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Group Problem Solving: Customer Service Challenges
In this post, we offer an idea for a customer service call center exercise with groups of 10-60 people — you need a large space, chart paper and markers. The goal is to allow people to share their customer service experiences — and fears — in a safe supportive forum.…
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Rewarding Customer Service: Creative Gifts
Everyone likes to feel noticed and appreciated — and for staff working on the front lines with customers, a small reward or gift for the work they do can be particularly meaningful. I once worked with an employee-centered customer service manager who has a great set of small symbolic gifts…
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How to Calculate Compound Interest in Excel
Whether for personal or business application, it’s a good idea to know how to calculate compound interest for loans and investments. There are two methods you can use, the long form and the FV (future value) function. Download ExcelCompoundInterest.xlsx to see the examples. Long Form In this first example, we’ll…
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Accounting Magic – What You Need to Know About Accounting Excel Formulas
Accounting is more than just debits and credits. It is the calculation and analysis of those debits and credits that generate accounting information an organization can act upon. Let’s take a look at two types of reports a professional in the Accounting Department might be asked to generate. Then, we’ll…
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How to Show and Format Excel Pivot Table Dates
With the most recent versions of Excel, you have gained more and more functionality with Pivot Tables. It is now much easier to work with dates. There are two features that you can put to work right away: data filtering (2007) and timeline slicer (2013). There’s also a change to…
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Excel Finance Formulas
Given the number-crunching power of Excel, you might surmise that when it comes to calculating money matters, it really shines. And, so it does. In order to understand how the various financial functions, work, there are a few components to understand. Most of the 55 functions that are classified as…
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How to Say It: Phrases for a Performance Appraisal
Performance appraisals can create stress for supervisors, particularly when you need to provide corrective feedback. Even the most experienced managers can find themselves at a loss for words during the conversation. Here are some phrases to help engage the employee in a two-way dialogue. “The ABC Project was a key…
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Performance Appraisals: Preparing to Give and Receive
At their best, performance appraisals should be a two-way dialogue between the rater (often the supervisor) and the receiver (the employee). Here are some tips for both the giver and receiver of performance appraisal feedback. Giving: Be prepared and anticipate possible responses. Ideally, you have been keeping notes over the…
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The First Rule of Appraisals: No Surprises
Samantha and James ran into each other in the break room and began discussing their upcoming employee review. James is feeling a great deal of stress because he has a lot of uncertainties. Samantha is looking forward to meeting with her supervisor and getting a chance to discuss her future…
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How to Create Excel Graphs Templates
We might not normally think of creating templates for Excel charts and graphs. But if you’re a frequent user of the charts feature in Excel, you may spend quite a bit of time getting the colors, appearance and elements of a chart just right. Who wants to keep doing that…
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