The world of call center is full of exciting challenges, impressive individuals and constant change. This evolution is directly influenced by the quality of management within the call center.
Managers are behind the success of every assignment. They motivate employees by setting objectives. They help resolve conflicts and play an important role in improving employee morale.
Without proper management, call center agents risk feeling left to their own devices in the face of a heavy workload. They will become uninspired, bored and quickly burnt out. This lack of motivation will increase employee turnover and reduce the quality of the customer experience. To avoid this disaster scenario at all costs, there are rules to follow to ensure good management within the team.
Whether newly promoted or senior :
- A good manager recruits naturally talented call center agents and implements a consistent training strategy
- A good manager sets objectives for their team and monitors their performance
- A good manager is empathetic and knows how to prevent burnout in his subordinates
A good manager recruits naturally gifted call center agents and implements a consistent training strategy
When it comes to hiring call center agents, professional experience is not enough.
Being an extraordinary agent requires a great deal of patience, empathy and problem-solving skills.
Although it’s not always obvious whether a candidate possesses these qualities from their CV, it is possible to get a better idea of the profile by incorporating a role-playing exercise into the interview process.
During the role-play, the manager pays particular attention to how the candidate handles the conversation. If the candidate has difficulty finding the right words or is unable to show empathy in their response, they can make suggestions and then try the exercise again. If, after one or two attempts, the candidate is still unable to solve the problem in a way that matches the needs of the call center and the services it offers, then that candidate is not the rare pearl the company needs.
Once the manager has found the right candidates, the next step is to ensure that the call center is ready to welcome all new employees with a structured induction process. An effective and consistent training strategy will ensure that all call center agents are on the same wavelength and can provide a consistent service to all customers.
A good manager sets objectives for his team and monitors their performance
Setting objectives is an effective way of keeping employees engaged, measuring success in the short/long term and determining whether management techniques are working.
It is essential for a good manager to set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) objectives for everyone in the department.
Setting collective objectives is also important, as it helps to motivate team members to work together, fostering a sense of unity and solidarity.
An essential part of running a successful call center is to regularly analyse a number of different KPIs and identify weaknesses that need to be improved. A good manager should dig into reports to check specific indicators such as average time in queue (the average length of time customers wait before getting help) and average abandonment rate (the percentage of customers who hang up before interacting with an agent).
You should also monitor the average handling time, i.e. the time agents spend during the call and the time they spend after the call working on related tasks.
A good manager keeps an eye on the first call resolution rate. This is a very important efficiency indicator. It measures the proportion of support requests that are resolved on the first call without requiring a callback from the customer.
Finally, we shouldn’t forget the agent turnover rate, which was mentioned at the beginning of this article and which represents the percentage of agents who leave to work elsewhere.
A good manager is empathetic and knows how to prevent his subordinates from burning out
Empathy is one of the most effective tools a call center agent can use to handle any type of customer call. The best way to teach empathy is by example. The manager should set up one-to-one interviews with agents to not only define objectives and discuss performance, but also to listen and understand what the employee needs to be happier at work.
A happy agent is in turn a more patient agent, able to empathise with customers when they need help.
To promote happiness at work in a call center, everything must be done to prevent the risk of burnout among employees. Effective planning is the first line of defence against agent burnout. The second is to use technology that reduces employee stress. Voice reminders are an excellent place to start. If a customer calls, they can choose to wait on hold or be called back later by an agent. In fact, offering the option of calling the customer back gives agents a certain amount of leeway and takes some of the pressure off them to make the right call and eliminate the queue.
Finally, it is advisable to encourage employee commitment in order to prevent burnout and create a healthier working environment.
Managers can set up competitions for agents based on daily figures, offer flexible working hours to meet the individual needs of each team member and encourage get-togethers such as virtual conference cafés or group walks at lunchtime.
To find out more about the secrets of call center management, simply contact Advancia Teleservices, an expert in remote customer relationship management. ?