It is the said that the leader is the most important pillar of a team which can turn average team members into warriors. And the importance of leader is quadrupled in an industry like call center where employees are central characters of the process. Therefore, it is inevitable for managers to constantly evolve through the implementation of multiple techniques which can result in overall betterment of the process.

We have compiled some important tips which must be followed by every call center manager to ensure success of their project.

Tip #1: Keep Channels Open for Agent Feedback

An agent is someone who is connected to customers on regular basis due to which he/she is able to notice the trends related to customer queries. Their contact with customers allows them to provide inputs in decision making process.

Therefore, the managers must make sure that the agents can easily and freely share their ideas and feedbacks aimed to improve the journey of end-customers.

Tip #2: Silently Monitor on Daily Basis

Silent monitoring is one of the vital techniques which allow you to rectify the behavior of an agent immediately. This will positively enhance quality of agents as they will have an impression that calls are being monitored even if you are not around.

Tip #3: Allocate Weekly Supervisors

The responsibilities of these supervisors may include noting down the errors committed by other agents. Reports on overall productivity of each agent too can be prepared by these supervisors. It will lead to three major benefits. First of all, weekly supervisors will feel more involved in the project. Also, the level of bonding within the team will increase which is essential for a successful project. This will also make sure that you receive more comprehensive reports related to performance of the agents.

Tip #4: Show your Agents the Importance of Adhering to Schedule

You can do this by making them understand how their absenteeism or non-adherence has negatively affected the overall project at micro and macro level. This aids in making the agents more responsible and also improves their attendance.

Tip #5: Be the Source of Motivation

A major step can be organizing a meeting in which you can discuss important tips related to customer relations based on your personal experiences. If you feel that an employee is underperforming, you can have extended discussion to identify and eliminate the root cause of below-average performance level. Also, staying punctual and active throughout the working hours motivates your team to work efficiently.


Tip #6: Develop Personnel Skills through Cross-Functional Training

If an agent is part of outbound telemarketing process, offer him training related to customer support. Also, an agent handling customers through phone can be taught skills related to live chat support. These training sessions will help you to take support of agents in case the demand for agents suddenly rises in a specific department. This will also help agents to experiment with new methods for improving communication with customers.

Tip #7: Have Healthy Discussions with Co-Workers

Try to understand the responsibilities of your co-workers along with their objectives and methods of operations. Their history with the firm will also provide you with some insightful information. This will definitely provide you with intense idea about how the company will respond to your strategies.

Tip #8: Carefully Analyze Call Center Metrics

Make sure to implement your analytical abilities while examining the multiple Call Center metrics effectively. Metrics which you can implement in contact centers for analyzing and enhancing the productivity include:

• First Call Resolution (FCI)
• Average Handling Time (AHT)
• Qualify Scores
• Conversion Rates
• Forecast Accuracy

You can also teach the importance of these metrics to your team so that they can themselves work on improving the productivity.

Tip #9: Examine the Interaction of Your Agents

Make sure to listen to what agents normally talk with each other. This will help you to identify any negative notions they have for the company. You can then have discussions with them to ensure that these negative feelings do not hinder the success of the project. This will also help you understand the issues faced by the employees which they do not discuss directly with management.

Tip #10: Continue to Learn

Becoming manager doesn’t mean that you have attained saturation point related to learning. You must continue to gain new skills and knowledge with the help of online world. You can also ask your company to organize training sessions if you feel that learning any specific skill can benefit the process.

Conclusion:

Every manager has a set of qualities which makes him trustworthy among the team members and the owners of the company. And these tips will not only reinforce the trust for the manager but will also help in setting example for other people at managerial level.