Who Should Drive Contact Center Performance?

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Each contact center is its own little microcosm with its own processes and peculiarities. With that understanding, there is never a single answer that is right for every contact center. In some contact centers floor supervisors drive the performance, in others it’s the contact center manager. Yet your contact center may have the client services or training team doing the things that really drive performance of your agents. To give you a better idea of who’s the right group for the job in your center, let’s look at some of the pros and cons of each.

Supervisors

Pros: They have the most interaction with the people on the front lines, and hopefully that means also the best rapport and insight into each agent’s motivations. This can give them great ability to connect and push the right buttons. They’re constantly on the floor, allowing them to keep pushing continually through the day.

Cons: Each supervisor has their own team, so the message may change for each group that receives it. Also, supervisor focus on their own team may cause them to miss chances to improve other agents.

Contact Center Managers

Pros: CCMs usually have the next best rapport and volume of individual interactions with agents. They also carry a bit more authority which can make their motivating hold additional weight with agents. The connection with upper management can also ensure the focus stays on message and in line with larger company goals.

Cons: A single CCM is just one person, and you may have hundreds of agents on many different projects. It can be hard for them with a busy schedule to make one on one time for each agent as needed. Because of increased schedule of meetings and other tasks, they may be less visible on the floor.

Client Services

Pros: The CS team is most directly connected with the individual clients and their wants, needs, and goals. Interactions and messaging from client services can have an added air of importance due to their standing and infrequency of direct interactions with agents.

Cons: Infrequent interactions with agents also means they also have less opportunities to spend time with those on the front lines, and may not already have rapport with them.

Trainers

Pros: Because of their unique position in the on-boarding of new agents, they can take insight gained on recurring issues and cut them off at the pass in future training classes. The agents on the floor already know the trainers and are used to getting coaching and tips from them. Many trainers also have an upbeat persona that can add to the motivation factor. Trainers are experienced and know the ins and outs of each program in the center.

Cons: Depending on the frequency of training classes in your center, the availability of trainers may be limited.

So as you can see, each group can bring something to the table but also comes with certain disadvantages or areas of weakness. There is no right answer, but the best answer to “Who should drive performance in the contact center?” is EVERYBODY. Anybody who can chip in and help should! Driving performance as a team can build interdepartmental rapport and increase teamwork in other areas. Every center is unique though, so use the combination of staff that works best for your unique situation.