The overall success of a call center depends heavily on the management team and others in positions of leadership. Communication is the basis for good leadership, but there are five other essential strategies a contact center manager can put to good use while leading a team to success.
1. Listen
Leaders should be able to listen just as well as they speak. Not only is it important to listen, it is equally important to hear what is being said. To better accomplish this, call center managers should ask their team members questions to ensure understanding and keep everyone on the same page. This will save time, resources, energy and help build trust.
2. Ask Rather Than Tell
A call center manager should also think of him or herself as a coach. What this means is that managers should give team members the opportunity to learn on their own rather than provide them with answers all the time. It’s easy for managers to want to share their expertise, but by asking team members questions and allowing the self-discovery process to unfold managers will enable team members to learn and better prepare team members to handle things on their own in the future. It will also lead to higher satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.
3. Establish Role & Responsibility Expectations
Everyone in a contact center has a role to play, and it’s essential that everyone knows just what their role is. Just like potential employees base their decision of whether to apply for a job based on the position’s listed duties, managers should provide employees with a list of key responsibilities to make sure employees know their role and what will be expected of them.
4. Set Clear and Realistic Expectations Regarding Key Goals
Besides job duties, call center employees should know the target for which they are aiming while carrying out their duties. Goals should be set and agreed upon by a contact center manager and the employee during a goal setting session. This will help create buy in and increase the chance of success. While establishing goals, it’s a good idea to determine:
- How much time is needed to accomplish the goal
- What resources and support will be needed
- The reason for setting and accomplishing the goal
- Benefits of accomplishing the goal &/or consequences of not achieving
5. Meet with Employees in Regular Meetings
Progress reports are essential to keeping everyone accountable and on track. It will also help to ensure barriers can be broken down proactively and small victories can be celebrated along the way. A coaching manager should be sure to meet with their team as a whole as well as team members individually. Such meetings are where everyone can discuss whether goals are being met, if solutions need to be developed and if everything is going according to schedule.
These strategies will not only help managers lead their team, they’ll help bring team members and managers closer as well. Even better is the fact that team members are bound to feel more like vital members of the group, which leads to better job satisfaction and employee retention.
