Call center agents are looked at as vital assets of any call center firm, as they provide customer support services, directly interact with customers and connect a call center to the particular brand. A call center agent must also resolve all customer queries and help to ensure that call center operations run smoothly.

However, what are these agent’s responsibilities off the phone?

Knowlagent, a call center operations provider, recently spoke about utilizing an agent’s talent in a blog post, but not when it comes to actual call center operations, like taking calls. As Greg Levin writes, there is untapped talent off of the phone, and gathering insight from agents can give call center managers and supervisors valuable insight into their call center operations environment.

Call center agents deal with a plethora of obstacles, of which include talking to either irritated or even very angry people through the phone.

Call center operations need to go beyond managing employee satisfaction while still getting the most work out of them while they’re at the phones. Agents are, for all intents and purposes, the hub of any call center operation, so involving them in processes and initiatives fosters retention and engagement, writes Knowlagent.

However, call center managers shouldn’t rely on call center operation metrics alone to motivate their agents. While reports allow agents to see how the department is performing in real-time and how their efforts effect the entire call center operation, involving them in rewards and recognition programs or coaching and training yields just as positive, if not more, results.

Knowlagent suggests putting agents on improvement task forces within the call center operation. For example, agents can facilitate hiring and training, quality monitoring, and call workflows.

Aetna Health Insurance’s call center operation saw its agents lead a first-call resolution initiative, from which they experienced an increase in FCR rate and a decrease in unnecessary calls.

Employee attitudes typically reflect the morale of the company. In areas of customer service, particularly in call center operations, happy employees are extremely important because they represent the company to the public.

It’s no secret that being social is a key factor in happiness. Employers should find ways to encourage social relations, especially in a call center operation. One way to do this is create interdepartmental liaisons using agents that can create relationships between all departments, from marketing to IT. Having an agent from the call center operation builds rapport with others and gives others insight to what goes on within the call center itself.

Employers can create an atmosphere of growth by providing training, acknowledging benchmarks, and celebrating accomplishments with their call center operations agents. By utilizing an agent’s time off the phone, call center operations managers will find their employees will become less bored and increase motivation, since they are given an opportunity to expand their skills and responsibilities.