【Summary】
Today we're going to the biggest anime shop in Japan! We will explore the popular shop and jump into anime world!
So, guys let’s get started!
＊This video was filmed on June, 2023.
【Contents】
00:00 Intro
00:14 Basic Info about Animate
00:57 Animate Ikebukuro
01:50 Animate Theater, B2
02:08 Character Merch Section & Gratte (Café), 1F
03:14 Manga & Drawing Instruments Section, 2F-3F
04:53 Anime Song Live Performance
06:35 Character Merch Section, 4F-5F
09:10 CD, DVD/Blu-ray, & Game Section, 6F
09:49 Animate ONLY SHOP (Character Merch & Display Section), 7F
09:58 Space Galleria (Exhibition Venue), 8F
10:15 Animate Hall (Event Venue), 9F
10:28 Shopping!
11:16 Outro
11:53 Bonus
【Websites】
▽Animate Official Website (English)
https://www.animate.co.jp/en/
【5 Best Videos from YOUR Life Tokyo】
・【Enoshima Tour】Let’s Make A Day Trip From Tokyo to Enoshima Island in Kanagawa, Japan!
https://youtu.be/uFHn7eybTCk
・【Manga Cafe in Tokyo】Let’s Relax & Enjoy Spending a Night at a Manga Cafe!
https://youtu.be/dJ5ODCGz_c8
・【Japanese Sake District】Sake Tour in Fushimi, Kyoto, Japan!
https://youtu.be/njuGBbUwnm4
・【Tokyo Ramen Theme Park】Let's Try 6 Popular Restaurants at Odaiba’s Ramen Heaven! - Ramen Kokugikan
https://youtu.be/2AW_2MB_0_0
・【Capsule Hotel | Tokyo, Japan】A Capsule Hotel Tour with A Japanese!
https://youtu.be/J7CmKLpg3sQ
【Hashtags】
#animate #animateikebukuro #animeshop #tokyo #japan
The Elastic Hanging Door Swing for Pet Toys is a delightful innovation designed to keep your furry friends entertained while adding a unique charm to your home. Designed from a combination of high-quality materials, it consists of durable elastic bands, a sturdy wooden styles and soft pet safe fabric for the toys themselves.
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www.oceanblueways.com/shop
Big Performance Podcast hosted by Alex Elish. Gamifying the Workplace with CEO Richard Blank.
Big conversations with bold thinkers—where curiosity meets connection. On the Big Performance Podcast, Alex hosts unscripted, thought-provoking conversations with fascinating guests, exploring ideas that challenge, inspire, and entertain.
For Curious Wanderers, Critical Thinkers, and Seekers of Meaning drawn to spirituality, philosophy, and knowledge.
Featuring Authentic Storytellers, Big Thinkers, and Bold Explorers unafraid to tackle life’s biggest questions.
Subscribe and join a community that values exploration, growth, and meaningful dialogue.
Today, we speak with Richard Blank, a remarkable entrepreneur who transformed his dream into a thriving reality. Richard's journey from renting desks to running a 300-seat call center in Costa Rica is nothing short of inspirational.
Guest Introduction:
Richard Blank is the CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, a powerhouse in the telemarketing industry. His unique approach, combining old-school values with innovative strategies, has not only helped him grow his business but also fostered a strong, resilient company culture. Richard's story is a testament to the power of relationships and perseverance.
Key Takeaways:
1. Journey of an Entrepreneur: Richard's transition from a communications background to a call center mogul.
2. Building a Company Culture: How Richard's focus on relationships and trust helped him navigate challenges, including the pandemic.
3. Surviving crisis: Strategies Richard employed to maintain business continuity and employee morale during the pandemic.
4. Gamification in the Workplace: The importance of creating a fun, engaging environment for employees.
5. Communication Strategies: Tips and techniques for effective telemarketing and client interaction.
6. The Role of Empathy in Business: Why human interaction will always have an edge over AI in customer service.
7. Richard's Passion for Pinball: How vintage arcade games play a role in his business and personal life.
Creative Marketing Like Music Hits
I tell you what, that's why certain restaurants have large menus and 32 flavors of ice cream. It's my one taste of the color red might turn off somebody, but they prefer mint or yellow. And so fortunately for me, I've opened it enough where let's just say I do a podcast with somebody and I'm going to market that individual. My marketing team will take, I don't know, maybe 10 to 15 images. Combine the two. And just, you know, it's almost like an album from back in the day. I'll do four or five really guaranteed commercial hits that, as you say, are colorful. People are going to like, yeah, of course, throw a puppy in there or something. Then I go, guys, come on. Show me really something crazy. Let me just see if you can... produce something wicked or completely unexpected.
Following a Passionate Journey
You started from a communications background. You are bilingual and you decided to move to Costa Rica and start from the ground up. How did you decide to go for this journey? How did you start looking for that gold with the pen? How do you not when the road is there and open in front of you? When I was a young lad, I decided that Spanish was my favorite thing in the world. Fortunately, my parents would take me on vacations, sometimes to Mexico. I would come back with some vocabulary, and I had an interest, a base of it. Whenever I'd meet someone from the Latin community, they would give such reinforcement. It just wasn't a parlor trick or something cute. They realized that I really was into it. Then I understood something, my friend. When someone does above and beyond, there's dedicated practice. So besides what I had to do in school to get my grades, I loved watching movies and reading books. And my favorite was just having coffee and hanging out and speaking Spanish. And so anybody that has that sort of commitment and passion, you can't put that spark, you know?
Improving communication through strategic vocabulary
Any professional would know how much money is invested in somebody. To get them to that stage in business, unless they're throwing F-bombs and just giving the company away. I don't know if I, I don't think I would buy that blush. You're not firing somebody because a random customer's calling up because they got 13 extra dollars charged on the bill for a month. But that's not here nor there. I have some techniques for you, my friend, when you're thinking of this stuff. I like to adjust my vocabulary to make it more strategic and diplomatic. So I wouldn't say, excuse me on the phone. I would replace that for my clarification. Is it A, B, C, or 1, 2, 3? For my clarification. And then there's also tie-downs you could say. Sounds good, right? Makes sense, right? Because if you just keep talking, I don't know if it does sound good or makes sense. You need underwater scuba diving checkpoints. And then finally, my biggest question, My biggest gripe, it's like a gnat or a fly that bothers you. Whenever somebody uses the word help, I understand the intention behind it, but it can provoke a sort of emotion. And so I suggest using assist, guide, and lend a hand. I just know that it's like a longbow. You'll get better distance out of that compared to using help. We're accustomed to it, but it's a very uncomfortable metal chair in a waiting room with bad magazines. It just doesn't work. And so I like to, as I mentioned before, use these soft skills with people. I like to guide. I like to assist and especially, and I give it double points because you're utilizing image streaming by saying lend a hand.
https://youtu.be/NjYHz2TbKv4
https://youtu.be/ZQq683zhx_U
https://youtu.be/JyNWO9jrLcA
https://youtu.be/LB6A-IeXN28
Chapters:
0:00 - Guest Introduction: Richard Blank
1:47 - Richard's Entrepreneurial Journey
3:10 - From Renting Desks to a 300-Seat Call Center
9:00 - Surviving and Thriving During COVID-19
12:36 - Working in Telemarketing
16:25 - Gamification and Employee Engagement
25:27 - Communication Techniques and Empathy
36:17 - Addressing Customer Complaints
45:42 - The Influence of Vintage Arcade Games
50:55 - Richard's Unique Marketing Style
58:19 - Richard's Collaboration with INXS Bassist
1:00:00 - Closing Remarks
Podcast
Alex Elish
With a decade of experience in startups, I’ve mastered digital chaos.
I live for the challenge in your mess of a digital strategy!
My expertise - people called me SEO, PPC, CRMs, PMS, and automation guy. Marketing funnel or building a website, I’m your go-to guy for creating impactful solutions.
If we vibe the right way - I'm your trusty friend and partner.
We don't vibe - no money will get you my team efforts, blood and tears.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. With a mix of motivational public speaking style backed by tactful and appropriate rhetoric, Richard shared his knowledge and trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers. Richard Blank has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Rockola Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture.Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
Alex Elish, Big Performance Podcast, Richard Blank,Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center
#AlexElish #BigPerformancePodcast #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO
Utilizing the military alphabet for enhanced communication
And another thing, Alex, use the military alphabet so emails don't bounce back. A lot of people have served. And it gives you consistency. So you're not just thinking on the fly. And these are the sort of things where you might close one additional deal a month because an email didn't bounce back just because of that. And so I think that the military likes it. People will relate to it. And in my professional opinion, it's been able to end calls in a great way where you almost get an encore song or two where it should have been ending. But now you're talking the military and Memorial Day weekend and Veterans Day. And you show your pride and respect.
Introduction to a Successful Entrepreneur
All righty thank you for for joining me it's a pleasure to talk to you i feel like i know you for the viewers that just joined i want to introduce to you richard blank behind this magical smile there is one phenomenally strong entrepreneur. You have grown your business from renting desks to a 300-seat call center in Costa Rica. That's right. Your business is taking care of hundreds of employees and you build a strong company culture that lets you carry on through COVID and you're going strong in the face of AI apocalypse with your... on the ground business with the people that you hold dear, the people who work for you.
The Art of Leadership and Communication
It's not so stiff. There is a balance. And if you're going to come here and spend more time with me than you do with your own family, why don't we have a little bit of dessert as well and make it fun? And it's not enjoyable to be a boss where people are afraid of you and you scream and yell and make people stress. There is that responsibility. They have a job to do. Yeah. But we can almost do it by doing the apex, by being the leader and the one that can fly the highest and the furthest and the fastest. Thankfully, this is my wheelhouse. So at any time I can jump on this call and I can not only resolve the issue, would share a lesson to the agent that was looking for that guidance. So in essence, I just don't write checks. This is something that, as you say, you quit after a little bit but got the skills. I sold my soul. I decided to be in this industry for 24 years because I saw the art of the speech. I didn't want it to be ruined and muddied by the bad reputations that stocks and sweet steaks and other call centers do that take advantage of people there. You know, Alex, there's a ton of people out there that earn a wonderful living by retaining a client for a company, setting appointments, making business, getting a referral, possibly if a client is upset and giving you an exit interview or feedback that you're responsible, take the suggestions and implement. And so as long as you're engaged and proactive, that individual's priceless for a corporation.
Mastering the art of communication with strategic name-dropping
You're not lying. You're not angling or forcing a sale. All I'm doing is repeating a name drop. I'm introducing myself. I'm expecting you to ask me two or three clarification questions where I just use a buffer boomerang. I'll name drop you to adjust the tone, let you know it's a great question. Repeat the question, Alex, so you don't have to repeat it, right? And then I'll send it back to you in a positive way to just keep readjusting that negative, positive tone and shutting doors and checkpoints so we don't have to repeat rabbit holes and get you upset.
Big Performance Podcast hosted by Alex Elish. Gamifying the Workplace with CEO Richard Blank.
Big conversations with bold thinkers—where curiosity meets connection. On the Big Performance Podcast, Alex hosts unscripted, thought-provoking conversations with fascinating guests, exploring ideas that challenge, inspire, and entertain.
For Curious Wanderers, Critical Thinkers, and Seekers of Meaning drawn to spirituality, philosophy, and knowledge.
Featuring Authentic Storytellers, Big Thinkers, and Bold Explorers unafraid to tackle life’s biggest questions.
Subscribe and join a community that values exploration, growth, and meaningful dialogue.
Today, we speak with Richard Blank, a remarkable entrepreneur who transformed his dream into a thriving reality. Richard's journey from renting desks to running a 300-seat call center in Costa Rica is nothing short of inspirational.
Guest Introduction:
Richard Blank is the CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, a powerhouse in the telemarketing industry. His unique approach, combining old-school values with innovative strategies, has not only helped him grow his business but also fostered a strong, resilient company culture. Richard's story is a testament to the power of relationships and perseverance.
Key Takeaways:
1. Journey of an Entrepreneur: Richard's transition from a communications background to a call center mogul.
2. Building a Company Culture: How Richard's focus on relationships and trust helped him navigate challenges, including the pandemic.
3. Surviving crisis: Strategies Richard employed to maintain business continuity and employee morale during the pandemic.
4. Gamification in the Workplace: The importance of creating a fun, engaging environment for employees.
5. Communication Strategies: Tips and techniques for effective telemarketing and client interaction.
6. The Role of Empathy in Business: Why human interaction will always have an edge over AI in customer service.
7. Richard's Passion for Pinball: How vintage arcade games play a role in his business and personal life.
Creative Marketing Like Music Hits
I tell you what, that's why certain restaurants have large menus and 32 flavors of ice cream. It's my one taste of the color red might turn off somebody, but they prefer mint or yellow. And so fortunately for me, I've opened it enough where let's just say I do a podcast with somebody and I'm going to market that individual. My marketing team will take, I don't know, maybe 10 to 15 images. Combine the two. And just, you know, it's almost like an album from back in the day. I'll do four or five really guaranteed commercial hits that, as you say, are colorful. People are going to like, yeah, of course, throw a puppy in there or something. Then I go, guys, come on. Show me really something crazy. Let me just see if you can... produce something wicked or completely unexpected.
Following a Passionate Journey
You started from a communications background. You are bilingual and you decided to move to Costa Rica and start from the ground up. How did you decide to go for this journey? How did you start looking for that gold with the pen? How do you not when the road is there and open in front of you? When I was a young lad, I decided that Spanish was my favorite thing in the world. Fortunately, my parents would take me on vacations, sometimes to Mexico. I would come back with some vocabulary, and I had an interest, a base of it. Whenever I'd meet someone from the Latin community, they would give such reinforcement. It just wasn't a parlor trick or something cute. They realized that I really was into it. Then I understood something, my friend. When someone does above and beyond, there's dedicated practice. So besides what I had to do in school to get my grades, I loved watching movies and reading books. And my favorite was just having coffee and hanging out and speaking Spanish. And so anybody that has that sort of commitment and passion, you can't put that spark, you know?
Improving communication through strategic vocabulary
Any professional would know how much money is invested in somebody. To get them to that stage in business, unless they're throwing F-bombs and just giving the company away. I don't know if I, I don't think I would buy that blush. You're not firing somebody because a random customer's calling up because they got 13 extra dollars charged on the bill for a month. But that's not here nor there. I have some techniques for you, my friend, when you're thinking of this stuff. I like to adjust my vocabulary to make it more strategic and diplomatic. So I wouldn't say, excuse me on the phone. I would replace that for my clarification. Is it A, B, C, or 1, 2, 3? For my clarification. And then there's also tie-downs you could say. Sounds good, right? Makes sense, right? Because if you just keep talking, I don't know if it does sound good or makes sense. You need underwater scuba diving checkpoints. And then finally, my biggest question, My biggest gripe, it's like a gnat or a fly that bothers you. Whenever somebody uses the word help, I understand the intention behind it, but it can provoke a sort of emotion. And so I suggest using assist, guide, and lend a hand. I just know that it's like a longbow. You'll get better distance out of that compared to using help. We're accustomed to it, but it's a very uncomfortable metal chair in a waiting room with bad magazines. It just doesn't work. And so I like to, as I mentioned before, use these soft skills with people. I like to guide. I like to assist and especially, and I give it double points because you're utilizing image streaming by saying lend a hand.
https://youtu.be/NjYHz2TbKv4
https://youtu.be/ZQq683zhx_U
https://youtu.be/JyNWO9jrLcA
https://youtu.be/LB6A-IeXN28
Chapters:
0:00 - Guest Introduction: Richard Blank
1:47 - Richard's Entrepreneurial Journey
3:10 - From Renting Desks to a 300-Seat Call Center
9:00 - Surviving and Thriving During COVID-19
12:36 - Working in Telemarketing
16:25 - Gamification and Employee Engagement
25:27 - Communication Techniques and Empathy
36:17 - Addressing Customer Complaints
45:42 - The Influence of Vintage Arcade Games
50:55 - Richard's Unique Marketing Style
58:19 - Richard's Collaboration with INXS Bassist
1:00:00 - Closing Remarks
Podcast
Alex Elish
With a decade of experience in startups, I’ve mastered digital chaos.
I live for the challenge in your mess of a digital strategy!
My expertise - people called me SEO, PPC, CRMs, PMS, and automation guy. Marketing funnel or building a website, I’m your go-to guy for creating impactful solutions.
If we vibe the right way - I'm your trusty friend and partner.
We don't vibe - no money will get you my team efforts, blood and tears.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. With a mix of motivational public speaking style backed by tactful and appropriate rhetoric, Richard shared his knowledge and trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers. Richard Blank has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Rockola Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture.Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
Alex Elish, Big Performance Podcast, Richard Blank,Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center
#AlexElish #BigPerformancePodcast #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO
Utilizing the military alphabet for enhanced communication
And another thing, Alex, use the military alphabet so emails don't bounce back. A lot of people have served. And it gives you consistency. So you're not just thinking on the fly. And these are the sort of things where you might close one additional deal a month because an email didn't bounce back just because of that. And so I think that the military likes it. People will relate to it. And in my professional opinion, it's been able to end calls in a great way where you almost get an encore song or two where it should have been ending. But now you're talking the military and Memorial Day weekend and Veterans Day. And you show your pride and respect.
Introduction to a Successful Entrepreneur
All righty thank you for for joining me it's a pleasure to talk to you i feel like i know you for the viewers that just joined i want to introduce to you richard blank behind this magical smile there is one phenomenally strong entrepreneur. You have grown your business from renting desks to a 300-seat call center in Costa Rica. That's right. Your business is taking care of hundreds of employees and you build a strong company culture that lets you carry on through COVID and you're going strong in the face of AI apocalypse with your... on the ground business with the people that you hold dear, the people who work for you.
The Art of Leadership and Communication
It's not so stiff. There is a balance. And if you're going to come here and spend more time with me than you do with your own family, why don't we have a little bit of dessert as well and make it fun? And it's not enjoyable to be a boss where people are afraid of you and you scream and yell and make people stress. There is that responsibility. They have a job to do. Yeah. But we can almost do it by doing the apex, by being the leader and the one that can fly the highest and the furthest and the fastest. Thankfully, this is my wheelhouse. So at any time I can jump on this call and I can not only resolve the issue, would share a lesson to the agent that was looking for that guidance. So in essence, I just don't write checks. This is something that, as you say, you quit after a little bit but got the skills. I sold my soul. I decided to be in this industry for 24 years because I saw the art of the speech. I didn't want it to be ruined and muddied by the bad reputations that stocks and sweet steaks and other call centers do that take advantage of people there. You know, Alex, there's a ton of people out there that earn a wonderful living by retaining a client for a company, setting appointments, making business, getting a referral, possibly if a client is upset and giving you an exit interview or feedback that you're responsible, take the suggestions and implement. And so as long as you're engaged and proactive, that individual's priceless for a corporation.
Mastering the art of communication with strategic name-dropping
You're not lying. You're not angling or forcing a sale. All I'm doing is repeating a name drop. I'm introducing myself. I'm expecting you to ask me two or three clarification questions where I just use a buffer boomerang. I'll name drop you to adjust the tone, let you know it's a great question. Repeat the question, Alex, so you don't have to repeat it, right? And then I'll send it back to you in a positive way to just keep readjusting that negative, positive tone and shutting doors and checkpoints so we don't have to repeat rabbit holes and get you upset.
Big Performance Podcast hosted by Alex Elish. Gamifying the Workplace with CEO Richard Blank.
Big conversations with bold thinkers—where curiosity meets connection. On the Big Performance Podcast, Alex hosts unscripted, thought-provoking conversations with fascinating guests, exploring ideas that challenge, inspire, and entertain.
For Curious Wanderers, Critical Thinkers, and Seekers of Meaning drawn to spirituality, philosophy, and knowledge.
Featuring Authentic Storytellers, Big Thinkers, and Bold Explorers unafraid to tackle life’s biggest questions.
Subscribe and join a community that values exploration, growth, and meaningful dialogue.
Today, we speak with Richard Blank, a remarkable entrepreneur who transformed his dream into a thriving reality. Richard's journey from renting desks to running a 300-seat call center in Costa Rica is nothing short of inspirational.
Guest Introduction:
Richard Blank is the CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, a powerhouse in the telemarketing industry. His unique approach, combining old-school values with innovative strategies, has not only helped him grow his business but also fostered a strong, resilient company culture. Richard's story is a testament to the power of relationships and perseverance.
Key Takeaways:
1. Journey of an Entrepreneur: Richard's transition from a communications background to a call center mogul.
2. Building a Company Culture: How Richard's focus on relationships and trust helped him navigate challenges, including the pandemic.
3. Surviving crisis: Strategies Richard employed to maintain business continuity and employee morale during the pandemic.
4. Gamification in the Workplace: The importance of creating a fun, engaging environment for employees.
5. Communication Strategies: Tips and techniques for effective telemarketing and client interaction.
6. The Role of Empathy in Business: Why human interaction will always have an edge over AI in customer service.
7. Richard's Passion for Pinball: How vintage arcade games play a role in his business and personal life.
Creative Marketing Like Music Hits
I tell you what, that's why certain restaurants have large menus and 32 flavors of ice cream. It's my one taste of the color red might turn off somebody, but they prefer mint or yellow. And so fortunately for me, I've opened it enough where let's just say I do a podcast with somebody and I'm going to market that individual. My marketing team will take, I don't know, maybe 10 to 15 images. Combine the two. And just, you know, it's almost like an album from back in the day. I'll do four or five really guaranteed commercial hits that, as you say, are colorful. People are going to like, yeah, of course, throw a puppy in there or something. Then I go, guys, come on. Show me really something crazy. Let me just see if you can... produce something wicked or completely unexpected.
Following a Passionate Journey
You started from a communications background. You are bilingual and you decided to move to Costa Rica and start from the ground up. How did you decide to go for this journey? How did you start looking for that gold with the pen? How do you not when the road is there and open in front of you? When I was a young lad, I decided that Spanish was my favorite thing in the world. Fortunately, my parents would take me on vacations, sometimes to Mexico. I would come back with some vocabulary, and I had an interest, a base of it. Whenever I'd meet someone from the Latin community, they would give such reinforcement. It just wasn't a parlor trick or something cute. They realized that I really was into it. Then I understood something, my friend. When someone does above and beyond, there's dedicated practice. So besides what I had to do in school to get my grades, I loved watching movies and reading books. And my favorite was just having coffee and hanging out and speaking Spanish. And so anybody that has that sort of commitment and passion, you can't put that spark, you know?
Improving communication through strategic vocabulary
Any professional would know how much money is invested in somebody. To get them to that stage in business, unless they're throwing F-bombs and just giving the company away. I don't know if I, I don't think I would buy that blush. You're not firing somebody because a random customer's calling up because they got 13 extra dollars charged on the bill for a month. But that's not here nor there. I have some techniques for you, my friend, when you're thinking of this stuff. I like to adjust my vocabulary to make it more strategic and diplomatic. So I wouldn't say, excuse me on the phone. I would replace that for my clarification. Is it A, B, C, or 1, 2, 3? For my clarification. And then there's also tie-downs you could say. Sounds good, right? Makes sense, right? Because if you just keep talking, I don't know if it does sound good or makes sense. You need underwater scuba diving checkpoints. And then finally, my biggest question, My biggest gripe, it's like a gnat or a fly that bothers you. Whenever somebody uses the word help, I understand the intention behind it, but it can provoke a sort of emotion. And so I suggest using assist, guide, and lend a hand. I just know that it's like a longbow. You'll get better distance out of that compared to using help. We're accustomed to it, but it's a very uncomfortable metal chair in a waiting room with bad magazines. It just doesn't work. And so I like to, as I mentioned before, use these soft skills with people. I like to guide. I like to assist and especially, and I give it double points because you're utilizing image streaming by saying lend a hand.
https://youtu.be/NjYHz2TbKv4
https://youtu.be/ZQq683zhx_U
https://youtu.be/JyNWO9jrLcA
https://youtu.be/LB6A-IeXN28
Chapters:
0:00 - Guest Introduction: Richard Blank
1:47 - Richard's Entrepreneurial Journey
3:10 - From Renting Desks to a 300-Seat Call Center
9:00 - Surviving and Thriving During COVID-19
12:36 - Working in Telemarketing
16:25 - Gamification and Employee Engagement
25:27 - Communication Techniques and Empathy
36:17 - Addressing Customer Complaints
45:42 - The Influence of Vintage Arcade Games
50:55 - Richard's Unique Marketing Style
58:19 - Richard's Collaboration with INXS Bassist
1:00:00 - Closing Remarks
Podcast
Alex Elish
With a decade of experience in startups, I’ve mastered digital chaos.
I live for the challenge in your mess of a digital strategy!
My expertise - people called me SEO, PPC, CRMs, PMS, and automation guy. Marketing funnel or building a website, I’m your go-to guy for creating impactful solutions.
If we vibe the right way - I'm your trusty friend and partner.
We don't vibe - no money will get you my team efforts, blood and tears.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. With a mix of motivational public speaking style backed by tactful and appropriate rhetoric, Richard shared his knowledge and trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers. Richard Blank has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Rockola Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture.Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
Alex Elish, Big Performance Podcast, Richard Blank,Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center
#AlexElish #BigPerformancePodcast #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO
Utilizing the military alphabet for enhanced communication
And another thing, Alex, use the military alphabet so emails don't bounce back. A lot of people have served. And it gives you consistency. So you're not just thinking on the fly. And these are the sort of things where you might close one additional deal a month because an email didn't bounce back just because of that. And so I think that the military likes it. People will relate to it. And in my professional opinion, it's been able to end calls in a great way where you almost get an encore song or two where it should have been ending. But now you're talking the military and Memorial Day weekend and Veterans Day. And you show your pride and respect.
Introduction to a Successful Entrepreneur
All righty thank you for for joining me it's a pleasure to talk to you i feel like i know you for the viewers that just joined i want to introduce to you richard blank behind this magical smile there is one phenomenally strong entrepreneur. You have grown your business from renting desks to a 300-seat call center in Costa Rica. That's right. Your business is taking care of hundreds of employees and you build a strong company culture that lets you carry on through COVID and you're going strong in the face of AI apocalypse with your... on the ground business with the people that you hold dear, the people who work for you.
The Art of Leadership and Communication
It's not so stiff. There is a balance. And if you're going to come here and spend more time with me than you do with your own family, why don't we have a little bit of dessert as well and make it fun? And it's not enjoyable to be a boss where people are afraid of you and you scream and yell and make people stress. There is that responsibility. They have a job to do. Yeah. But we can almost do it by doing the apex, by being the leader and the one that can fly the highest and the furthest and the fastest. Thankfully, this is my wheelhouse. So at any time I can jump on this call and I can not only resolve the issue, would share a lesson to the agent that was looking for that guidance. So in essence, I just don't write checks. This is something that, as you say, you quit after a little bit but got the skills. I sold my soul. I decided to be in this industry for 24 years because I saw the art of the speech. I didn't want it to be ruined and muddied by the bad reputations that stocks and sweet steaks and other call centers do that take advantage of people there. You know, Alex, there's a ton of people out there that earn a wonderful living by retaining a client for a company, setting appointments, making business, getting a referral, possibly if a client is upset and giving you an exit interview or feedback that you're responsible, take the suggestions and implement. And so as long as you're engaged and proactive, that individual's priceless for a corporation.
Mastering the art of communication with strategic name-dropping
You're not lying. You're not angling or forcing a sale. All I'm doing is repeating a name drop. I'm introducing myself. I'm expecting you to ask me two or three clarification questions where I just use a buffer boomerang. I'll name drop you to adjust the tone, let you know it's a great question. Repeat the question, Alex, so you don't have to repeat it, right? And then I'll send it back to you in a positive way to just keep readjusting that negative, positive tone and shutting doors and checkpoints so we don't have to repeat rabbit holes and get you upset.
Big Performance Podcast hosted by Alex Elish. Gamifying the Workplace with CEO Richard Blank.
Big conversations with bold thinkers—where curiosity meets connection. On the Big Performance Podcast, Alex hosts unscripted, thought-provoking conversations with fascinating guests, exploring ideas that challenge, inspire, and entertain.
For Curious Wanderers, Critical Thinkers, and Seekers of Meaning drawn to spirituality, philosophy, and knowledge.
Featuring Authentic Storytellers, Big Thinkers, and Bold Explorers unafraid to tackle life’s biggest questions.
Subscribe and join a community that values exploration, growth, and meaningful dialogue.
Today, we speak with Richard Blank, a remarkable entrepreneur who transformed his dream into a thriving reality. Richard's journey from renting desks to running a 300-seat call center in Costa Rica is nothing short of inspirational.
Guest Introduction:
Richard Blank is the CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, a powerhouse in the telemarketing industry. His unique approach, combining old-school values with innovative strategies, has not only helped him grow his business but also fostered a strong, resilient company culture. Richard's story is a testament to the power of relationships and perseverance.
Key Takeaways:
1. Journey of an Entrepreneur: Richard's transition from a communications background to a call center mogul.
2. Building a Company Culture: How Richard's focus on relationships and trust helped him navigate challenges, including the pandemic.
3. Surviving crisis: Strategies Richard employed to maintain business continuity and employee morale during the pandemic.
4. Gamification in the Workplace: The importance of creating a fun, engaging environment for employees.
5. Communication Strategies: Tips and techniques for effective telemarketing and client interaction.
6. The Role of Empathy in Business: Why human interaction will always have an edge over AI in customer service.
7. Richard's Passion for Pinball: How vintage arcade games play a role in his business and personal life.
Creative Marketing Like Music Hits
I tell you what, that's why certain restaurants have large menus and 32 flavors of ice cream. It's my one taste of the color red might turn off somebody, but they prefer mint or yellow. And so fortunately for me, I've opened it enough where let's just say I do a podcast with somebody and I'm going to market that individual. My marketing team will take, I don't know, maybe 10 to 15 images. Combine the two. And just, you know, it's almost like an album from back in the day. I'll do four or five really guaranteed commercial hits that, as you say, are colorful. People are going to like, yeah, of course, throw a puppy in there or something. Then I go, guys, come on. Show me really something crazy. Let me just see if you can... produce something wicked or completely unexpected.
Following a Passionate Journey
You started from a communications background. You are bilingual and you decided to move to Costa Rica and start from the ground up. How did you decide to go for this journey? How did you start looking for that gold with the pen? How do you not when the road is there and open in front of you? When I was a young lad, I decided that Spanish was my favorite thing in the world. Fortunately, my parents would take me on vacations, sometimes to Mexico. I would come back with some vocabulary, and I had an interest, a base of it. Whenever I'd meet someone from the Latin community, they would give such reinforcement. It just wasn't a parlor trick or something cute. They realized that I really was into it. Then I understood something, my friend. When someone does above and beyond, there's dedicated practice. So besides what I had to do in school to get my grades, I loved watching movies and reading books. And my favorite was just having coffee and hanging out and speaking Spanish. And so anybody that has that sort of commitment and passion, you can't put that spark, you know?
Improving communication through strategic vocabulary
Any professional would know how much money is invested in somebody. To get them to that stage in business, unless they're throwing F-bombs and just giving the company away. I don't know if I, I don't think I would buy that blush. You're not firing somebody because a random customer's calling up because they got 13 extra dollars charged on the bill for a month. But that's not here nor there. I have some techniques for you, my friend, when you're thinking of this stuff. I like to adjust my vocabulary to make it more strategic and diplomatic. So I wouldn't say, excuse me on the phone. I would replace that for my clarification. Is it A, B, C, or 1, 2, 3? For my clarification. And then there's also tie-downs you could say. Sounds good, right? Makes sense, right? Because if you just keep talking, I don't know if it does sound good or makes sense. You need underwater scuba diving checkpoints. And then finally, my biggest question, My biggest gripe, it's like a gnat or a fly that bothers you. Whenever somebody uses the word help, I understand the intention behind it, but it can provoke a sort of emotion. And so I suggest using assist, guide, and lend a hand. I just know that it's like a longbow. You'll get better distance out of that compared to using help. We're accustomed to it, but it's a very uncomfortable metal chair in a waiting room with bad magazines. It just doesn't work. And so I like to, as I mentioned before, use these soft skills with people. I like to guide. I like to assist and especially, and I give it double points because you're utilizing image streaming by saying lend a hand.
https://youtu.be/NjYHz2TbKv4
https://youtu.be/ZQq683zhx_U
https://youtu.be/JyNWO9jrLcA
https://youtu.be/LB6A-IeXN28
Chapters:
0:00 - Guest Introduction: Richard Blank
1:47 - Richard's Entrepreneurial Journey
3:10 - From Renting Desks to a 300-Seat Call Center
9:00 - Surviving and Thriving During COVID-19
12:36 - Working in Telemarketing
16:25 - Gamification and Employee Engagement
25:27 - Communication Techniques and Empathy
36:17 - Addressing Customer Complaints
45:42 - The Influence of Vintage Arcade Games
50:55 - Richard's Unique Marketing Style
58:19 - Richard's Collaboration with INXS Bassist
1:00:00 - Closing Remarks
Podcast
Alex Elish
With a decade of experience in startups, I’ve mastered digital chaos.
I live for the challenge in your mess of a digital strategy!
My expertise - people called me SEO, PPC, CRMs, PMS, and automation guy. Marketing funnel or building a website, I’m your go-to guy for creating impactful solutions.
If we vibe the right way - I'm your trusty friend and partner.
We don't vibe - no money will get you my team efforts, blood and tears.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. With a mix of motivational public speaking style backed by tactful and appropriate rhetoric, Richard shared his knowledge and trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers. Richard Blank has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Rockola Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture.Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica. Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
Alex Elish, Big Performance Podcast, Richard Blank,Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing Call Centre, BPO, Nearshore Contact Center, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business, Podcast, Gamification,Leadership, Marketing, CX, Guest, Money, B2C education, BPO trainer,call centre, contact centre, contact center
#AlexElish #BigPerformancePodcast #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO
Utilizing the military alphabet for enhanced communication
And another thing, Alex, use the military alphabet so emails don't bounce back. A lot of people have served. And it gives you consistency. So you're not just thinking on the fly. And these are the sort of things where you might close one additional deal a month because an email didn't bounce back just because of that. And so I think that the military likes it. People will relate to it. And in my professional opinion, it's been able to end calls in a great way where you almost get an encore song or two where it should have been ending. But now you're talking the military and Memorial Day weekend and Veterans Day. And you show your pride and respect.
Introduction to a Successful Entrepreneur
All righty thank you for for joining me it's a pleasure to talk to you i feel like i know you for the viewers that just joined i want to introduce to you richard blank behind this magical smile there is one phenomenally strong entrepreneur. You have grown your business from renting desks to a 300-seat call center in Costa Rica. That's right. Your business is taking care of hundreds of employees and you build a strong company culture that lets you carry on through COVID and you're going strong in the face of AI apocalypse with your... on the ground business with the people that you hold dear, the people who work for you.
The Art of Leadership and Communication
It's not so stiff. There is a balance. And if you're going to come here and spend more time with me than you do with your own family, why don't we have a little bit of dessert as well and make it fun? And it's not enjoyable to be a boss where people are afraid of you and you scream and yell and make people stress. There is that responsibility. They have a job to do. Yeah. But we can almost do it by doing the apex, by being the leader and the one that can fly the highest and the furthest and the fastest. Thankfully, this is my wheelhouse. So at any time I can jump on this call and I can not only resolve the issue, would share a lesson to the agent that was looking for that guidance. So in essence, I just don't write checks. This is something that, as you say, you quit after a little bit but got the skills. I sold my soul. I decided to be in this industry for 24 years because I saw the art of the speech. I didn't want it to be ruined and muddied by the bad reputations that stocks and sweet steaks and other call centers do that take advantage of people there. You know, Alex, there's a ton of people out there that earn a wonderful living by retaining a client for a company, setting appointments, making business, getting a referral, possibly if a client is upset and giving you an exit interview or feedback that you're responsible, take the suggestions and implement. And so as long as you're engaged and proactive, that individual's priceless for a corporation.
Mastering the art of communication with strategic name-dropping
You're not lying. You're not angling or forcing a sale. All I'm doing is repeating a name drop. I'm introducing myself. I'm expecting you to ask me two or three clarification questions where I just use a buffer boomerang. I'll name drop you to adjust the tone, let you know it's a great question. Repeat the question, Alex, so you don't have to repeat it, right? And then I'll send it back to you in a positive way to just keep readjusting that negative, positive tone and shutting doors and checkpoints so we don't have to repeat rabbit holes and get you upset.
Think a Neurodiversity Journey. Take A Leap & Transform through the art of speech with Richard Blank
Take A Leap & Transform: A Neurodiversity Journey
Joseph K Muscat
Every two weeks, my purpose is to bring you through a journey of Neurodiversity awareness and skillsets in the workplace and with entrepreneurs. This is all about transforming our mindset, finding purpose, discovering our superpowers, setting clear goals and creating solutions that will increase productivity and profitability by becoming more inclusive and diverse.
I would like to illustrate how my new venture came about and to do that I have to tell you a bit more about myself and my journey. Hopefully, this will inspire you to accept yourself for who you are and you will be able to relate.
I am neurodiverse... not sure what that is...? Well, simply put, it's a person who has been diagnosed with one or more learning disabilities. In my case, I have few; Visual Motor, Visual Perception, Working Memory, and Dyslexia. This has been both a struggle and a blessing for me; over the course of my education, relationships, employment and my various businesses.
I was diagnosed with visual motor and visual perception at school age and to this day I am still trying to fully understand what they mean. Both my family and teachers were not able to offer me sufficient support. Struggling at school became the norm for me, but I persevered. Despite these challenges, I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University and then later on I continued on to study at Humber College, in Toronto Canada.
My path was set. I would be a professional photographer... and I remained on that path for 20+ years. Over my years following this path, I developed my entrepreneurial skills in order to be able to consult many clients with their projects, objectives, social media marketing, business development and client relations.
In 2014, we embarked on a new adventure out of Canada and moved to Malta as a family, to seek new challenges and opportunities for us. This is where I re-evaluated my path and took a step back from photography in order to focus on other business opportunities. I carved out a new path for myself where I worked with various companies in project management and business development.
https://youtu.be/baQakoEZdgI
2018 was a turning point for me. I was in my third job on the island, which was very stressful, my learning disabilities were showing, I couldn’t hide them anymore. It affected me emotionally which in turn affected my family...
Over the years I had searched for private support in relation to my learning disabilities. This was challenging as learning difficulties are often perceived as a childhood problem and thus there is very little support available to adults. Not being able to find the support I needed, led me to take the challenge upon myself and create a system that I could implement to help me in my entrepreneurship. It entailed lots of trial and error, many workshops and books to read. But in the end, I finally can say that I have created a Seven-Step Transformative Management Methodology (SSTMM) solution for adults with learning disabilities who are either running their own business or are employed. I believe that if it is implemented correctly it will greatly improve the working environment and provide a solution to their challenges.
This was the birth of my consultancy business.
Joseph K Muscat
Take a leap & transform
Throughout my extensive experience in entrepreneurship and various professional roles, I have encountered three significant challenges that have shaped my understanding of the importance of fostering Neurodivergent talent. Firstly, the lack of awareness and understanding among employers and managers regarding the unique thinking and working styles of individuals with Neurodivergent traits. Secondly, the need for comprehensive knowledge and strategies to provide appropriate accommodations, support, productivity strategies, and coaching tailored to Neurodivergent individuals. Lastly, the absence of management awareness, skills, and resources to effectively foster and cultivate Neurodivergent talent for the long-term benefit of both the individual and the company as a whole.
These challenges have inspired me to dedicate my time to self-improvement and acquiring the necessary knowledge and skill set to overcome these obstacles. As someone who has personally experienced learning difficulties, I have become a passionate advocate for individuals facing similar challenges and a valuable resource for business owners seeking guidance in implementing transformative changes to accommodate Neurodivergent talent.
I invite you to join me in taking a leap forward, embracing a new perspective, and unlocking the untapped potential within your organization.
Do You feel you have a journey that you can share with our Take a Leap & Transform community?
1. We are looking for Neurodivergent talent to share their experiences.
2. We are looking for business leaders and coaches who can deliver DEI&B solutions to businesses.
3. We are looking for mindset professionals who can empower Nuerodivergent talent
We all should know how to learn tonality and how to read people, especially over the phone. This is why I am happy to welcome Richard Blank to the podcast. Richard is the CEO of the largest Costa Rica Call centre. Richard has such a use of language that he naturally uses and trainers over 10,000 employees.
Together we engage on how to develop and use such language and then jump into how business leaders can inspire and motivate through inclusion principles and practices.
My name is Joseph K Muscat and my purpose is to bring you through a journey of Neurodiversity awareness and skillsets in the workplace and with entrepreneurs. This is all about transforming our mindset, finding purpose, discovering our superpowers, setting clear goals and creating solutions that will increase productivity and profitability by becoming more inclusive and diverse.
I help companies, entrepreneurs and individuals develop strong:
- Project Management Practices
- grow their business with Business Development
- Leadership Development
- Productivity Strategies
And I help develop Management create policies, communications, systems and strategies in living with and working with neurodiversity employees or individuals with Learning Difficulties
(i.e. dyslexia, dyscalculia, working memory, etc)
1. Interpersonal Communication Conflict Management Strategy
2. Phonetic Micro Expression reading for mastering verbal tell signs.
3. The Famous Buffer-Boomerang Technique
Advanced telemarketing strategy, conflict management, interpersonal soft skills, customer support, rhetoric, gamification, pinball machines, employee motivation and phonetic micro expression reading.
Richard’s vision quest journey is filled with twists and turns. At 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. With a mix of motivational public speaking style backed by tactful and appropriate rhetoric, Richard shared his knowledge and trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers over two decades.
Richard Blank has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Rockola Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture.Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain.
A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, entered into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business along side other famous alumni. Paying it forward to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#Neurodiversity #JosephKMuscat #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO
Neurodiversity, Joseph K Muscat, Richard Blank,Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing, BPO, Nearshore, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business,Podcast,Gamification,Leadership,Marketing, Radio, Guest, Money, education, trainer,
Take A Leap & Transform: A Neurodiversity Journey Podcast.The Art of Speech With Richard Blank.
https://youtu.be/baQakoEZdgI
Think a Neurodiversity Journey. Take A Leap & Transform through the art of speech with Richard Blank
My name is Joseph K Muscat and my purpose is to bring you through a journey of Neurodiversity awareness and skillsets in the workplace and with entrepreneurs. This is all about transforming our mindset, finding purpose, discovering our superpowers, setting clear goals and creating solutions that will increase productivity and profitability by becoming more inclusive and diverse.
We all should know how to learn tonality and how to read people, especially over the phone. This is why I am happy to welcome Richard Blank to the podcast on episode 48. Richard is the CEO of the largest Costa Rica Call centre. Richard has such a use of language that he naturally uses and trainers over 10,000 employees.
https://youtu.be/baQakoEZdgI
Every two weeks, my purpose is to bring you through a journey of Neurodiversity awareness and skillsets in the workplace and with entrepreneurs. This is all about transforming our mindset, finding purpose, discovering our superpowers, setting clear goals and creating solutions that will increase productivity and profitability by becoming more inclusive and diverse.
Do You feel you have a journey that you can share with our Take a Leap & Transform community?
1. We are looking for Neurodivergent talent to share their experiences.
2. We are looking for business leaders and coaches who can deliver DEI&B solutions to businesses.
3. We are looking for mindset professionals who can empower Nuerodivergent talent
Together we engage on how to develop and use such language and then jump into how business leaders can inspire and motivate through inclusion principles and practices.
I illustrate how my new venture came about and to do that I have to tell you a bit more about myself and my journey. Hopefully, this will inspire you to accept yourself for who you are and you will be able to relate.
Throughout my extensive experience in entrepreneurship and various professional roles, I have encountered three significant challenges that have shaped my understanding of the importance of fostering Neurodivergent talent. Firstly, the lack of awareness and understanding among employers and managers regarding the unique thinking and working styles of individuals with Neurodivergent traits. Secondly, the need for comprehensive knowledge and strategies to provide appropriate accommodations, support, productivity strategies, and coaching tailored to Neurodivergent individuals. Lastly, the absence of management awareness, skills, and resources to effectively foster and cultivate Neurodivergent talent for the long-term benefit of both the individual and the company as a whole.
I help companies, entrepreneurs and individuals develop strong:
- Project Management Practices
- grow their business with Business Development
- Leadership Development
- Productivity Strategies
And I help develop Management create policies, communications, systems and strategies in living with and working with neurodiversity employees or individuals with Learning Difficulties
(i.e. dyslexia, dyscalculia, working memory, etc)
These challenges have inspired me to dedicate my time to self-improvement and acquiring the necessary knowledge and skill set to overcome these obstacles. As someone who has personally experienced learning difficulties, I have become a passionate advocate for individuals facing similar challenges and a valuable resource for business owners seeking guidance in implementing transformative changes to accommodate Neurodivergent talent.
Richard Blank
Advanced telemarketing strategy, conflict management, interpersonal soft skills, customer support, rhetoric, gamification, pinball machines, employee motivation and phonetic micro expression reading.
Richard’s vision quest journey is filled with twists and turns. At 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. With a mix of motivational public speaking style backed by tactful and appropriate rhetoric, Richard shared his knowledge and trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers over two decades.
Richard Blank has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Rockola Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture.Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain.
A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, entered into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business along side other famous alumni. Paying it forward to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#Neurodiversity #JosephKMuscat #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO
Neurodiversity, Joseph K Muscat, Richard Blank,Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing, BPO, Nearshore, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business,Podcast,Gamification,Leadership,Marketing, Radio, Guest, Money, education, trainer,
Take A Leap & Transform: A Neurodiversity Journey Podcast.The Art of Speech With Richard Blank.
https://youtu.be/baQakoEZdgI
Think a Neurodiversity Journey. Take A Leap & Transform through the art of speech with Richard Blank
My name is Joseph K Muscat and my purpose is to bring you through a journey of Neurodiversity awareness and skillsets in the workplace and with entrepreneurs. This is all about transforming our mindset, finding purpose, discovering our superpowers, setting clear goals and creating solutions that will increase productivity and profitability by becoming more inclusive and diverse.
We all should know how to learn tonality and how to read people, especially over the phone. This is why I am happy to welcome Richard Blank to the podcast on episode 48. Richard is the CEO of the largest Costa Rica Call centre. Richard has such a use of language that he naturally uses and trainers over 10,000 employees.
https://youtu.be/baQakoEZdgI
Every two weeks, my purpose is to bring you through a journey of Neurodiversity awareness and skillsets in the workplace and with entrepreneurs. This is all about transforming our mindset, finding purpose, discovering our superpowers, setting clear goals and creating solutions that will increase productivity and profitability by becoming more inclusive and diverse.
Do You feel you have a journey that you can share with our Take a Leap & Transform community?
1. We are looking for Neurodivergent talent to share their experiences.
2. We are looking for business leaders and coaches who can deliver DEI&B solutions to businesses.
3. We are looking for mindset professionals who can empower Nuerodivergent talent
Together we engage on how to develop and use such language and then jump into how business leaders can inspire and motivate through inclusion principles and practices.
I illustrate how my new venture came about and to do that I have to tell you a bit more about myself and my journey. Hopefully, this will inspire you to accept yourself for who you are and you will be able to relate.
Throughout my extensive experience in entrepreneurship and various professional roles, I have encountered three significant challenges that have shaped my understanding of the importance of fostering Neurodivergent talent. Firstly, the lack of awareness and understanding among employers and managers regarding the unique thinking and working styles of individuals with Neurodivergent traits. Secondly, the need for comprehensive knowledge and strategies to provide appropriate accommodations, support, productivity strategies, and coaching tailored to Neurodivergent individuals. Lastly, the absence of management awareness, skills, and resources to effectively foster and cultivate Neurodivergent talent for the long-term benefit of both the individual and the company as a whole.
I help companies, entrepreneurs and individuals develop strong:
- Project Management Practices
- grow their business with Business Development
- Leadership Development
- Productivity Strategies
And I help develop Management create policies, communications, systems and strategies in living with and working with neurodiversity employees or individuals with Learning Difficulties
(i.e. dyslexia, dyscalculia, working memory, etc)
These challenges have inspired me to dedicate my time to self-improvement and acquiring the necessary knowledge and skill set to overcome these obstacles. As someone who has personally experienced learning difficulties, I have become a passionate advocate for individuals facing similar challenges and a valuable resource for business owners seeking guidance in implementing transformative changes to accommodate Neurodivergent talent.
Richard Blank
Advanced telemarketing strategy, conflict management, interpersonal soft skills, customer support, rhetoric, gamification, pinball machines, employee motivation and phonetic micro expression reading.
Richard’s vision quest journey is filled with twists and turns. At 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. With a mix of motivational public speaking style backed by tactful and appropriate rhetoric, Richard shared his knowledge and trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers over two decades.
Richard Blank has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Rockola Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture.Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain.
A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, entered into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business along side other famous alumni. Paying it forward to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#Neurodiversity #JosephKMuscat #RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO
Neurodiversity, Joseph K Muscat, Richard Blank,Costa Rica's Call Center, Outsourcing, Telemarketing, BPO, Nearshore, Sales, Entrepreneur, B2B, Business,Podcast,Gamification,Leadership,Marketing, Radio, Guest, Money, education, trainer,
Take A Leap & Transform: A Neurodiversity Journey Podcast.The Art of Speech With Richard Blank.
https://youtu.be/baQakoEZdgI
After taking a two week break due to work, jump right back in trying to progress Silver, and then talk about company actions not keeping in line with realistic goals. New streams are every week at 1 PM Pacific time, link can be found on my profile.
The Science of CX podcast. Key Takeaways Into More Productive Customer Engagements with Richard Blank
The Science of CX is a groundbreaking new weekly podcast developed to
address the millions of businesses that need to learn techniques to compete better
in today’s business landscape, by using CX as the cornerstone of a new strategy.
Join Steve Pappas in the lab as he puts his 25+ years to the test to make your
business (soar, grow and accelerate).
Getting to know Richard the man. How did he end up with such a large collection of restored pinball machines and jukeboxes?key ingredients to ensure an effective micro-expression conversationHow agents can positively handle and grow from negative calls and feedback from customersRunning a small business? Well tune in and find out what tips Richard has to help you leverage your everyday conversations into a goldmineTime and numbers. Find out whether or not it's productive to measure your employee’s efforts based on the number of hours or sales made Richard shares with us his unique and world-class system of training and mentoring new agents An exercise you can easily pick up in helping you become a better micro expression reader
https://youtu.be/RJnuK2lPYFc?si=yrsPGin8LM1sXy5F
https://youtu.be/AOPI8wCqX-0
Key Takeaways
Learn how to turn new customers into the most loyal customers and be on the
mind of everyone in town. Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned expert, you will
learn something useful in each and every episode.
CXpert - interviews with CX Leaders and Influencers that have made it their
business to treat customers like a million. Steve, will use his years of CX-Centric
business knowledge to bring out cool ideas for every business owner to
learn new techniques and also avoid some
Steve has built a career transforming, growing, expanding and turning around businesses. He has created successful companies by delivering remarkable customer experiences. Steve makes sure each employee has the actionable knowledge necessary to make better decisions, build great culture and serve customers in a way that increases loyalty, referrals, sales and satisfaction.In his recent role with Panviva, the knowledge cloud company, Steve expanded the Australian software company successfully into the US to a market powerhouse position. Steve also advises many companies annually on their CX strategies. Industry associations, publications, and Fortune 500 companies invite him to speak and write about CX best practices in healthcare, finance, utilities, insurance, and telecommunications.A successful entrepreneur in his own right, Steve has built and sold six companies. He has spent many years cultivating his approach to CX and each company has held to the mantra of “the customer is at the center of the universe.
In fact, his first CX initiative was a college Honors project where Steve redesigned the student registration system to ease the process of registering for classes and enhance the student registration experience. He then went on to running an Technology Division with over 12,000 employee customers, while working for one of the largest global government contractors. All the while addressing internal customer expectations and increase customer satisfaction and productivity.Next, he perfected the concepts of personalization with marketing automation tools to better target and deliver one-on-one communication with customer messaging. Now, Steve is focused on helping business leaders build great strategies to deliver the ultimate in customer experiences and drive their business to new heights.When he is not driving CX strategy or launching companies, Steve plays the guitar and mentors startup business. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and sons.
you're listening to the science of C. X. A podcast that hopes to inspire business owners and leaders to learn new techniques and turn prospects into customers, enter customers into raving fans. My name is Steve Pappas. I'm known for my relentless pursuit of all thing’s customer across my career. And in my six startups, I've had to learn how to make decisions in business that customers really respond to. Let's spend some time together and help your business soar grow and accelerate. Well, welcome everybody to another episode of the science of C. X. I'm Steve Pappas, your host and as always, we look everywhere to find the experts that can help you in your business journey as well as your customer experience initiatives within your organization.
Today is No exception. Today we're going to be talking about some remarkably interesting areas. We're going to cover a lot of material. Please take notes if you want or you can come back and listen to it multiple times because that makes it seem like we have more listeners. Hey, yeah, do that. Instead listen to this episode 3, 4 or five times. That'll do it. Anyway, we're going to be talking about advanced telemarketing strategies. We're going to be talking about conflict management, interpersonal skills, customer support, rhetoric, Gamification, employee motivation and phonetic micro expression reading.
Have I piqued your interest yet? Well, we have a gentleman on today. His name is Richard blank, and he comes to us from Costa Rica, and he is the head of a great business process, outsourcing contact center, but he's also an expert in so many different areas that we want to talk about. So why don't we bring him in from the virtual green room? You know, there's no real green room of course by now, but let's pretend he's coming in from the green room and we'll welcome him to the show.
Richard, thanks for joining us today on the show. See, that's an amazing introduction. I'm so happy to be here, really enjoy your work and cannot wait to share amazing ideas with your audience today. That's great. Well, I'm going to give folks a little bit about your bio just so they understand where we're going to start from and maybe some interesting things about you too. So, Richard's journey in the car Contact center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in san Jose Costa Rica with a mix of motivational public speaking style backed by tactful and appropriate rhetoric.
Richard shared his knowledge and trained over 10,000 bilingual telemarketers. I think he learned a few things along the way. Richard blank has the largest collection of restored American pinball machines and antique rock ola jukeboxes in central America making Gamification a strong part of Costa Rica Contact center. Culture. Richard blank is the chief executive officer for Costa Rica’s Call center since 2008. Richard also holds a bachelor's degree in communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla Spain, a keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School, 68th National Honor Society induction ceremony.
Giving back to the high school is especially important to Richard as such. He endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level. So, I've got to start Richard with the first part here that just jumped right at me as the largest collection of restored American pinball machines and jukeboxes. Now if anybody knows me, they know that I love pinball aside from playing guitar for the last for years. I love pinball, I don't quite go into the Galaga and those things that my wife loves but I love playing pinball.
So, tell us what you have got, I'd love to know what kind of pinball machines you have Steve, I'm so glad that you started with dessert first and naturally our favorite class in school was recessed. So absolutely. I grew up in the seventies and eighties and the arcades were just some of the most amazing places to make friends and compete. It was so new and the artwork on the cabinets and the marquees, it really was an experience and always wanted that game room like Ricky Schroder and silver spoons.
I was jealous. So, I wanted one and down here since I own a call center and I have the space, I go treasure hunting and one man's trash is another man's treasure and they just really do not know what they have in their bodegas. And so, I will find a machine and bring it back here. And with specialist I restore them now regarding my pinball machines. The oldest one that I have is a 1976 Bally's freedom. And one of the newer ones would be like, let's say a last action hero where a doctor who I have an M. B. A fast break in a mouse.
And around I got Williams, space shuttle 1987 I got a judge Dredd Street fighter, two lethal weapon, three jokers, World cup hook and Jurassic Park. So, it turned out into a hobby became an obsession. And when you're a married man, you decide which hills to die on which swords to fall upon. And my wife and I have this agreement where pretty much everything is in her favor. But the one thing she knows that makes me happy of restoring these old classic jukeboxes and pinball machines because what an error and the craftsmanship and the fact that they've been preserved for decades shows that people really cared about these machines.
Now you and I was awfully expensive growing up. So, it seemed like a luxury. But the fact that we can afford it. It really is something that I take full advantage of when I have the moments with just not my agents but myself. There's always a pinball marathon going on down here. Well, it's great that you have the employee engagement to do that. But I'll tell you, we had bought one, we had a terminator pinball machine at one point that had the gun for the pinball release, but it took so much to get it into the basement of the home that we were living in when we sold the house.
We negotiated to sell the pinball machine, so I didn't have to get it out of there. It was so heavy to move, and I wasn't about to, but I have been in the market for another one right now. The prices are through the roof on all those two. I was looking for an Adam’s family or another terminator, but the Adams family was the one that kind of thrilled me and as well as jukeboxes, it's funny, we have a lot of similar interests in collection.
I don't have any jukeboxes. I wanted to cut my teeth on the first one and I have a buddy in the UK that restores German jukeboxes and he's one of the largest in the world that restores those early seventies and eighties jukeboxes that were built in Germany. I think it was like N C D M or something like that and that's an interesting market. But let's get on to some of the other areas that we're going to talk about. I gave folks at the beginning of the episode, a lot of terminology that we're going to be talking about today.
And one of the things that I really wanted to discuss, this idea of phonetic micro expressions, I don't know if our audience knows what that really is or maybe some do and of course they'll yell at me in the comments etcetera. But can we talk about these things because let's jump into some of these areas that we're going to get across and are these all used the things we're going to talk about? They all used in the contact center, and can you train people in all these areas?
They're used in my call center and just depends on the sort of profiled agent that you have there. Let me take it back a bit. Everybody studies micro expression reading. There was a tv show called Lie to Me that specialized in where you can judge people's postures, their eyes, their face, their hands. I mean there's books and seminars about it now when you're on the phone, three of your senses are removed, your taste, touch and smell. And the scientists claim that when you do have one that is removed, your others expand.
So, I expect you to do much more active listening and then people can also argue that you can't see people on the phone, but I beg to differ because there is image streaming, you have metaphysics when you read a book, it's better than the movie because of imagination. You can use more descriptions and more adjectives but let's just concentrate on the sound of speech. The average attention span is about 30 seconds to two minutes, conversations have introductions, bodies and conclusions. So, if you have a controlled environment, you can have a consistent variable and then you can see inconsistencies.
So now we have a base of how we're going to study speech and 32nd segments. Okay your tone is what represents your emotion, and it should be confident and empathetic because that should be consistent on your end. People will talk about a mirror imaging technique Steve, and I agree with that. But you also need to know how you're speaking for your adjustments. So, your mirror imaging isn't about you sitting across from someone and crossing your arms and tapping a finger. No, you don't have that over the phone.
So, eliminate any sort of mirror imaging face to face. I study the rate and the pitch. These are things that can be done in any language. I do not study semantics. The word choice. I'm studying the tone of your voice which is mine is consistent. I could care less what your tone is. That could be a flag or a mask, but you study someone's rate of speech and how loud they speak their pitch and every 30 seconds to two minutes. Think about the X. Y. Chart that you had in pre-algebra, you can see how fast or how loud they're going.
You consistently market every 30 seconds to two minutes. I would back it up with an answering speed because that is something that you cannot control. It's more subconscious, you can manipulate your tone rate and pitch. But the professional interrogators and police officers’ usual throw the question in the fourth or fifth time to really judge the answering speed. So, if you can do that xy chart with a horizontal line behind it and kind of gauge from 0 to 10 where you're going, you will see areas of spikes or dips and in my opinion that's the time to ask a tie down or pin down question or clarification question.
And these are certain times in which you're able to assist the conversation of moving forward for better clarification and it's not really giving away your power on that. You're really doing more of the Wuwei the less struggle the rudder of the ship. And so, this phonetic micro expression reading can be done just mind you this in your 1st 30 seconds. I don't know you and one is the loneliest number in your second minute. We could have a match off one and a one fast and high, low and slow by five at least.
You might have an odd man out in regard to your quadrants because after you've gone all four quadrants you have to repeat a quadrant, but most of the time people are in quadrant, on the top and the fast and so by your 10th 30 seconds to two minutes. Think about it like this, it's about 4. 5 to 5 minutes on something like that. And by your 11th you should know how somebody is speaking that's 5. 5 minutes in on a 10-minute conversation. And by then you will know how to close the deal.
And so, once you see it you can't unsee it. After three weeks it becomes habit and once you start paying attention to it it becomes very lucid and clearer. You are not lying and I'm not manipulating but these people are obviously giving away certain tell signs on how they speak on first time or even long term conversations and if you do catch somebody being facetious or not as clear, maybe ask them to repeat it using other senses or using another example to see if they're consistent. And so, I think it's an excellent way not to be offensive because passive aggressively you could once again use a me-too technique with somebody.
Let's just say you can't hear them. It's a bad connection on a cellphone or a dog is barking in the background. I try to fall on that small sword instead of placing blame on them, it's for my clarification Steve, did you say 123 or ABC because the worst thing you could ever do Is have somebody so upset and go down rabbit holes because now you need to restart your phonetic micro expression, reading the Tarot Card Reader said you could read two different reads in 10 minutes depending if it's sunny or raining, same person, same hour, but it could be a different read.
So, the greatest thing you could do is to ride that weight and keep it at that apex if you can. It's like when people said lucid dreaming, you really don't want to readjust your body to be able to keep that consistent breathing and body posture. With someone that you're speaking with, you try to keep them as consistent as possible. There's a little wiggle room there but don't go extreme and if you can handle something like that, fall on these swords, get clarification.
I think your audience would have some extremely effective conversations with people on the first time. This is a remarkably interesting area because we do have an awful lot of folks that either work in contact centers or are managing contact centers or even outsource to contact centers. And the training of agents tends to be remarkably similar in most organizations but they're not thinking about how they can better control they’re usually using the approach where gee I'm sorry you're having that problem. So, they're falling on the sword most of the time.
But if you think about the calls, right? If you think about the types of calls that come in, I mean they're not picking up the phone because they're just calling to say thank you or their colleagues to say gee what an excellent product this is. They're usually picking up the phone or they're making a contact with them because there's an issue, there's some type of an issue either they don't understand, they don't know how to fill out, they don't know how to do something or there's a more negative issue.
So, if you think about the incoming approach that happens, a lot of it tends to be negative. And unfortunately, the contact center agents these days are feeling increasingly of society's negativity coming out of the pandemic. You know, because people who are very understanding more, more understanding during the pandemic, but they’re taking it out on front line people. So, I don't know how you guys have seen things. But from the folks that I've spoken to in the last few months, it seems like most of the calls are key issues and they have to diffuse right away.
So can they use the phonetic micro expression method that you talk about to kind of even the playing field and get them to calm down so that they can explain what their issue is better rather than they're ready to blow up at any moment type of thing. Sure. And I'm glad that you brought that up, that's a subject that I can easily address and apply the phonetic micro expression read because mind you my friend you could start the call yelling and cursing and at the end thanking them.
So naturally your phonetic micro expression reading might be adjusted with raid and Fitch. But I would never say that I'm sorry unless you specifically spilled the drink or broke the window because then you might get offended because this individual speaking with you is so nice, they didn't do it but they're apologizing for someone else's broken window. So, my suggestion from my agents immediately is to thank you Steve for sharing that with me. I understand your position didn't mean that I agree with it, but I understand your position and allow me a moment to make it work and fix it for you.
And so now the audience, your client coming in, guns a blazing isn't really putting all that anger at the individual because that individual did not make that problem. They're taking the shrapnel; you say the incoming. That's a wonderful way to use it incoming Obama grenade. But I like to defuse. There's a technique that I use called the buffer boomerang technique. And so, if somebody comes at me with a negative tone, I will like sponge and buffer that negative tone. I will name drop you and say Steve.
That's an excellent question, repeat back your question what it was to show active listening. So, there's a connected key lock there and then boomerang it back as a plus three. So, I could potentially my friend readjust the tone and the pace of the call to then put it back into that phonetic micro expression reading that you need to really nail it. But I believe that people are frustrated and mind you this there's a lot more omnichannel non voiced support. So, prior to that phone call they might have filled out a couple forms, send a couple of emails that only elevates the stress.
So, when they're calling, they're almost letting off steam. And if you allow them to speak, you'd be surprised how it goes from attend to it to both in pitching the rate they cry it out and then everyone calms down. You've taken copious notes. Now, Steve, you mentioned A B. C. And D. What about the Richard? Thank you, Steve. And e there's nothing wrong with raking and reviewing and meeting minutes. It's I can't just solve it with you with a magic potion. These things, someone is coming to you emotional, they don't know you you might need to repeat your name multiple times in third person because now they're embarrassed.
Three men it's in to ask your name Steve. So, you could say okay at the end of this call, Richard, you're going to say Steve. You really helped me out in this section you know, oh thank you Steve. Great. I got them I anchored. And so, these are certain soft skills to just be polite, show your manners, Take that certain control of a conversation, more of a shepherd with its sheep. They zigzag but they still go back in the barn. So, I don't need so many jagged edges.
There are no straight lines in nature and and I love empathy with somebody because when I use your name, I will usually use it in a transitional sentence or confirmation. And then during the conversation I will use personal pronouns as you know the yours and ours just to make sure that I'm keeping your conversation going in your attention and then landing in the bomb when I dropped the name drop and you should take these calls every 30 seconds to two minutes because as you say, they could change. But this gives you an excellent chance, my friend, if you really want to look at it logically that if somebody is calling in, you have a chance to retain the client, you have the chance to up sell them.
If that's what you're doing, you could get a referral out of it. But look at it like this, let's say we drop the ball. Worst case scenario, this individual will take the time to do an exit interview and tell us areas in which we could have improved or what our competition had done to earn their business and as long as you're willing to keep an open mind and I don't like the word constructive criticism. I mean you fumbled the ball; you should have known what you were doing.
Then just call the balls and the strikes and let you know that you made this error and learn from it and don't do it again. And these are the sort of things call by call person by person instead of doing 100 calls a day Steve. Why don't you have your agents take 95? They're taking extra couple three minutes on the phone to let Mr. jones relax a little bit. That is the secret to the successor old school style. This is interesting because as you're explaining some of these tips and techniques, it occurs that it doesn't just apply in the contact center world.
I mean this could be if you're a brick-and-mortar store, it could be your pizza place. There could be people calling because hey, you got the wrong toppings on my pizza. The delivery was wrong or there could be all kinds of things, but it applies to all areas of business and people running small businesses could learn from these same techniques. Don't you agree? This could save a thanksgiving dinner. A marriage. These are just diplomatic soft skills of attentive listening and prioritizing, but I couldn't agree with you more and I never even shared with you.
My favorite technique. It's the positive escalation when I call a place and people always give the gatekeeper a bad rap. But these are the individuals that the CEO and the owners love the most and they're the first impression and the strongest warrior of the tribe. They're the first one there, representing them in the best light. And so, for me, I'd like to understand their protocol. I like to properly introduce myself and say the name of their company and ask how their company is doing sometimes better than they do just to at least give them a taste of how I speak instead of just immediately asking to speak to you Steve.
And then if this individual decides to transfer me the first thing, I'm going to let them know prior to the transfers that they did an excellent job. And I will be mentioning that verbally to the owner of the company and at the conclusion of the call with the owner of the company, I will also mention that in writing. So, if I happen to call your company back, the Richard Circle's complete because this individual remembers me, and I've heard dozens and dozens of times. I thank you and saying I've been here for a decade and you're the first person that wrote about me to Mr. jones.
And these are individuals that will tell you anniversaries and promotions or no Steve’s direct extensions. 1 25 calms on Thursdays at two. Thank you, Catherine. I appreciate it and I love them to death. Those are the greatest insiders. It's a plethora of information and the moment that you start bullying your way in there or pretending they're waiting for your call or your insistent. That's why they're there to hang up on you. But there's a certain way to be not clever, but you have 30 seconds to make a first impression.
Half of that is your speech her speech and give a couple of seconds of silence. So, you really got about 12 seconds to speak. That's not a lot. My suggestion is to say things that they're most familiar with which is the name of their company and their own name and then you got to do your own name as well because you can't be anonymous. The whole call that's shady. You can use a little bit of that in the beginning by just doing a name spike in a proper introduction and if you get the past to pitch, you have the momentum and then you do once again that sort of escalation.
It It seems to work for me because it separates you from hundreds if not thousands of people that are prospecting that business interesting back to the contact center for a second. You talked about have your agents take 95 calls instead of 100 but most of the contact centers that I've dealt with over the past 20 plus years. They're driven by their average handle time. They're driven by the numbers to some degree. They're even told when they're going to the bathroom. How do you resolve that to a contact center manager that is just driving everything by the numbers.
So, you're an intake coordinator for a law firm for lawsuits against firings or disabilities and somebody calls in and they happen to become emotional for a minute. What are you going to do Steve look at the clock and say Mrs. jones. Please hurry up. I only have two more minutes to talk to you. You know what would happen? It wouldn't be for the client or for me, the agent might resign on something like that. So as much as we want to stick to certain metrics, you're talking about an artist of speech.
Somebody that is in the moment that's in the now that wants to assist this individual the best way that they can and by limiting their ability to build that sort of rapport or to allow someone to get it out. Which could be the key to closing the deal or to Upsell for something or to get that referral. I don't do things like that. Now we're not doing extreme where someone's doing 50 calls a day instead of 100. But you can see there's an average but that's what it's called an average and if you say you just want to look at conversion ratios.
Look at that too. But everyone once again is an artist and they have their own special sauce and some people are graded intros, other bodies, other conclusions. But my goodness gracious is somebody is in the moment and they're connecting with someone and they're standing up instead of sitting down and you could tell they have the glaze where they're not staring at anyone. They're just thinking of the client, and everyone can see them doing this. You don't think that that energy spreads on the floor. You don't think that that's important as well.
That sort of synergy. So, these rigid centers that judge you on your bathroom breaks and your handling time you're going to break the agent. I mean you can do that and grind it out, but you might have an attrition rate. But if I give somebody the ability to expand on a call and to be themselves my friends. So, they're not just plastic and going through the motions then I can create an ace, I can create a leader. I can create someone that will come to me at the conclusion of the call and say you know, Mrs. jones started crying.
I go she alright, She goes, yeah, it took a couple more minutes but I connected her through to the counselor and I gave additional notes because we had to speak about her husband just passing away and the fact that she has to move and other things that would have never been qualifying the call because you're supposed to be asking her just certain questions but know this individual added additional things and then they say, thank you for listening. You're the different company than the ones before that. Just put me through the assembly line and you know that it's the mom and pop.
It's the bed and breakfast. You'd rather go to the small hardware store sometimes because you know the man, I'll drive an extra couple of miles from my favorite restaurant Steve. That's the sort of the science that you're talking about. It's amazingly simple. It's how you feel and how you were treated. What about the price? What about the price? Sometimes it's worth the money. It's not always about saving a dollar. It's about supporting your business or if I'm having a day with some blues, you come over to me and just let me know you're happy that I'm there and you sit with me for a second.
So, as we get older, my friend, those are the sort of relationships that we see at businesses and you, and I understand that the grind and we also understand when your favorite client walks through the door. So, I like to pay that forward the best that I can. Absolutely. So, I went down that path and I think your answer and your philosophy is brilliant. Unfortunately. I mean it's the way I believe too that the contact center folks in an organization should be revered because they are your front line.
They hold things together. They are the impetus for the referral the up sell the further sell the expansion all those things. Yet still in today's world, C E O s don't always think that way. They look at a contact center as a cost center rather than the proper way of looking at it as it's an expansion center. It's a focus group. It's the lifeblood of the company because those folks have the most contact with our customers post sale, they become the hub of the post-sale journey and unfortunately maybe it'll take another generation before enough sea level folks understand that.
So that brings me more to the conversation of culture. How do we develop a culture in our contact centers especially and I know this can spill out into the rest of the business, but how can we develop a culture that rewards and reveres the contact center agents as being the customer success vehicle, the people that help our customers become more successful using our products and our services. You must look at it Two ways. If you yourself are not centered in balance, it would be exceedingly difficult to expand and to think of others.
I can't hit the ball and drag johnny as much as my agents here have become bilingual, which shows structure and dedication over years outside the classroom. I expect them to do the same thing if they're thinking about being a telemarketer as a profession besides the eight hours that they put in here, they should be doing dedicated practice outside of the center, reading in English watching certain movies or speeches so they can take certain parts of rhetoric that inspired them. That they saw transitional sentences or effective. You could do case studies in history and find out certain speeches that moved people.
And then secondly, I mentioned the word synergy. These individuals were a very social environment. If you and I are working out at the gym Steve, we're going to be pumping each other up to put up three or four more on the bar and put more plates up. So, I expect the audience, the agents to feed off their energy and to share ideas and to pick someone up when they're feeling down. As I mentioned, I created a Gamification culture. So, I have a place where people can let off steam, recharge batteries hang out with me and meet people from other departments.
So that assists me in one way. But also, since once again English is their second language. The fact that they are getting a return on investment. I see that these agents are much more focused for intense periods of time because of the translation. So, it's less area for distraction. But here's the best part my man regarding my culture when I first came down here 27 years old, I didn't start sea level of my friends call center. I taught English decided to stay and then worked at the center and so I was with the proletariat for four years, I went through so many departments.
I saw the good and the bad and what it did for me was it enabled me to see areas to enhance it for the agent and for the client to give them their dignity, so they don't feel like robots are expendable. And when I had the opportunity to start this business, they couldn't fool me because I was on the phone, I've done this before and I hate to say it, I'm not bragging but I am the sin save my dojo in this industry where people burn out and they look down upon it, I thrived really excelled.
But I saw the art in it. Look at it like this, you're very selective of the campaigns that come in here, we're in a strict catholic country. They must go home and tell their parents what they do. If I brought in something gray area or shady, no one would take it. So I'd have no friends of my chuck e cheese birthday party and so you have to do an account to not only where the client feels okay offering it, but the Asian would feel comfortable making the calls because if it's a forced fit, if it's out of place and out of character, they're not going to last long, they're not going to sound natural and we're not giving anything real specific here.
But as I say, I must ensure that what I'm bringing into this call center something where I'm able to fulfill the needs. Now I can add scripts and suggestions, but initially it must be something that just does not compromise any sort of ethics interesting. Well, let's cover a little bit more because I'm fascinated by not only the culture, but the organization that you've built to help organizations that want to outsource their contact center. So, we could talk a little bit about your training, you're coaching your mentoring methods and then what does the knowledge base look like for your agents to always do a better job?
Because quite frankly, I mean you're going to do as good or better a job than the company you're representing because you're going to keep the account and you're going to keep them happy and keep them over the course of a lifetime. So how do you train differently? How do you coach and mentor folks and keep them so that you don't have the attrition level that a lot of places have today. That's a wonderful question real fast in regards to attrition, I have more of a natural attrition than a forced attrition because companies such as amazon hp intel and oracle and Sykes are here, so I'll lose somebody for a scheduling conflict for the university of boyfriend or girlfriend works there closer to their home, very rarely, if not never someone will say that I insulted them, yelled at them, gave them the walk of shame.
It's just maybe an ex-employee with some sour grapes. I treat everybody with dignity, and I look for ways to delegate and promote them, but initially it's really the psychology prior to any sort of skill set. So, fear is a morbid anticipation of things that haven't happened yet. The fact that they learned a second language is 10 times harder than any campaign. I'll put them on. I also believe in the right bus, right seat philosophy. And so, when they come into the call center besides starting their day playing pinball to make friends and relax a little bit.
We really do focus on quality assurance so we can grade their calls for certain metrics. But I try to do certain breakthroughs like when they're filling out their resumes with me and putting in all their credentials, I'll ask them to turn the page over Steve and give me a couple of paragraphs of a coming of age moment, let me know when you beat up a bully or save the kitten from a tree. And so, I could use this when they're having a rainy Wednesday to remind them of when they were a champion.
These are things they always have in them. It's just a matter of getting it out and keeping it consistent and so let's just say in the first day of class, it's especially important not just to lecture them when they just nodded you and walk out the door. You need to have checkpoints; you need to have interaction. You can go over a certain segment and then just maybe have somebody stand up in front of class and read the next paragraph. Why? Because you're triple gunning. They're reading out loud their public speaking, they're doing it in front of the boss.
Imagine those sorts of butterflies you would have, but if you could triple or quadruple your training daily where then you go upstairs, you record yourself reading the script, where you're practicing it. You're not just reading it, you're speaking into a recording device, then you're listening to it and then you're doing a self-analysis for self-adjustments over the things we spoke about. You'll know when you're pausing is off or when you're too loud or too best. Are you stuttered or mispronounced a word and I'm allowing you Steve to write it out phonetically, at least learn how to spell it.
But the vowels are sometimes tricky for Latinos, so it's okay to be able to switch things around so it's pronounced a certain way, and these are the sort of adjustments, minor adjustments that we make for somebody to feel more comfortable initially. So, they don't pick up unhealthy habits and kind of like bedside manner. I can't stress enough; the name drops and the act of listening and the confirmations because people feel much more comfortable when they're being listened to, and you are taking your meeting minutes and if we need to repeat something in the military alphabet.
A it shows that you're extremely involved and engaged in the conversation. A lot of the times people served in the military, so they think that's cool and you're not just making up words and going along. These people know that you are actively trying to spell their name, their email address correctly. And so, I've seen the tens of thousands of phone calls. That that's the most effective way of not to offend somebody when you can't hear them well or they have an exotic name or if it's something where you just say, yeah, okay, but the next thing, you know, your email bounces back.
It would have been better off to confirm if it's L for lima, you know, and just to make sure that you got it. And as I say, these are the sort of things like in school, you come to class, you do your homework and you do your quizzes, you can still not do so well on the final exam, but you're going to pass the class, you will be preparing yourself and marinating and softening up the call in the relationship in order to convert it. And sometimes my friends, it happens a second or third time don't expect a cold call close.
I tell my clients to put their checkbook away. A lot of the times, I just want to answer their questions and show credentials and reintroduce them to other people on the floor that they can meet and make a better decision. So don't feel rushed. People will see that, and they will be apprehensive to move forward with you. So let it happen at a natural pace. So, you said something about you QC. All the calls and I think I remember you were talking about your Hall of Fame, you know, the best and the worst calls.
I mean is that used as a training method for everyone to understand both the good and the bad types of calls. Absolutely. Remember you were mentioning earlier about people calling in the first round of calls coming where people are upset if they can ride that wave and they see the bark is, there's no bite. It's just barking and that we calmed mars jones down. We listened to Mrs. jones, we separated piles, we were able to move forward. The call didn't take that long because we didn't have to repeat things because we were confirming things.
We eliminated rabbit holes. We did the mirror imaging. We did the phonetics; we did the drops. It's beautiful. Now you have this toolbox. It's not a to Z. There are steps that can be skipped or moved back to how about we look at it like this? I loved romantic tragedy. So, I consider that a hang up call is a romantic death. Where am I going with this? Let's just say you're just hardcore carpet bombing, making outbound calls and no matter what you say, you're calling a place that she says, don't call again or not interested or we're good.
Thanks, and hang up. I always look at it like this. If you can do a company named spike and do a name, drop of the individual before they hang up on you. I think that's a beautiful death. I think at least poor lome knows you got something out of that call. But then they wouldn't be surprised that you could anchor yourself by just getting them out of that trance by saying their name in that 1st 30 seconds. I've had Times where we bought another minute, bought another three minutes and just by default, nothing on our own.
We couldn't move forward. I'll give you an example. People can call me, and we could be on the phone and 99% were ready to sign the contract. But then they ask if we do Chinese, I don't have Chinese agents, I don't do graveyard shift and I can't match offshore prices India and the Philippines. So just by that alone, I'm not able to move forward, but 99% fit. So how do I feel about that? A little disappointed. But then again, I was able to go 15 rounds lost on the decision, but I was still able to make my points listen to their points build rapport, have some labs introduce, fantasize good call.
So, another couple of questions, what type of companies or what type of industries do you guys mostly handle calls for inbound or apa? Well, I'll let you know five. We don't do, we don't do sports books, casino stocks, pharmacies or sweepstakes. I have nothing against it. Just don't want to do it. But I'm looking for small to medium sized companies in the United States, Canada Central America and Europe that would need individuals to make outbound lead generation, appointment setting or inbound customer support. And it's amazingly simple.
Our agents are college educated; they're dedicated. I don't have a blended or mixed center. They only work for your campaign, and they have some amazing skill sets here. Costa Rica really packs a punch regarding business process outsourcing. I have mentioned some of the big boys, but there are tons of call centers here and since we're the only democratic society in central America, they don't have a standing army. So, there's a 95% literacy rate Steve so as much as people might see telemarketing call centers as transitional sort of jobs or something in the United States, as you say, has a certain rap here.
It pays more than most vocation. So, I'm having some extremely educated bilingual people with degrees walking in this door and working with me. So, it's amazing the sort of people that you meet here. Very eclectic, all diverse types. That's great. So, if a company called and says, okay, we want to get started, what is that initial onboarding looks like time wise especially and system wise and how quickly can you be up and running to take their calls? Great. Well let's just say I accept the vertical and I'm comfortable with that.
There's a pre-launch checklist that my floor manager and chief technical officer sent to that company. It's exceedingly difficult for me to start moving forward without stations being set up connections, made scripts for bottles, reporting and contact because once the ads go out and people come in, it's really a seller's market. I got to be able to explain it to their candidates a, the campaign that they're doing the incentives that they have and the metrics that they're expecting. It just can't be fantasy time. It needs to be something that's concrete.
And so, once we bring the people in, it really all depends on the training time. I've had people go as low as a half a day just to teacher CRM and do a little bit of role play for fun and others do longer training sessions, even up to a month. That concerns me because we do follow all Costa Rican labor laws and there are certain call centers that are known for like for an example, sykes has the MetLife account and supposedly people will be there for an entire month training and then on their first day of coming back to work, they just don't show up.
And by Costa Rican labor law, they need to get paid for that month they go on a certain list as being a jumper and it's not fair, but that's the name of the game. So, the longer the training, the more I'm concerned because people sometimes can take advantage of that and just use that as a placeholder until they can find another job. So, if we have certain awfully specific checkpoints to ensure that this agent really has done their due diligence, really engage really up to speed.
That's a good risk compared to just doing five days’ worth of classroom, talking about merchant process outsourcing and stuff like that. It needs to be awfully specific, and I have to ensure that this client that I'm speaking with does have a track record. If it's a brand-new pilot project, then we need to invest in the process and there shouldn't be any surprises and I must let them know what to expect when building a campaign, there may be attrition. We may need to readjust the script, call certain area codes, or do certain things.
But I guess the most important thing about it is being forthright, when it comes to onboarding people, I can easily have somebody in five business days, depending if you need 10 people give me up to 10 business days, you know, and maybe we can hire people piecemeal, we can catch them when certain campaigns and other centers and as I mentioned, it's very competitive out there. The more that you put out the start date, the more that you're going to lose people because they need a job between those times and now since Covid came, it really adjusted to the work from home.
So there is an advantage of the brick and mortar because of internet redundancy, my generator and on site I. T. Support but Steve, I was exceptionally fortunate during Covid to be able to adjust my business model virtually because if I owned a brick and mortar only like a bike shop or a pizza parlor, I'm in big trouble as much as I lost a lot of the essence of the center and the camaraderie? I was able to survive. But you know, the labor pools changed. I must ensure if there is training, they should be on site to know the company culture and at least meet us before going home.
It's one of those things my friend where I really did see a huge shift that when I first started this back in 2000, that's great. Well, in the last few minutes that we've got, you know, I'd ask you whether we could give our listeners an exercise. We talked about the two-paragraph coming of age. Can you explain an exercise that folks can do as homework after they listen to this episode. And that might be interesting for them to learn more about the content that we gave them here today and then when we come back maybe you can give folks a way of getting in touch with you guys if that's something that they're looking for.
Thanks Steve, I appreciate it. Let people do the Triple watch. They should watch something without sound, they should watch something without sight. And if you want to study the visual body language, that's great. Just watch something without sound. You can assume what they're doing and then if you want to study the phonetics, to choose a channel that you don't understand the language. Like for me it would have to be Chinese or German or something like that. Italian French and Portuguese are too like Spanish for me.
But if I watch the Chinese channel, it's extremely easy for me to do that phonetic micro expression reading because I don't understand any semantic. So even I'm taking out the tone, I'm just studying their rate in their pit. Do not get study it that way while you're on the phone, once again these are things that you can do. You just draw your xy chart the horizontal line and every 30 seconds to two minutes point to how Mr. Jones's speaking just for practice, but it is about practice. It's about dedicated practice.
Record yourself, listen to yourself. I don't like how I sound. That's what everybody says. But guess what you that's what you got. So, you need to adjust it and as you and I have a mirror and our beards look great because we do look great. You could do the same thing with your voice as well. Record it, master it adjusted. And if you do that, you'll see that you'll get more positive reinforcement from people. There will be more I guess inclined to ask you for advice because you were sympathetic about it and the way you spoke about it and finally if you are in a certain situation where there's emotion and its tense, you should choose to speak last.
And if it's not something where you need to immediately give an answer then you should sleep on it so you can decompress and come back the next day a little more levelheaded and prioritize and that's an excellent way to grow and to crack some codes and to get to various levels. You don't always need to prove your point at that moment. There are other ways to do it. So, you don't overreact overextend and say something you regret. So, it's not like you're being weak. No, you're being considerate of it and you're being tactful about it.
If you're in the moment and its face to face with somebody if you must, even though it looks funny, you should close your eyes when speaking. So, there's less distraction and you're not energy being sucked from you. They might say why you close your eyes. I'm allowed. There's no rules to this. It's not tag you're asking me something emotional, so allow me my focus and my balance and if somebody is being aggressive with you, I think you should look in between their eyes, it looks like you're looking in their eyes.
So it's not like you're looking away or allowing them to suck the energy out of you, like Medusa, but it is a certain technique sir where instead of losing your direction and your energy and your breathing, you can regroup yourself and these are the sort of conflict management skills that have assisted me and having more productive conversations when they could have really gotten out of hand. That's great. I mean this has been filled, filled with great techniques, tips and insight as well. Thank you for being so generous with your expertise.
This has really been a wonderful episode, Richard. How can people get in touch with you if they're thinking about outsourcing if they're thinking about needing a contact center because I think by the end of this, they understand what you bring to the table. So how can they get in touch with you? I really appreciate having me on the show today with you, your audience and allowing me to share this information. The first thing they should do, my friend is by a first-class plane ticket. Come down here to Costa Rica so you can enjoy some eco-tourism, go to some beaches and waterfalls but your audience can give me a call at triple 82716750.
Or send me an email. CEO Costa Rica’s call center dot com. And finally have an exceptionally large Facebook fan page about 98,000 local Costa Rican Ticos. And they can't wait to meet you, Steve. You're going to have tens of thousands of new fans in central America. I can't wait. Well, Richard, thanks again for joining us today. I really love the thing that you said earlier and I'm going to add something to it. So, each agent is a voice artist, and this is a message to all the C E. O. S out there that have contact centers and folks that have agents working for them that each agent is a voice artist and I think you should let them create a great interaction.
So let them create, let them build those great interactions. So that's it for our episode of the Science of C. X. I'm Steve Pappas, your host. We've had Richard blank on today from Costa Rica call center and I want to thank you all for joining us. If you like the content that we bring to you, please feel free to drop us a review wherever you get your podcasts and until we meet again, please stay safe. Stay healthy and do take care everyone. Bye bye. You've been listening to the science of C. X. My name is Steve Pappas.
I really hope you've enjoyed this episode and if you have the highest compliment that you can give us is to subscribe rate and review the science of C. X. Thanks. And we'll see you in the next episode. Finding one place to see all customer experience related tools of technology has been difficult until now. We just built it. Get ready for a science of C. X. Original customer experience technology has been helping to drive businesses by giving them insights into better methods to engage and delight their customers for some time now.
But if you're looking for C. X. Tech you must search everywhere to understand the whole landscape. C. X stash is your simple why stop directory of all the Great Sea X related technology you need. It breaks down all C. X by collections like analytics, crm, journey mapping, voice of the customer, you ex customer support and more. It's free to create an account and use no advertising. Cluttering up your experience just one place to find all the great C. X. Tech. Sign up today at www.
Richard’s vision quest journey is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. With a mix of motivational public speaking style backed by tactful and appropriate rhetoric, Richard shared his knowledge and trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers. Richard Blank has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Rockola Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture.Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
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https://youtu.be/RJnuK2lPYFc?si=yrsPGin8LM1sXy5F
https://youtu.be/AOPI8wCqX-0
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The Moses Kabandana Podcast. Living abroad in Costa Rica with Richard Blank.
Fellow citizen of the internet, Moses here. This is The Moses Kabandana Podcast - Where conversations worth having are had. This is a conversation with Richard Blank about his and my experience traveling and working abroad.
Welcome to The Moses Kabandana Podcast where I hold conversations that are worth having. I bring on experts from various fields to dive deep into their expertise and share their insights with you. I believe that knowledge is meant to be shared, and that's exactly what I'm aiming to accomplish. From business leaders and yoga teachers, to tech gurus and sex therapists, I explore ideas and provide you - the listener - with valuable takeaways that you can apply to your own life. Join me in this life-long learning journey.
I'm a highly skilled IT professional proficient in SQL, Excel, R, Tableau, and PowerBI. During my time with HP, Inc. (via Modis), I ensured network security by installing Certificate Authority templates on devices and meticulously configuring devices. At Google (via Adecco), I leveraged proprietary software to enhance user experiences and troubleshoot device-camera issues. With Google Professional Certificates and a degree in Digital Communications from Calvin University, I'm well-equipped for Data Analytics and IT roles. I'm also fluent in English, and Portuguese, and conversational in Spanish, making me quite a valuable asset to any team.
Welcome to my channel. I host The Moses Kabandana Podcast, I'm a citizen of the internet, a tech enthusiast and a Data Analyst. I hold conversations that are worth having. I bring on experts from various fields to dive deep into their expertise and share their insights with you. I believe that knowledge is meant to be shared, and that's exactly what I'm aiming to accomplish. From business leaders and yoga teachers, to tech gurus and sex therapists, I explore ideas and provide you - the listener - with valuable takeaways that you can apply to your own life. Join me in this life-long learning journey.
“Take risks”…what a common and cliché saying. We hear it often and maybe even believe it, but how often do we actually take risks and jump into the seemingly-endless pit of the unknown? I’ve taken a few risks in my life and I think I’m about to take another one…I’ll share more about it on my podcast - The Moses Kabandana Podcast - but I figured I should write this shortly before the plane takes off.
Richard is a Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. In addition, inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame for Business. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelors degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain.
With a mix of motivational public speaking style backed by tactful and appropriate rhetoric, Richard shared his knowledge and trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers. Richard Blank has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Rockola Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture.
Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. Richard Blank is the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008.
Our main focus has been, and will always be to personally train each and every Central America call center agent so that we may offer the highest quality of outbound and inbound telemarketing solutions and bilingual customer service to small and medium sized international companies, entrepreneurs as well as fortune 500 companies.Costa Rica’s Call Center (CCC) is a state of the art BPO telemarketing outsource company located in the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica.
Living abroad in Costa Rica with Richard Blank.The Moses Kabandana Podcast.
https://youtu.be/H_lM9UaRLi8
While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica.
https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/outbound-bpo-campaigns/
#RichardBlank #CostaRica #CallCenter #Outsourcing #Telemarketing #BPO #Sales #Entrepreneur #B2B #Business #Podcast #Gamification #CEO #MosesKabandanaPodcast
Copied from MobyGames: Sonic & Knuckles is the fourth game in the Sonic series. Players can select either Sonic, or the all-new Knuckles the Echidna. Knuckles cannot jump as high as Sonic, but he can glide. Knuckles will also be able to climb walls.
Copied from MobyGames: Mega Man is a side-scrolling platformer. Mega Man has the ability to jump and fire his weapon. He must travel to the levels of the six robot masters and defeat them. By doing so, Mega Man is able to acquire their power for his own.
