TCN has released some top tips on how to manage contact centre agents, which also aims to maximise their skill sets to provide the best possible CX.
The company today announced the launch of “The Complete Guide to Managing Call Center Agents”, which follows news 42% of customers will post an online review, and 42% will also abandon a brand after a negative experience with a customer service department.
The strategies suggested by TCN are divided into subheadings, listed below:
Build Effective Agent Training
The first piece of advice from TCN is to properly train agents and get them as familiar as possible with selling and supporting.
This can be done via the following points, TCN says:
- Create an effective onboarding programme and don’t stop there. Build ongoing training procedures that help fine-tune agent skills
- Show your call centre agents you care by providing incentives for sales and the quality of service provided
- Introduce top-performing call centre agents and make them available for training
- Don’t be afraid to do one-on-one training in addition to group training
The report adds: “Often it falls onto the call centre manager to properly onboard and train agents to make them the most effective. Ongoing agent training is an excellent way to make sure all your agents are on the same page and up to date on the latest practices and regulations.
“Ensuring your agents know how to handle any situation boosts efficiency and provides customers with the best service as well.”
Equip Agents With the Necessary Tools
TCN says: “Providing agents with the tools they need to perform their daily tasks is key to keeping employees efficient. Insufficient resources make it difficult for agents to excel and accomplish their goals efficiently. Additionally, having the best call centre software boosts agent productivity by allowing agents to maximise the amount of time spent working.”
Help Agents Feel Valued and Motivated
There’s nothing worse than not feeling valued in your role. Here, TCN offers up advice on how businesses and supervisors can do this.
“Every organisation has the opportunity to exceed expectations by the way they manage their team. Doing so can be done by showing your agents they are valued and heard. Listening to agent feedback and experiences can result in improving your contact centre as a whole and giving your agents the motivation to keep going. Keeping morale high can make the difference between having an agent with unsatisfactory performance and one who goes the extra mile.”
Nurture Agent and Consumer Relationships
The report reads: “Your call centre’s success relies on the thing that matters most — your agents’ relationships with your customers. Every company attempts to create an overall satisfactory customer experience, but it can be harder than it seems. With constant changes concerning customer expectations, your call centre should be on the lookout for best practices to improve customer relationships.”
TCN also lists four things agents need to know to be able to provide the best possible CX and exceed those all-important customer expectations.
- Know the product: Enabling your agents with knowledge about the product or service they specialise in is a simple way to dramatically improve your company’s customer service and satisfaction
- Understand the company culture: When agents feel they are treated well, being more motivated and engaged will follow suit. A Gallup poll reports that 15% of global employees feel engaged with their work and that 70% of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by the manager. The culture and management within a call centre can set agents up for success
- Know the customers: The quality of service your call centre provides is a direct reflection of your company and agents on the front line. Building positive customer relationships takes effort and happens over the lifetime of a customer. On the inverse side, one bad customer experience can cost you a potential customer
- Acknowledging when you’re out of your depth: A part of knowing how to handle a situation also includes the ability to be flexible. Even if that means branching out and implementing software such as IVR (Interactive Voice Response) to simplify and improve the customer experience. Customers place value on companies who offer immediate help — whether that is speaking to a live agent on the phone or using live chat
