Call center leaders are under significant stress to hit their goals in a high-pressure and fast-paced environment. Under stress, it can be difficult to focus on growing as a leader, but effective leaders manage effective teams. Here are some strategies you can use to motivate your team towards success.
Empower Your Team
Getting too bogged down in the minutiae of metrics can have a negative impact on performance. You must hit your numbers, of course, but whenever you can empower your team to make their own decisions and think creatively on their own, allow them and encourage them to do so. This can be a challenge in many call centers with strict procedures and scripts, but try to find places where your agents can exercise even a tiny bit of discretion and ownership over a call.
Lead By Example
Call center agents are astute and can pick up on your knowledge gaps quickly. While you can’t be expected to know the answer to every single question or problem placed before you, it is important to be well-versed in all aspects of your job and theirs. That means being able to show expertise in company policy and procedure, the products and services that the company sells, as well as the technology that agents use.
It can be difficult to keep a good grasp on just what your CSRs deal with each day, but if you want the team to respect you, you should be able to sit down at a workstation at any time and do the job that you expect the agents to do. Anything you ask your agents to do, you should to from time to time to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening on the floor. Leading by example helps to cultivate a loyal team.
Be Visible And Accessible
The people who work under you should be able to access you throughout the day. Sitting in your office with the door closed sends the message that you are closed off as a leader. Not only do you want to keep your door open, but get up and walk around throughout the day. Interact with agents and ask them how things are going.
Showing an active interest in what’s going on throughout the day is important. If the only time your CSRs see you is when it’s time to talk numbers, it will have a negative impact on their morale. People want to work for someone they like and someone who is interested in helping them succeed. An open-door policy and a few spins around the floor each day will help you create real connections with the group and will keep you plugged in to the operations of the team.
Hire Strong CSRs
Managers are only as effective as the teams they build, and it is essential to master the recruiting process. But hiring for long term fit can be a challenge. If you are looking for talented staff for your customer call center, the expert recruiters at Contemporary Staffing Solutions are ready to help. We specialize in connecting call centers with fully-vetted, highly-skilled and engaged talent. Contact CSS today to start filling your customer service center with the best and brightest talent in the market.