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October 22 - We typically ask departing agents why they are leaving, but do you ever ask your current staff why they stay?  That might seem like a loaded question, but it is one that can be important to ask. In many organizations the exit interview is used as a gauge of what is working well and what is not.  But our experience suggests that departing employees are not all that forthcoming about their reasons for leaving especially when it is driven by dissatisfaction with their manager or the general culture of the center. We really need to understand what motivates agents to stay so we can do more of it.  Is it the fun atmosphere, good pay and benefits, reasonable workload, good training, great manager, reliable tools or something we would never think of that makes them want to come in every day?  Whatever it is, let’s be sure to [...]

October 15 - Are you making the most of your calibration sessions? Or, more often than not, does your team find itself agreeing to disagree? In order to achieve a balanced and aligned understanding of your Quality Assurance process, your team needs to have an open and productive dialogue.  Be willing to lead and guide the conversation, while also soliciting feedback from all in attendance. Begin the calibration session with a brief Q&A session regarding your overall quality assurance process. Encourage your managers/supervisors to review any opportunities that they experienced since your last calibration. Discuss new trends, areas of success, and potential opportunities. Review any updates or changes to your quality assurance process and state your expectations for the calibration session. What is your purpose for calibrating? Are you introducing a new standard or ensuring consistency across your team?   Discuss multiple calls in one session. Have your team score one [...]

October 8 - Last week’s tip started a series on call center motivation myths and musts to share ideas for motivating staff to perform at their best.  This week’s tip focuses on modeling good listening behaviors. One of the simplest things to do in motivating staff to perform is to demonstrate in an active way that you care about them. The best way to do this is to spend time with each person just listening. If your team members feel heard, understood, and valued, they will work harder to produce better results and make you proud. One of the keys to providing great customer service is to listen carefully to what the customer needs. You can teach frontline staff how to do this by simply being a role model and a good listener yourself during your interactions with them.  Be aware of common listening problems and take care you don’t make [...]

October 1 - Every fall, we hear the buzz as call centers prepare for Customer Service Week in October. Many devote special time and attention to showing appreciation to their frontline call center staff during this time and implement new motivation programs to keep staff fired up and performing at their best. Unfortunately, many call centers only worry about this show of appreciation and attempt at motivation for this single week.  And while there may be great results from some of the short-term programs rolled out during Customer Service Week, many centers lose the Customer Service excitement by the time November rolls around. Zig Ziglar once said, “Some people say motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why you have to do it often.” Call centers should certainly know by now that keeping staff motivated to perform well on the phone is an ongoing strategy.  You can’t expect a one-week [...]

September 24 - You don’t have to be an expert on contact centers to know that putting the necessary structures in place to deliver an exceptional customer experience to each and every caller is a constant uphill struggle. Which makes complete sense. Ensuring consistency across what is likely a huge disparate enterprise is never going to be easy. Add to this some recent agent trends – including a churn rate of 27% for entry-level agents and 53% of contact center employers offering remote working – and you start to understand the size of the task you face. So how do you put the necessary agent training and up-skilling processes in place to improve employee engagement and drive the positive business outcomes you seek? You doubtless already capture a ton of data specifically related to your contact center and agent performance. This will likely include information call times, whether you’re able to resolve a customer inquiry, [...]

September 17 - Your company may be spending a lot of effort and money searching for benchmarking information and "industry standard" numbers for a wide variety of call center performance metrics.  However, the numbers you're looking for may be closer to you than you think! Instead of worrying about what your competitor or other companies in your industry are doing, look at your own staff's performance and take a particularly close look at the variation from low to high. While you may not be able to make an "apples to apples" comparison with another company anyway, you can certainly pull some valuable information just by looking at your own staff's performance. The best way to set standards and measure how well you're doing is to look at the top 10% of performers.  Look at the top sales performers and their conversion rates compared to the bottom range of performers.  How much [...]

April 9 - Here are a couple of creative ways to have side-by-side coaching sessions in your call center. Instead of double jacking into a call and providing feedback at the end. how about one of these creative methods: Have the agent send the coach an email with what they would like to be coached on. This could be a particular skill, application, product knowledge, etc.  The coach can prepare for what is to be coached on and when the coach comes over for the side-by-side time, watch how the rep’s body language has changed.  They feel like they are much more in control as they chose the topic.  This truly builds the rep/coach relationship and allows the rep to have some ownership and buy in to the side-by-side process. How about those senior agents where there aren’t a lot of side-by-side coaching opportunities to be had? Try turning the tables [...]

April 2 - Many call centers incorporate simulation exercises into their training programs. Consider setting up a simulation that will allow managers, supervisors, team leaders, and perhaps even veteran representatives to call into a training queue, which will be staffed by the new representatives. The callers will simulate real-world call scenarios giving the new reps the opportunity to experience them before they’re put on the phone. This can be done throughout the training as new skills are learned or you can have one final exercise after the classroom training is complete. The final exercise should include at least one type of each call scenario the representatives will be handling. There are several ways to implement the simulation. One is to have each representative log in to the training queue. The calls will be automatically distributed among them just like in the real world. This method works best if each new representative [...]

March 26 - Uptraining seasoned CSRs is typically managed on an event basis.  A new technology release, a regulation or rate change, and a product incentive are just a few of the catalysts that bring seasoned CSRs into the classroom and the purview of the training team.  And yet some of the most challenging times in an organization are the point at which significant change is introduced to the most seasoned individuals in the call center. CSR skill building is an ongoing opportunity to proactively manage change. Consider developing a skill matrix that tracks and progresses CSRs along a path of skill development that helps them achieve their personal goals while ensuring optimal ROI of training resources.  This strategy requires that you engage CSRs in developing personal goals for growth and development within the scope of their job. As seasoned CSRs receive quality feedback, identify opportunities to expand knowledge in ancillary [...]

March 19 - Ever wonder what your customers would say about your Quality Assurance (QA) program?  There is an easy way to find out. In your next calibration session, select calls where customers rated their experience through your survey process.  Complete your regular QA calibration process, then compare the customer responses from the surveys with the scores from the calibration.  Are the two scores in alignment?  This is a great way to know if your program is hitting on the things customers really care about. Also, don't let the GOOD customer feedback go to waste. Most of the time we review the customer survey data and focus solely on what we did wrong.  Be sure to take advantage of the good comments too, by sharing them with your agents. This will help reinforce the positive behaviors they are already doing. One organization sends a report to all agents in the center [...]

March 12 - Hey Quality! When was the last time you calibrated with Training?  As quality professionals, we often deliberate over the frequency, method, and make up of our calibration sessions within our unit and across the operational leadership within the call center. Well, I would like to interrupt this debate with this important consideration. If your organization hires CSRs annually and/or introduces new training throughout the year, then it is imperative that the quality professionals collaborate with the training professionals to ensure that CSRs are aptly prepared for success. Consider this approach: identify the most critical call/transaction types, the most common errors, the longest transaction type, and the transactions that have the highest instances of hold.  Structure the calibration based on the time allowed, but conducting a calibration session with training professionals offers a unique perspective on the interaction. Expect to discover where practices in training have waned in the [...]

March 5 - Top-performing teams constantly challenge everything.  The work environment in today’s call center is changing constantly, and teams that don’t change to adapt to the new environment will fail.  It is important to celebrate team successes, but also to be ready to move ahead with the next new challenge.  A leader should help the team identify those new challenges and provide feedback and advice about steps to improvement. Here are some activities to try with your team to get them ready for the next challenge: Working with the members of your team, develop a team charter. Make sure it aligns with your corporate and call center goals.  Outline the objectives of the team and your vision for the short-term and long-term. Make a list of all your tasks and responsibilities and those of your team members. In creating this list, note the amount of time spent per week or [...]

February 26 - Starting a quality initiative may seem like a daunting task but there are few approaches to introducing quality initiatives that help turn attention to organizational objectives and begin the work of modifying behavior to match customer service goals. Start with you! Build credibility among the target audience by using long calls and high hold times to identify the call types that require leadership action to improve resources and or training. Listening workshops. Grant CSRs the opportunity to hear themselves.  This is a common strategy for improving performance; however, targeted listening has a much greater impact.  Time is the greatest challenge to this initiative but it is by far the most productive approach to engaging CSRs positively in the quality initiative. Example: Select 2 Calls per CSR based on call times of 8-10 minutes or hold instances of 3 or more.  Provide the CSR with a simplified quality form [...]

February 19 - Last week’s tip outlined the qualities of a “Fix and Forget” leader, which included these characteristics: Spending all (or most) of their time on maintaining the status quo. Viewing the work of a leader as being in conflict with their own work. Choosing short-term fixes over long-term solutions. Failing to reflect on past decisions. Only checking in with team members when there is a problem. If, instead of being a “Fix and Forget” type of leader, you want to be known as someone who really wants to grow their team and achieve better results, think and take action like a gardener.  Some tips to make this transition: Talk to your plants.  In my leadership training sessions I like posing the question, “Does it really help to talk to your plants?” I typically get at least one person who offers that it does because you are offering your plants [...]

February 12 -  Have you thought (or said) any of these statements in the past 30 days? I thought we had that problem handled. When will I have time to focus on what I need to get done? I should have seen this coming. WOW! That came out of nowhere. I can’t believe we are having to deal with this again. All people ever bring me are problems. If you said yes to at least three of these statements, you might be in danger of becoming a “Fix and Forget” type of leader. Characteristics of such a leader are: Spending all (or most) of their time on maintaining the status quo. Time resources are strained and it’s easier to go from crisis to crisis to fill their day. They fail to carve out time to look toward the future and determine how to best lead their team into it. Viewing the work [...]

February 5 -  We love getting tips from you!  Here are some ideas for training, coaching, and quality assurance that were submitted recently. Give away promotional items with your company brand on them as prizes to increase participation in training sessions. You’ll be awarding the employee for participation and increasing brand awareness. Have quarterly themed celebrations for your department. Recognize the top producers in a PowerPoint presentation with their picture and feature them in your organization’s employee newsletter. Employees love to see their pictures! Play quality calls that meet all areas being measured in department meetings to assure employees understand the expectations. Remind employees of expectations and give examples of your expectations in monthly/quarterly meetings. Have the employees role play. We’re a financial institution so we give scenarios to the employees.  The role playing is done in front of the entire department. For example, we’ll have one role play the part [...]

January 29 - We are always looking for ways in to boost employee morale on a limited budget.  With some creativity, there are many ways in which we can acknowledge fantastic work by our representatives that cost little to no money.  We had a session that addressed this issue at the 2017 QATC Annual Conference, and here are some of the tips we shared: Use a blank wall to spotlight representatives with great quality scores or customer feedback on a Wall of Fame! Include pictures of the representatives and their accomplishment such as 100% quality for the month or customer quotes. Have the shift preference bid process include quality scores. Those with higher scores have first pick at the best shifts. Institute a “traveling” outstanding team quality trophy! Order a big trophy and have it “travel” each month to the team that had the overall highest quality score.  Have a team [...]

January 22 - This is the final tip in a series related to Data and Numbers.  Last week, we talked about the Creation of a report or presentation, and this week, we will discuss Sharing the information you have created. Sharing is the next step.   Prep for your final presentation by sharing it with a colleague and get their feedback.  Did they get the message you are trying to convey?  If not, ask questions and make modifications and find a new sampler to review the newest version and repeat. When we create presentations, we tend to create them based on our perspectives and understandings.  When you share with others, their perspectives help to remove the blinders and align you with creating a more rounded out final message. Okay – final presentation ready?   You are ready to go and present to your originating requestor and company. You’ve verified with the requestor what [...]

 January 8 -  I’d like to share some tips and tricks related to Data and Numbers from a session I presented at the QATC Annual Conference and a recent QATC web seminar.  Please join me for the next couple of weeks as I share information on Opportunity, Creation, and Sharing of Data and Numbers. Opportunity – yippee, you are being asked to share and/or present data! Okay, so what is the first step?  It is to take a step back, meet with your business leaders, and find out exactly what numbers/data they need.  You might be surprised to find that trends could be more important than current data or vice versa.    Interests change, and the supporting data should supply what is needed to make good business decisions addressing current problems/excellence as well as the long-term issues.  For example, if a major crisis is being handled, checking to determine if agents [...]

January 2 - All quality assurance teams should have a Quality Assurance Design Document (QADD).  This is where each question listed on your QA form is documented, including the scoring possibility for each question and the expectations for each question. When creating the document make sure to obtain feedback from agents, trainers, and leadership.  Be specific in your communication -- the QADD should be easy for all members of the team to understand.  Once completed, have an all-staff meeting to discuss and address any concerns.  For larger organizations you may need to have team or department meetings. Make sure everyone has access to the QADD for future reference and plan an annual review to update business process as needed.  As you move forward, always take the necessary time to obtain the team’s feedback when completing annual updates. Note:  This week's tip is provided by QATC Board Member Angela Crozier of MPHI. [...]

December 26 - Contact Centers are not staffed in a vacuum. There is a bit of Math, Science, Art, and maybe a little voodoo involved. J The more math and science, the less voodoo. Workforce teams everywhere can produce staffing and capacity plans. However, not all are successful, in part because staffing isn’t just about volume, arrival, and AHT. It’s also about what people do, how the work gets to them, and what work can reasonably be done by one person – or skill-based routing. Trainers have a large part to play in successful staffing and routing. A trainer sees skill-based routing is literally that – moving work or calls to the people who have the ability to handle them. Before the first Erlang calculation is run, the life cycle of an agent should be fully mapped. The agent lifecycle begins at hire, continues into training, then nesting, and finally production.  [...]

December 18 - Have you ever thought about using a group of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to expedite training? But are you worried that this may not be the best way to do this? If you answered yes to both, it’s understandable. Subject Matter Expert (SME) literally means one who is expert in a certain area. It does not mean one can teach or train that skill. Training is a unique skill set unto itself. However, in call centers promotions are often given to agents to positions such as Team Leads, Trainers, Analysts, Coaches, and Supervisors. There is one truth though -- just because an agent can take calls, that does not mean they will automatically make a good trainer or lead or analyst. But if an agent has high quality scores, good caller satisfaction, and strong first contact resolution, likely they know the job, and the subject well. This agent [...]

December 11 - We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. -Will Durant (Although frequently credited to Aristotle) Read any number of books on how to be successful, and at some point, the author will mention the impact some habit or routine had on their upward professional or personal trajectory. Lots of books have even been written on the topic of routines, and my personal favorite is The Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen. Over the years I've found that a key to making a routine stick is that it has to be easy. I know my intrinsic desire to improve should be compelling me to push through all the barriers (and it does help), but what keeps me going is if I can engage in it without having to work so hard to make it happen. If you're struggling with getting a routine to remain [...]

December 4 - If you’re been searching for one single thing you can do to improve training success, staff retention, call quality, and overall performance of your staff, there is a single solution that will significantly improve all these other areas. Simply make the right hiring decisions on the front end and everything else is impacted in a positive way. One of the first steps is to outline all the roles, responsibilities, and job tasks associated with the open positions. Be careful that you don’t just copy a generic job description and use this to guide your search. Nobody likes writing job descriptions, but it’s worth some effort to think through the job tasks and work breakdown to realistically describe the job to others. In addition to job tasks, you’ll want to outline the competencies required for the job, either at the point of hiring or within a certain period after [...]

November 20 - One of the simplest things to do in motivating staff to perform is to demonstrate in an active way that you care about them. The best way to do this is to spend time with each person just listening. If your team members feel heard, understood, and valued, they will work harder to produce better results and make you proud. One of the keys to providing great customer service is to listen carefully to what the customer needs. You can teach frontline staff how to do this by simply being a role model and a good listener yourself during your interactions with them.  Be aware of common listening problems and take care you don’t make these common listening mistakes. The Interrupter. This person finishes other people’s sentences or breaks in to share thoughts before the other person is finished. If you do this, your employees will lose patience [...]

November 13 -  Coaching is all about helping someone improve performance and when done right, it’s an experience frontline staff will welcome and appreciate. However, for many call center supervisors, coaching is simply a meaningless presentation of numbers or pointing out of errors with no positive roadmap for improvement. It’s much like the basketball coach who points out that the last three shots were missed and that the team needs to score ten points in the next three minutes to win the game. Telling someone that handle time is too high and they need to work on call control does not constitute an effective coaching session. Before coaching, supervisors need to pinpoint the reason that someone has a performance gap. For example, if an agent has failed to ask additional discovery questions in order to recommend the best solution for a caller, the supervisor has to figure out why the agent [...]

November 6 -  The hard thing about motivational promotions is that no matter how great or exciting the program is, it’s not going to motivate everybody.  Creating a successful motivation program is not a “one size fits all” project. What excites Bob may actually irritate Sally. What makes Rachel want to give that extra effort may push Alex out the door. Everybody is motivated by something and it’s each supervisor’s job to figure out what the motivators are for each person. There are generally six categories of motivators: Social bonds (guidance, support, time, attention, encouragement) Recognition (acknowledgement of desirable behaviors) Rewards (tangible rewards, trophies, cool stuff) Development opportunities (career advancement, training, new skills) Teamwork (feeling part of team, networking, social activities) Fun (pleasurable activities in the workplace) Frank may just need lots of handholding and supervisor attention and will treasure simple recognition for work well done. Susan may prefer not to [...]

 October 30 -  Customer service basics should be woven throughout your training classes as well as into everyday training and coaching in the center.  Frontline staff usually find this training as much more enjoyable than the system training, so it will be a welcome part of the day.  And they’ll appreciate learning something that’s pertinent not just to the current job, but also a valuable life skill. This customer service training is best delivered in small portions rather than crammed into one intense session.  Make sure it’s interspersed throughout your product and system training and refer to it often so it becomes a constant element and part of the training culture. Customer service fundamentals should include the following topic areas: Customer service fundamentals Help each person understand the important role they play in serving as the “voice of the company” to the customer.  Customers these days sometimes have limited in-person contact [...]

October 23 -  The best way to encourage staff to repeat customer-pleasing behaviors is to catch them doing something right and rewarding those behaviors as soon as possible. However, since many supervisors are pressed for time and looking for ways to make the most of coaching time, it’s tempting to recognize the good behaviors, but also take time to clean up any performance problems. An important rule of “on the spot” coaching is to keep it simple. If you’ve heard someone do something great for the customer on the phone, praise that behavior as soon as you can. And try to make it all about the positive feedback. Let the person bask in the glow of recognition without any other corrections. Sometimes the good behavior is pointed out, but then glowing words are following by a “but…” statement that serves as a verbal eraser for the initial praise. If you’ve heard [...]

October 16 -  Whether trainees are learning customer service skills, product knowledge, or how to navigate the system, it’s important to develop a training program that addresses the learning styles of all types of individuals.  There are three different learning and communications styles and it’s important to incorporate each one into your training program so each person can participate in the way they learn best. The three learning styles are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.  Visual learners need to see content on paper and/or on screen. They process information by sight and will be ones that learn best by note-taking and reading information.  Auditory learners need to hear the information in order to process it and will not benefit from reading the material as much as hearing someone tell about the subject.  Kinesthetic learners don’t really process the information unless they’ve been able to get “hands on” with the information and practice [...]

September 25 -  Think about ways you can help employees find the work they love to do. It may not be easy, but it you can partner with your employees to find something they’re passionate about in the work they’re doing, you’ll have a much better chance of keeping talented staff. Helping employees find passion in their work means finding something they like to do in their work role.  The other option is to bring something they love to do to the workplace.  When people are doing what they love to do, they are at their best.  If you can create a link between people’s passions and their jobs, you’ll have happier employees that will perform better and stay with you longer. Ask employees what they love to do at work and away from work.  Use their answers to think creatively about how you might put their passions to work. In [...]

September 18 - The Autumn Equinox, which is the official start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere, is Friday September 22nd. While this season looks different depending on where you live, there is a general shift in thought and behavior. We tend to breathe a sigh of relief about making it this far into the year, get a little more reflective, and have a stronger determination to make these three months before the big holiday season effective for us professionally and personally. If you're a leader who believes you should be always, I think there are several things you should be doing to ensure that you don't lose one minute in this current "growing season" to get the results you want for yourself and your team. This includes opportunities to: Celebrate the harvest. Take time to remind your people of the outcomes of their hard work so far this year. Reflect on [...]

September 11 - There are many costs associated with call center staff turnover.  Some of these are direct, measurable costs to your organization, while others are indirect costs that may not be so obvious. Some of the direct costs associated with turnover include the following: Recruiting costs Hiring costs Training costs Supervision costs Unproductive paid time Overtime costs Another hard cost of turnover can be the revenues lost if not enough people are in place to handle the call workload.  If you are a revenue-generating call center, such as a catalog or reservations center, then there is significant lost revenue associated with lost calls. In addition to the direct costs, you should also consider the harder to measure, but just as important costs or customer dissatisfaction, damaged reputation, lost skills and knowledge, and low morale.  When these costs are factored in too, the costs simply skyrocket. It is important that your [...]

September 4 - It is important not just to recognize desirable performance, but to reward it in some way so that it will be repeated.  Designing and administering an effective reward program is critical to your call center employees’ ongoing performance improvement. Rewards fall into two categories:  1) natural reinforcers, such as thanks for customers or the internal satisfaction of solving a problem; or 2)  “created” reinforcement, which is made up of social reinforcers and tangible reinforcers.  Simple words of appreciation are samples of social reinforcers, while other reinforcers are tangible items that are given to the employee as a reward for desired behavior. A tangible reward should be unique and relevant to each employee, so that is viewed as a positive consequence, rather than neutral or negative.  You will want to ask each employee what would be viewed as a positive, neutral, or negative consequence – don’t assume that just [...]

August 28 - What happens in a coaching session depends on the development stage of the employee.  Some of your newer employees will be in learning phase and the coaching time spent with them will mostly address “don’t know” or “can’t” issues where they need to be informed about expectations or perhaps receive some training on how to perform a certain task. Intermediate level employees will have passed through the initial learning curve and know how to do most things.  They will also most likely be aware of what is expected of them.  These employees will need help fine-tuning their performance and can be rewarded for things they’re doing well. Once an employee has reached the expert level, it is rare that performance issues fall into a “don’t know” or “can’t” category.  When performance problems exist at this stage, they generally belong in the “won’t” category.  At this point, proper consequences [...]

August 21 - Training for the agent shouldn’t stop after the new-hire training is completed.  Training is an ongoing evolutionary process.  The goal of your call center’s training program is to provide training for the skills necessary to perform the job, plus training for the skills necessary to enhance ongoing performance. In developing your ongoing training program, it is useful to define what employees need to know and be able to do at 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, and 120 days.  For each of these timeframes, a checklist can be developed that outlines critical knowledge of skills so training gaps and performance issues can be identified. Some typical questions you might ask at each of these stages are: What additional things does the agent need to know? What policies and procedures could affect job performance? What behaviors should be reinforced? What specific tasks can be assigned to allow for growth? [...]

August 14 There are a lot of great conferences around, but there is only one that is designed specifically for quality assurance and training professionals in the contact center.  We would love for you to join us for this amazing event, which is set for Sept. 19-21 at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel.  Here are just a few of the many reasons to attend the QATC Annual Conference: 1. Relevancy to your position. There are a lot of call center conferences out there, but it is hard to find extensive content on training or quality assurance there. QATC surrounds you with people who are doing exactly what you’re doing! 2. High caliber conference content in a small community atmosphere. QATC is not a "mega-conference" where you feel overwhelmed and disconnected. The quality of the speakers is second to none, and the size of the conference makes it easy to connect with all [...]

August 7 - Engaging with employees to provide continuous feedback to grow and develop is the essence of call center success and individual performance improvement.  In fact, we often refer to feedback as a gift to present the expectations to repeat the positive and change the negative.  The “packaging” in which we offer feedback may look different, but simple tactics can reshape the ways you coach agents to achieve desired outcomes. Focus coaching sessions on a few key behaviors; highlight strengths and create an environment for agents to uncover their opportunities.  Avoid tackling every opportunity in one feedback session. Know your employees both personally and professionally.  Understand what motivates agents to do their best and find individualized ways to show appreciation for strong performance. Coach often and impromptu; don’t fall into the habit of formalized coaching sessions as the only path to offering agent feedback. Grow together with your agent by driving conversations [...]

July 24 -  In a conversation a few years ago I heard someone say they needed to find a sponsor. My simple mind immediately thought they meant they wanted someone to support them through some type of addiction recovery program. Thankfully, they continued talking, and I soon understood they were looking for someone to be a "champion" for them at their company. Just as I was confused about a sponsor, lots of people get confused when talking about coaching, consulting, and mentoring. Each of them is critical to our personal and professional growth. Knowing which one to seek out, however, depends on your specific need. Here's an (oversimplified) breakdown: Coach Description: Structured sessions where a coach works with an individual over a set duration of time. Key Role of Coach: Support, focus, inspire, and provoke the dialogue Focus: Improvement on specific work/life issues Key Feature: Coaches help individuals figure out what [...]

July 17 -  A good coaching session should be planned and documented.  Here are some ideas for making this process go smoothly: Make sure there is a planned approach. Review calls and data before the session. Start by acknowledging the successful elements of calls you have previously reviewed. Playing a representative call for the agent to hear is desirable as well. Ask the agent what they feel they would like assistance with based on the call they just heard or just in general. Select no more than three items to coach on and offer a plan of attack for the agent in writing. This is great material for your managers and you to refer back to over time. Consider these sessions as a building block for the agent's success. Look for incremental improvements and continually set the standard higher. Make sure you end the session on a positive note. For future [...]

  July 10 -  It’s important not just to recognize outstanding performance, but to reward it in a meaningful way to each employee. Rewards fall into the area of social reinforcement (the recognition discussed above) and tangible reinforcement.  In call centers today, this tangible reinforcement takes the form of gift cards, movie tickets, trips, electronics, and many other items. The key to building an effective reward program is to have rewards that are viewed as desirable and valuable by each employee. Reward programs are not “one size fits all” in terms of perceived value. While one person may be thrilled with tickets to a theatre or sporting event, another would much prefer housecleaning services or a catalog certificate.  Some might perceive lunch with the company Vice President a powerful reward, while others may see this as an intimidating negative experience. In selecting the reward options for your team members, careful consideration [...]

 July 3 -  Quality management and coaching are paramount to driving improvement in the contact center, but what's the best approach? To score or not to score? What's the most effective way to involve agents in the process? These are just a few of the questions #ICMIchat participants answered. Below are their nine quick tips! Emphasize feedback and conversation and de-emphasize scores. Let agents have a hand in creating the quality standards and have be part of the review process. Include agents in the QA calibration sessions. Solicit their feedback and allow them to challenge scores (within reason). Make agents a part of the quality improvement strategies and projects. This directly involves them in the process and its success. Anyone can achieve a number. Actually changing behavior is a whole other ball game. Focus on coaching for improvement. Don’t forget to include positive reinforcement in addition to the coaching opportunities. Require [...]

June 26 - As we travel to call centers around the world, we love to hear (and see) the creative and fun contests and reward ideas that motivate agents.  Here are a couple of ideas that you could try in your center. We visited a center on a day when they were doing "minute to win it" contests. They'd simply watched the TV show and copied many of the ideas as well as made up some of their own. We observed an apple stacking contest and it was great fun. This works well as a fun break and is a nice activity since you only have a minute to complete the task -- and we all know there's not much time in between calls and during breaks. A cute reward program we have seen is based on each agent having a picture of a dog posted in their cube. Everyone in [...]

June 5 - During training, check your audience and make sure they are following you. If not, be prepared to put a spin on your presentation to move your group. For example, your Plan B could be a game to get the class participating and lift the load from textbook dialogue. Make the game fun and exciting, like the game called Round Robin. In this game, everyone sits in a circle and is asked a question on the topic you’re teaching. The trainer only has 60 seconds to go through a topic. Depending on time, you can keep playing the game with different topics until you see the class is comfortable with the material.  If your participants don’t know the answer, help them by asking questions that begin with the 5 W’s and 1 H (who, what, when ,where, why, and how). By switching to Plan B, whatever that might be, [...]

  May 22 - Tight budget limiting your opportunities for a needed upgrade or added feature?  Consider a barter arrangement with your vendors.  Be a reference, create a glowing video, provide something your company does as a trade. Vendors are always looking for someone who will provide a quote for their marketing materials or serve as a host to visitors who are considering buying their system who want to see it in a live operation.  These cost you little but are of major value to the vendors.  For a major trade item, consider doing a video for the vendor that can be used in their marketing process.  This will take some time and effort on your part, but the exchange may be quite worthwhile. You can also trade for services that you provide in the marketplace that the vendor or their staff would find useful.  The buyer doesn’t see a hit to their [...]