Five Stats That Prove Your Agents Need Better Coaching

Famed football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” As a contact center leader saddled with huge responsibilities and challenges, you may know this better than most.

But having the time to impart your knowledge and experience onto your agents is another story entirely. Nonetheless, you should never stop striving to provide your agents with all the coaching they need to stay engaged, productive and provide a superior customer experience.

Read on to see five statistics that prove your contact center must equip your agents with innovative coaching tools today.

1.78 percent say engaged agents are the most satisfied in their work.

If you don’t challenge your agents, some may be prone to stagnate and settle into a routine. This isn’t just to the detriment of the company—it’s to their own detriment as well. In fact, 78 percent of agents say they are happiest when they are engaged at work. Providing continuous training will help keep your agents sharp, engaged and satisfied. In turn, they’ll be able to offer your customers greater care with smiles on their faces.

2.42 percent of consumers want a live agent to help them with complex questions

Though many consumers today would prefer to resolve service issues autonomously, a large percentage of your customer base still expects the ability to connect with a live agent should the inquiry prove too challenging. But by the time this transition happens, you have to understand that your customer may already be frustrated. Your agents need to be coached so that they can change the tone of the conversation and provide resolution on first contact.

3.89 percent of customers get frustrated because they need to repeat their issues to multiple representatives

This statistic can partly be attributed to agents that handle inbound customer inquiries, only to find they are ill-equipped to resolve the issue themselves. Additional coaching can help to give agents the complex training they need to understand these challenges. But proper coaching can also make sure that agents that do need to pass a customer off can do so in a more seamless and professional way.

4.Chatbot market to grow at 37 percent through 2021

Because of their ability to resolve simple customer inquiries, chatbots are being deployed as a cost-effective and productivity-boosting answer to customers more interested in self-service. This also provides your contact center an added opportunity to introduce new coaching elements to give more of your agents an opportunity to develop their skills for more challenging tasks.

5.Companies with strong omni-channel engagement strategies retain 89 percent of customers, compared to 33 percent for companies with weak strategies

Having an omni-channel engagement strategy is a key similarity of successful companies today. But simply making a Facebook (News - Alert) page isn’t going to change much. Your agents need to be trained for this unique and changing platform. As such, coaching is more crucial than ever.