’ in those situations?

AM: Absolutely. I know that my gut is telling me what is best for everyone involved.

KK: Have you ever felt like you didn’t have that choice to ‘follow your gut’?

AM: I felt intimidated in my early VRS years by seasoned interpreters. Over the last two years since coming to Z, I have felt more like I am part of a team where everyone is the same – we are all interpreters and there is no intimidation. I am trusted to make the best decisions and I feel support-ed. Whenever I haven’t followed my gut, afterwards I’d say to myself “I should have listened to my gut.”

KK: Quick – give me one word that describes what a “Z Life” means to you?

AM: Grateful. I have never had a job where I can go feel secure, confident, and comfortable. We have amazing customers! There’s so much to be grateful for.

KK: What do you like most about your job at Z?

AM: My co-workers. They’re not only my co-workers. They are people I would call up with good news, or when I am having a bad day. They make me feel special – they ask how my family is, how my weekend was. They genuinely care about me. ~ʑ

get a

viewworklife

change your{

life

photo by Olivia Michalski @ https://500px.com/olivia_michalski

learn more at www.getazlife.com

Have you ever worked at a job where you could call in sick, and no one would

even notice? Have you ever been employed at a company where you do not even know the CEO’s name and would not recognize them if they showed up to your office? Have you ever met a coworker who works in the same role as you, who instead of encouraging you, only wants to compete and one up you?

I have. I have been just another number. I have had a job where I did not feel valued. I showed up, put in my time, counted down the hours until I clocked out and life “began” again. And it was a sad existence. I was merely surviving.

I never pictured myself working in a call center environment. Yet here I am, and it is not what I had envisioned. I am valued, I am encouraged, I am an individual, a valuable part of the company.

At Z, workplace culture has a huge role. We are not there to

just get the job done. Although the center I work at is halfway across the country from headquarters and although I have not met most of the people I work with and for, I feel a family connection. Z places a high value on community. I am not just Interpreter 2610, I am Dani. I have a picture that occasionally shows up on a digital “kudos” board that my employees across the country can see, and in turn I see their faces and commendations and feel so proud to work “alongside” such fabulous people. We are offered workshops to keep improving our skills, and have mini challenges between centers, to see who can carve the best pumpkin at Halloween or build a Peeps display at Easter.

The environment and the people are things that keep me coming back to work year after year, but the part that I value most about my job, the part that makes me feel human in an industry in which it is so easy to become just a number, is the freedom and empowerment Z gives me. You see, like most call center

by DANI JOHNSON

number

representatives, I am given a script to recite in any given situation. I am told what to say and what to do and how to act. But I am trusted. I am trusted enough as an employee, as an interpreter, as a person, to deviate from the script if I deem it necessary. I am “allowed” to be friendly and be real with our customers. It takes the service to a whole new level when I do not feel rushed to hang up the phone as soon as the interaction is finished, when I can greet a repeat consumer by name, when I am able to try something different in my work when the first approach doesn’t seem to be successful. With that flexibility comes trust from our consumers, and I think it helps them feel part of the Z family.

The workplace culture and the trust the company puts in me helps me build

and flourish in the relationships

with both peer and consumer. With that

comes a responsibility to show up and to do my best, to be my best, day in and day out. I feel a pride for Z, for my peers, for my work, and I feel that pride radiating back to me. ~ʑ

This post originally appeared on OPEN Forum, an online community providing small-business owners with information and advice to help them do more business.

LESSONS

It isn’t often that the words ‘exceptional cus-tomer service’ and ‘air-

line’ are in the same sen-tence. Tricky rules regarding flight-schedule changes, high fees and sometimes-rude employees have given the airline industry a bad rap.

It is this reputation that Herb Kelleher went up against when he found-ed Southwest Airlines in 1971.

“Herb’s vision was that we were going to provide excellent customer service in an industry not known for treating customers well,” says Teresa Laraba, senior vice president customers for Southwest.

They’ve succeeded. Now, 41 years later, the airline is known for exemplary ser-

vice—corporate employees even send personal letters of thanks or apology for flight delays and other inconve-nienc-

es to customers. The result of this effort is a high degree custom-er loyalty. The proof is exhib-

ited through social media. At press time, Southwest had more than 3.1 million ‘likes’ on ts Facebook page, com-pared with 363,000 for Unit-ed Airlines and 355,000 for

Delta.

So how can your small business achieve

such high levels of customer satis-faction? Laraba offers a few sug-gestions.

Focus on your hiring pro-

cess. Southwest looks to hire people

with engaging person-alities and who are excit-

ed to work with the public. They do hire former airline industry employees, but only if candidates fit the cultural bill.

“We will not hire a person who isn’t friendly but has been in the industry for 20

“We will not hire a person who isn’t friendly

but has been in the industry for 20 years...”

Southwest Airlines is beloved by its customers and employees. Here are three customer service lessons any business can use.

* https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/lessons-from-southwest-airlines-stellar-customer-service/

FROM SOUTHWEST AIRLINES’ STELLAR CUSTOMER SERVICE*

* https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/lessons-from-southwest-airlines-stellar-customer-service/

FROM SOUTHWEST AIRLINES’ STELLAR CUSTOMER SERVICE*

years,” says Laraba.

Beyond finding people with the right personali-ties, she also focuses on a candidate’s passion for working at Southwest. She says it is important to only hire people who truly believe in what your company is trying to deliver.

Give your employees latitude. Southwest allows staffers the au-thority to make snap decisions (within bound-aries) in the name of customer service. The latitude not only helps with consumer relations, but also makes employ-ees feel empowered to rectify a situation on the spot, a positive for em-ployee engagement and retention.

Laraba gives the exam-ple of a man who ap-proaches a flight atten-dant with the news that he’s going to propose to his girlfriend in flight.

In an effort to make the moment more memo-rable for the couple, the flight attendant makes the decision to grab a bottle of champagne (at no cost to the custom-er) and then teaches the man how to use the intercom system.

“I can’t tell you how many times that exact situation has happened,” she says. “When you give employees latitude, it makes them feel hap-pier in the workplace and when they come in contact with a customer, they only extend how they already feel about their environment.”

Apologize. Southwest’s Proactive Customer Service department is dedicated to answering conWsumer concerns and requests. When something goes wrong, a member of the de-partment will contact

customers personally (usually by e-mail) and sometimes even offer free flights for their troubles.

“We won’t send a voucher every time we have bad weather, but if it is the right thing to do, we will send it,” Laraba says, adding that main-taining customer loyalty is the ROI of that prac-tice.

She says it is import-ant to apologize when wrong. Admitting a mistake, even without a monetary accompani-ment, can be enough to keep a customer for life. ~ʑ

by KATIE MORELL

CAPTURING COMPASSION

CAPTURING COMPASSION

As Z works to close out the year, we want to continue to recognize the unique

‘People-First’ philosophy that exists within our company cul-ture. Sean Belanger, CEO of ZVRS, tasked us with embodying the credo of service to others. From the initial decision made to offer full time employees 24 hours of volunteer time, to the employees doing the work, the response was overwhelming. With still another few months to go, as a company, we have completed 489.25 hours of volunteering labor and love, all in service to others .

Our greatest reward is knowing we have served others. As a com-pany, we have taken this moral edict and made incredible use of the time given. Simply being allowed the time by an employer to volunteer is truly a gift. From Austin, Texas to Burnsville, Min-nesota and beyond, join us as we continue to put people first and serve others.

JANAL BRUNEAU & MICHAEL FEHMER:Capital Area Food Bank, Austin TX

It was a great opportunity to divide and conquer the needs of the hungry in the Austin, TX area. Z Aus-tin interpreters worked to organize, pass out food, and have meaningful conversations with those in need.

HALENE ANDERSON:Seabeck Deaf Blind Retreat organized by the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind

Halene volunteered for one week as a support service provider (SSP) and interpreter. “I am ever grateful to Sean (CEO of ZVRS) and Z for the opportunity to branch out beyond the cubicle and immerse myself in the re-lationships and experiences of Deaf-Blind campers.”

HALENE ANDERSON:Seabeck Deaf Blind Retreat organized by the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind

Halene volunteered for one week as a support service provider (SSP) and interpreter. “I am ever grateful to Sean (CEO of ZVRS) and Z for the opportunity to branch out beyond the cubicle and immerse myself in the re-lationships and experiences of Deaf-Blind campers.”

CRAIG RADFORD:

Coaching the men’s Deaf Olympics basketball team.

ELIZABETH SANFORD: Feed My Starving Children

S. Cloud VI, Elizabeth Sanford used the Z volunteer time to pack meals for children in Haiti. Feed My Starving Children is a MN based non-profit orga-nization that is committed to sending meals to malnourished children in over 70 countries.

REBECCA VAROZ, ARIANE BUCHANAN, DANA SUMROW, VICKI RAEL:Watermelon Mountain Ranch - Adopt-a-Thon

Albuquerque based organization, Watermelon Ranch has rescued over 20, 000 animals into loving homes. Z helped with a huge adopt-a-thon for dogs and cats. Watermelon Ranch rescued 14 dogs from another city in New Mexico who were on the list for euthanasia.

LAURIE MEYER: Second Harvest Heartland, a hunger relief organization

A group of Video Interpreters from our Little Canada, MN center spent a November afternoon working with Second Harvest Heartland, a hunger relief organization that distributes millions of pounds of food every year to individuals in need.

This is Laurie with the fruit (or as the case may be, bread) of their labor!.

LAURIE MEYER: Second Harvest Heartland, a hunger relief organization

A group of Video Interpreters from our Little Canada, MN center spent a November afternoon working with Second Harvest Heartland, a hunger relief organization that distributes millions of pounds of food every year to individuals in need.

This is Laurie with the fruit (or as the case may be, bread) of their labor!.

JONAS BRINKS:Frederick VI

Several Frederick, MD VI’s made the trek to the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia to help organize and manage a clothing give away for foster children. Children’s Home Society of West Virginia is a non-profit child welfare organization out of Martinsburg, WV.

HOW MUCHIS YOUR TIME WORTH?

IV

II

III“Time is what we want most, but what we use

worst.” ~William Penn

AN INFOGRAPHIC BY FRANK GALLIMORE

HOW MUCHIS YOUR TIME WORTH?

IV

II

III“Time is what we want most, but what we use

worst.” ~William Penn

AN INFOGRAPHIC BY FRANK GALLIMORE

plY

WORKof your average waking weekday is spent working

average full time American work week

the total number of hours the average American will have worked between ages 20 to 65

source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey Gallup data on 2013 and 2014 Work and Education polls, conducted in August of each year, www.gallup.com

“Increased levels of job stress as assessed by the perception of having little control but lots of demands have been demonstrated to be associated with increased rates of heart attack, hyperten-sion and other disorders. –The American Institute of Stress

Only 52 percent of American workers

believe their employers value work-life

balance. -APA 2013 Work and Well-Being Survey

Seven in 10 American

workers are “not engaged” or “actively

disengaged” in their work,

meaning they are emotionally disconnected

from their workplaces and

less likely to be productive.

–State of the American Work

place, Gallup poll 2010-2013

A 2013 survey by Everest

College showed that 83% of Americans are

stressed by at least one

thing at work, a sharp increase of 10 percentage

points when compared with 2012 (73%)

Studies show workplace stress speeds the aging process – PLOS One

source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey Gallup data on 2013 and 2014 Work and Education polls, conducted in August of each year, www.gallup.com

DOES WORK REWARDYOU AS MUCH AS ITTAKES OF YOUR TIME

?ARE YOU EXCITED TO GO TO WORK IN THE MORNING

DO SOMETHING WORTHWHILE.

RIGHT NOW.

AUGUST 21, 2012

Many thanks to the artists, de-signers, and authors who lent their time and talents to make this mgazine possible. Among them are the following:

credits

THANKSBROUGHT TO YOU BY GETAZLIFE.COM

A PRODUCT OF Z VIDEO RELAY SERVICE

A NEW KIND OF COMPANY FOR A NEW FRAME OF MIND

•COVER - “Fishing” art by Alexandra Gaudibuendia Khitrova. Website: http://gaudibuendia.deviantart.com/

•pg 6 - Sean Belanger, CEO of ZVRS. Belanger received his bachelor’s degree in management from Virginia Tech and has 30 years experience in the technology industry. He was most recently CEO of Paradyne Networks and was the driving force behind the unveiling of technology that resulted in increasing Internet access to millions of customers, including major telephone companies. Prior to Para-dyne Networks, he was general manager of 3Com’s Network Service Provider Division.

•pg 9 - Photo by Christelle Paviel at http://justacapharnaum.deviantart.com/

•pg 10 - Craig J Radford, Director of Business De-velopment. With over twelve years’ experience in Video Relay Service, Radford was one of thefirst few minds to shape the industry. His impact on the growth of VRS resulted in one of the largest

private equity acquisitions in Utah history, worth close to $1 billion. He also worked as a consultant for Sprint Nextel, securing several multi-million dollarstate contracts. He received Bachelor’s Degrees in English and Business Information Systems from Utah State University and studied in the MBA marketing program at the University of Phoenix.

When he isn’t helping to revolutionize the Video Relay industry with ZVRS, Radford serves on the coaching staff for the USA Olympic basketball team that won gold in Samsun, Turkey in 2014. His goal as a writer is to help those stuck in neutral tochange the way they think, find a pos-

Many thanks to the artists, de-signers, and authors who lent their time and talents to make this mgazine possible. Among them are the following:

QUESTIONS & COMMENTS to find out more about magaZine

its host site GETAZLIFE.COM contact us at http://www.getazlife.com/contact-us or click on the INTERPRETERS tab for informaton

on jobs and education

AUGUST 21, 2012

magaZine

itive outlook on life, and reshape what it means to achieve. He aims to provide light and hope in a world full of negativity. After growing up on a farm in tiny Ririe, Idaho, and after many years of learning, work-ing, and starting a family in Utah, Radford now lives in Palm Harbor, FL with his lovely wife Jill and wonderful children Alexis, Taylor, Jordan, Mason, and Titan.

•pg 14 - “Z” art by Anthony James at http://www.anthonyjamesart.com/

•pg 15 - Matt Daigle, comic artist, www.mattdaigle.com

•pg 16 - Adam Rademacher is Manager of Operations for ZVRS. Art by David Perez at https://www.behance.net/erdavid

•pg 24 - Amanda Park is the Operations Manager of the Indianapolis center, ZVRS •pg 32 - Michael Fehmer is the Operations Manger of the Austin center, ZVRS. Mock up template by Mucahit Gayiran at

www.behance.net/mucahitgayiran

•pg 38- Katherine Kehneman is the Operations

Manager of the Burnsville

center,

ZVRS

•pg 40 - Photo by Olivia Michalski entitled “On the Little Island.” Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Olivia-Michalski-Photography/216861401673980

•pg 42 - Dani Johnson is a Video Interpreter from the Kansas City center, ZVRS

•pg 44 - Katie Morell is a freelance Writer and editor. Specializations: small business, entrepreneurship and human interest topics. Katie’s work has appeared in Hemispheres, USA Today, Consumers Digest, Crain’s Chicago Business and others. Read more of her work at www.katiemorell.com

•pg 48 - Photos and blurbs provided by the Volunteer Committee of ZVRS and by Sarah Mcelheny, Operations Manager of the Colorado Springs center.

•pg 58-59 - Statistics courtesy of: - www.bls.gov- www.gallup.com - www.stress.org/workplace-stress - www.plosone.org/article/info%3A-doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0040186-globenewswire.com/news-release/2013/04/09/536945/10027728/en/Workplace-Stress-on-the-Rise-With-83-of-Americans-Frazzled-by-Some-thing-at-Work.html- www.apaexcellence.org/assets/gener-al/2013-work-and-wellbeing-survey-results.pdf

•ABOVE PHOTOS: Courtesy of Alisha McGraw, Ezra Moore, and various employees of ZVRS.

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