Call Center Management Featured Article
Do You Have a Management Strategy for the Contact Center?
Call center managers are called upon to put out a lot of fires: days are often filled solving unforeseen problems and issues that crop up regularly. Because of this, it’s easy to lose sight of your long-term strategy for the contact center.
Each day, make sure you’re making time to do the core functions of your job, which is to support, train and encourage the contact center staff.
Provide feedback. Everyone needs to know how they’re doing now and then. Forget reviewing formally once a year – nobody likes it – and consider more informal coaching sessions more often, so problems can be identified early, and agents can know what they’re doing right.
“In the absence of feedback, agents will be frustrated because they don't know how they're doing or may feel their contribution is unappreciated. Failing to provide sufficient feedback can spoil a lot of your planning and managing,” according to Call Centers for Dummies.
Remove obstacles. Poll your agents regularly and ask them what the biggest barriers to doing their jobs are. It might be a difficult-to-navigate CRM solution, or an archaic phone system, or even a wonky headset. Some of the problems may require long-term fixes, but others can be solved in an afternoon. The more barriers you remove, the smoother the path to the agent doing a great job.
Create a positive work environment. In many cases, employees fail at call center work simply because the job causes too much stress. They may not like speaking to strangers, or they may be put off by a manager or supervisor’s brusque manner. Get to know your employees to find out what they’re scared of.
“Call centers can easily become scary places for employees,” according to Call Centers for Dummies. “The level of accountability is very high, and in an increasingly competitive world the drive for results is only increasing. Poorly trained or bad managers compound the problems of fear.”
Do your best to make sure the call center environment is warm, welcoming and nurturing, both in the physical space and in the psychological environment.
Show them, don’t tell them. Let agents see managers and supervisors handling calls – difficult calls – on occasion. This strategy accomplishes a number of things: it helps employees learn best practices, and it communicates that managers and supervisors are not too “high and mighty” to do agents’ jobs.