Call Center Management Featured Article
How Call Center Management Can Avoid Big Brother Resemblance
How do you feel about being monitored at work? If someone stands over my shoulder while I’m trying to get something written, I get irritated and generally stop writing until they move on. This type of micro-management isn’t viewed favorably, especially when I don’t understand why the person is hovering. In call center management, such hovering can often be essential to agent success, but you have to get away from the negative association.
The reality is that call center management may be met with some resistance if they decide to put a quality monitoring tool in place. As Monet Software recently highlighted in a blog on the topic, agents may feel like supervisors want to keep a closer eye on them or are looking for opportunities to catch someone not doing their job. It can easily create discontent and a lack of trust among the agent base if the move isn’t introduced correctly, especially given the fact that such monitoring is done on the backend and not immediately obvious.
Monet Software suggests a few tips on how to eliminate the negative connotation that can easily accompany quality monitoring initiatives. The primary focus should be to help agents understand the benefits and value associated with quality monitoring, both for the agents and for customers, not just the business at large. Agents may quickly assume that Big Brother has moved in to keep an eye on their every move. If you make it a point to address this right away, you have a better chance of gaining buy-in.
For instance, you have to emphasize the importance of quality monitoring and how it helps everyone, from agents to call center management to supervisors be more efficient and deliver the higher quality experience for the customer. The ultimate goal should be for everyone to work together toward the same end. To ensure this is happening seamlessly, managers need a way to gain insight into the employee’s performance so they can receive more personalized training. The goal should never be to criticize, but instead to help improve.
Quality monitoring should also be used to identify those agents who excel at their jobs. It’s common to find hard-working agents who don’t feel appreciated for the work they do. Quality monitoring offers the insight needed to recognize those who stand apart and acknowledge their performance in a way that makes them feel appreciated.
If your call center management members are ready to embrace the opportunities afforded with quality monitoring, it’s also beneficial to discuss effective implementation with the vendor. Monet Software has worked with a number of call centers in this deployment and can offer insight on best practices so as to avoid pitfalls that can hurt performance. No matter what company you choose to work with, seek the most value from that interaction to enjoy the best outcomes.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi