On the Line...with Jason Fisher

Why Attempt Limits Only Limit the Amount of Money Phonathons Can Raise

Over the past few years I have seen many trends develop in phonathon.  Most revolve around the increasingly difficult task of actually getting the prospect on the phone.  Contact rates have continued to creep downward as programs search for answers in overcoming caller ID, cell phones, do not call lists, telemarketing regulations, and the general awareness of our telephone outreach programs.  This has cost some programs, both manual and automated, a great deal of money.

 

One of the most common mistakes I see in the industry today is the concept of attempt limits.  These artificial barriers may prevent some of the more egregious problems we face in phonathon, but they essentially tie the hands of management so tight that we miss opportunities to fully exploit the productivity potential of our databases.  During my many consultations on campuses all over the world, I’m fairly straight-forward in my advice to stop using them.  While the idea of attempt limits makes some sense on an abstract level, the reality is that they limit the amount of money a phonathon can raise.

 

As I see it, there are two common reasons why managers and directors believe attempt limits should be used.

In Phonathon, You Can't Live on Past Glory

This fall will mark my 20^th year in phonathon and annual giving fundraising- two years as a caller, two years as a student supervisor, four years as a phonathon manager, seven years in executive management at RuffaloCODY, and the last six years in a consulting capacity (with a little time in major gifts sprinkled in for good measure).  It’s been quite a ride, that’s for sure.  And as I reflect back on my career and look ahead, I recall something that I used to tell my callers nearly every week while managing at the University of Georgia- you can’t live on past glory.

Like any job, phonathon becomes monotonous after awhile.  It’s easy to slip into the mindset that the program will run itself- that you can essentially put it on autopilot.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  While I’ve personally never done that, I have had moments where I was searching for the next challenge…having accomplished the goals set forth and therefore been left without a short-term objective.  It’s understandable that managers go through this.  Those that put in the long hours and dedication to their craft can become mentally drained.  It’s human nature to let off the accelerator when the race appears in hand.  Raising unparalleled amounts of money and breaking records is no easy task.  It takes a constant daily focus to maintain “the edge”.

When It Comes to Call Center Policies, Transparency and Fairness Win the Day

Sometimes we over-think phonathon. I've consulted on many programs that have extravagant training materials that include dozens of policies and procedures. Management methodically puts together a list of the dos and dont's of the call center and goes through each thoroughly during the new hire portion of training. All in all, this is a good thing as students have a clear understanding of what their expectations are. However, I have also been to programs that leave much to the imagination in terms of the rules and structure of the phonathon. This tends to leave callers playing the guessing game when it comes to making sure they conduct themselves as management wishes. Yes, some management discretion is a good thing, but I've always found that transparency is the key to a good set of policies and procedures.

Here's a couple of additional pointers on putting together a good set of rules for your upcoming phonathon.

1) Consistently enforce the rules. Nothing will tear apart your call center more quickly than the impression that the policies apply to some callers and not to others. Fairness doesn't seem like a major issue until the callers feel that there are untouchable employees or favorite students on the calling floor. By then, it's too late.  The trust between you and your staff is gone.

2) Post your policies somewhere in the call center. Refer to those rules periodically and encourage your callers to read them more carefully on their time between calling shifts. This helps management stay transparent and leaves no surprises when it comes time to enforce the policies.

3) Have a supervisor or other manager sit in on disciplinary employee meetings. Two managers total is sufficient; what you want to strive for is two people hearing the discussion in case of differing opinions or sensitive HR issues.

Young phonathon managers who are in their first professional position tend to have more issues with enforcing policies than experienced managers.  That's ok...it's a learning opportunity.  But my advice to avoid making mistakes that cause employee relations issues is to let the verbiage of the policies speak for itself.  Provided that the policies and constructed well, students will appreciate the transparency in the call center and will work hard to avoid conflict with the rules.