Call Center Management Featured Article
How to Shoot a Contact Center Coaching Three-Pointer
What makes one actor, agent, and athlete a standout and another also-ran?
As we all know, it’s typically a mix of ambition, hard work, natural talent, nurturing from the right people, and sometimes just luck.
It’s difficult for an athlete to perfect a pitch, a shot, or a play without the guidance of an experienced coach or colleague. An acting coach can help take a performer to the next level with the right advice and assistance. And a call center agent can go from “needs improvement” to “meets expectations” – or even from good to great – with coaching from a manager.
Of course, coaching isn’t a one-time endeavor. It’s a journey. And the most effective and healthiest performer-coach relationships are built on mutual respect, the ability to share successes, and learn from (and sometimes laugh at) mistakes.
Just look at Steve Kerr, the coach of the Golden State Warriors. He has created a winning culture based on hard work, mutual respect, and fun. And he knows that while coaching is important, in the end success is about the people on the floor – not the coaching.
“We each know that coaching is not going to decide the series,” Kerr said in an interview. “Players are going to decide it. We’re each going to come up with our game plan…. Some things will work. Some things won’t. But we can laugh and joke about how we’re the masterminds behind the success of our teams.”
This illustrates the importance of treating workers with respect and creating a culture of caring and connectedness. When that happens, everybody tends to want to contribute to the cause.
Creating a great culture makes it easier to get where you want to go.
So focus first on creating a positive culture in the contact center. Take the time to get to know your agent players. Recognize their successes.
Don’t be afraid to point out where they need improvement and offer suggestions on how they can increase performance. But don’t dwell on their failures. Keep it positive and fun, so they’ll want to come back for more.
And if as a manager you’re willing to have fun, listen, and learn, your team may just want to do that too.
Edited by Maurice Nagle