Call Center Coaching Playbook: Seven Fundamental Plays
Posted by Lee Anne Wimberly on Fri, Mar 05, 2010 @ 04:13 PM
All great coaches have their signature plays. Like most games, however, call center coaching isn't a one-play game. It takes ongoing dedication to a set of tried and true tactics, the basics that will win over time. The following are seven fundamental plays that are the hallmarks of great coaching in the call center.
#1 - Ensure It Is True Coaching
What gets called coaching on many teams is really managing without much guidance on improvement. Eighty percent of executives in a study by Knowlagent indicated that they do not believe supervisors have all the right skills for coaching.
#2 - Make It Targeted
By its nature, coaching should be targeted, but it's difficult for supervisors to keep up with all team members' performance and individualized coaching plans.
#3 - See That It Is Frequent
The demands on a supervisor's time are many. And often the lower performing agents take up a disproportionate amount of that time. To meet the needs of all agents, time must be made for both agents and coaches to interact on performance problems as well as enhancement opportunities.
#4 - Make It Actionable
Unless it is actionable, much of what is called coaching is merely advice. Basing coaching on the call flow creates actionable coaching.
- Break the call down into key steps.
- Identify the step where the agent struggles.
- Identify the behaviors needed to execute the step successfully.
- Develop a plan to change those behaviors.
#5 - It Better Be Consistent
Because most coaching happens on an ad-hoc basis, similarly performing agents can receive very different types and levels of coaching. Nearly 50 percent of supervisors surveyed can not define their coaching process.
#6 - It Has To Be Measurable
By embedding a measurement system that shows how much, who and what is getting coached as well as its link to performance, constant improvement through coaching becomes systemic in the center.
#7 - Require Individual Accountability
Without a mechanism to take ownership for increasing performance, agents may be left adrift, becoming dissatisfied with the prospects for improvement and/or advancement. Creating a partnership provides the ownership needed and establishes a framework for creating and sustaining improvement.
Read the full paper Seven Fundamental Plays from the Coaching All-Star Playbook, which also includes a recommended Coaching Scorecard.