There are few tools so valuable to a contact center manager as the Think Tank. By coordinating the top performers to team up and solve management, employee, queue, and customer problems, the manager strengthens morale while meeting his most important goals. In short, the Think Tank is the contact center’s secret weapon.
Top performers, too, are highly motivated to participate in these problem-solving and procedure-creation meetings. They appreciate the chance to make their voices heard, to demonstrate their leadership and problem-solving abilities, and to step away from the contact center floor to make a difference. As chosen leaders of their team, they strive to prove their value to the company as a whole.
So how does a contact center manager begin a Think Tank for the first time? We’ll give you the steps for success so you can meet your next challenge.
Find those team members with highest performance, attendance, and professionalism and recognize them publicly as your new Think Tank. Be sure to include reasons these individuals were chosen so the remaining team members know what qualities to aspire to in the future.
No doubt you have several on your desk right now – customer complaints, employee morale, queue time, quality assurance, and more. You likely have benchmarks from corporate, too, that need to be implemented. Make a list of your top concerns you want to tackle first.
Likely each issue has some background: how did this start, who brought it to attention, what caused the issue, why the issue must be addressed. Find all the facts for each problem so it will be clear to your Think Tank.
In order to solve the problem, your Think Tank needs all the relevant information, including policies in place, procedures that are affected, budgets, expenses so far, metrics, and measurements. The more you give them to work with, the more creative they can be with solving the problem, as each tool will speak to each personality differently. Come prepared with this information, and be expecting questions for more, as well.
You need to benchmark the expectations. Does this problem need to be solved immediately, or do you want the Think Tank to consider possibilities and reconvene? What are the ramifications of postponing a solution or delaying action? Be clear on any deadlines.
As your Think Tank proposes solutions, be sure to benchmark milestones for their plan, as well. When will action begin? How long should be given before observing results? How will progress be measured? Guide your Think Tank toward putting these down, as well, so their progress can be quantified. This helps keep your Think Tank grounded and action-oriented. You will also encourage the Think Tank toward continued success as they measure and celebrate the progress of their proposals.
Keep your Think Tank sharp with continued use. Agile contact centers utilize Think Tanks at least once a month and more often as issues arise. In only one or two hours a meeting, your contact center can achieve valuable results.
KOVA helps you get results fast in your contact center with our unique solutions. Contact us today to add us to your team.
