It keeps you awake at night and nags you every day – what are your representatives really saying on the other end of the line? Could they be giving misinformation? Might they anger customers? Will they fail to pass a problem call up to a leader, instead lying to a customer that “I am the supervisor” to avoid coaching?
It takes a lot of faith in one’s staff to manage a busy contact center. But there are concrete steps a manager can – and should – take to ensure the quality of each and every call. If managers and supervisors are conscientious about these areas, call quality and customer satisfaction will steadily increase.
Representatives struggle to maintain a high level of care when they are left in the dark. The most important support each manager can make is the daily update. Each day’s huddle must include new information on the company products and services or answers to upcoming questions so employees are ready for the day’s queue.
A good manager will also hand the representatives the daily update in a written form. This will help jog the representative’s memory over the course of a long day and cut down on questions requiring unnecessary wait times.
Whether the daily update is given orally, passed out on paper, or emailed to associates, the manager should require each associate reply that the changes are understood. This is integral to maintaining accountability for the information.
Set a clear expectation for trouble calls. Define clearly during training what constitutes a trouble call – red flag words the caller may use, issues that arise with the account, a level of service dissatisfaction, and abusive language are all areas that should be covered. Make it clear at what point the representative should pass the call up to a supervisor or manager and what the procedure for doing so should be.
Some contact centers have body language for levels of call trouble. For instance, if a call brings up a question or concern the representative feels unequipped to handle, the representative may raise a hand or wave a paper in the air to attract attention. If a call escalates to a trouble call, especially with abusive language or alert terminology, the representative stands and looks directly at the manager or supervisor for help quickly.
Using physical cues for trouble calls is beneficial for both representatives and for managers. Obviously, the alert manager can see at a glance who needs assistance and which questions are most urgent. But for the representative, the movement can be helpful in and of itself. By moving the body – changing position, waving arms, or walking in place – the representative engages more areas of the brain, increasing problem-solving benefits when most needed.
The contact center manager may never know exactly what is happening on each and every call. But by properly equipping the representatives daily and by giving clear expectations for trouble calls, management can be assured the reps are set up for success.
KOVA can also help to set your reps and your contact center up for success with our Impact360 Workforce Optimization Solutions. Contact us today for more information!
