" YOUR FRONTLINE STAFF ARE WHO YOUR CUSTOMERS AND POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS INTERACT WITH , AND EACH INTERACTION FORMS YOUR COMPANY ' S IMAGE ."
FEATURE
Communication tools like Slack , Teams , and Zoom improve teamwork and allow agents , trainers , and coaches to provide real-time feedback to improve the training experience .
WHAT ARE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO CONTACT CENTER SUPERVISORS ?
A : I recommend the following :
• Know your people . Understand each team member ' s strengths and weaknesses . With this knowledge , assign tasks or queues that match their strengths and provide targeted coaching to address weaknesses .
• Deliver the best training programs . Equip your team with the necessary skills . Provide ongoing agent development , notably on improving your agent ' s soft skills , such as communication , empathy , and conflict resolution , to help agents succeed because when they win , you win .
• Equip staff with the right tools . Ensure your team has access to the necessary tools and technology to succeed . Remember , you don ' t win the grand prix by giving your team a minivan .
• Address challenges proactively . Identify challenges by looking both backward and forward . Understand the root causes of issues and implement metrics to measure and improve performance .
• Communicate effectively . Regularly communicate through short and clear emails , instant messages , and newsletters . Regular check-ins should be supportive rather than intrusive , showing your team that you are available and supportive .
WHAT ARE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO CONTACT CENTER MANAGERS ?
A : To help contact center managers I recommend the following :
• Invest in advanced technology . Utilize AI-powered tools and automation to streamline workflows , reduce handling times , and improve efficiency .
For example , better dashboards provide agents with key or frequently used panels to review customer information , or AI assists with documenting calls .
To assist with administrative tasks in training , assign courses to agents based on their challenges . When an organization offers a variety of training , each session is categorized by topics , content description , and keywords . AI can then recommend courses , videos , or articles based on the specific areas where an agent is struggling .
Additionally , automation can be used to assign curricula based on completed courses , reducing the need for trainers to manually track and assign courses in a learning management system ( LMS ). These tools relieve your center ' s training staff to concentrate on training creation and delivery .
• Invest in training and development . Ensure your coaches and supervisors have the right tools . Implement standard slides , facilitator guides , checklists , knowledge checks , and comprehensive train-the-trainer sessions for new trainers to ensure consistency and excellence across the board .
• Optimize WFM . Implement flexible scheduling to accommodate peak times and improve work-life balance . Establish clear performance metrics and regularly review them to ensure agents meet their targets . Provide rewards to motivate agents and recognize high performers at least monthly .
• Foster a positive work environment . Create a supportive and inclusive culture where agents feel valued and engaged . Provide regular feedback so agents know what they can do to improve . Organize team-building activities to strengthen relationships and enhance collaboration .
• Leverage data for continuous improvement . Continuously evaluate and refine processes to eliminate inefficiencies and improve service quality , such as understanding call trends , frequently used web pages , or questions asked . Compare performance against industry standards and best practices to identify growth opportunities .
" YOUR FRONTLINE STAFF ARE WHO YOUR CUSTOMERS AND POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS INTERACT WITH , AND EACH INTERACTION FORMS YOUR COMPANY ' S IMAGE ."
Your frontline staff are who your customers and potential customers interact with , and each interaction forms your company ' s image .
These interactions turn into reviews on social media , forums , and sites , which help create the perception of your company in the minds of future customers who might consider doing business with your company .
Brendan Read is Editor of Contact Center Pipeline . He has been covering and working in customer service and sales and for contact center companies for most of his career . Brendan has edited and written for leading industry publications and has been an industry analyst . He also has authored and co-authored books on contact center design , customer support , and working from home . Brendan can be reached at brendan @ contactcenterpipeline . com .
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