Provide Your Contact Center Team with a Road Map

Remember the good old days, when you were able to go to a mall, zoo, or amusement park? Generally, you had an idea of what you wanted to accomplish when you arrived at the point of entry, but still consulted a map which sometimes included those wonderful three words, “You Are Here.” Having that map provided you with a path to accomplish what you set out to do and provided you with information along the way, so that you knew that you were still on the correct path.

Now, think about your contact center. Each day, you and your agents have so many different areas on which to focus that it would be easy for anyone to lose sight of where they were headed and even why they would want to get there. If your agents don’t have clarity when it comes to the mission and vision, then they have little chance of connecting to the work that they do, which is a huge part of employee engagement. Additionally, you could run the risk of not meeting the objectives of the organization at all; after all, if you don’t know your destination, any road will do.

As a contact center leader, arguably one of the most important things that you must do is provide the map for your agents. Your agents need to know where your business is headed, why that destination is important, and where they are in relation to helping the enterprise reach that destination.

Here are five steps to lay out the map for your agents:

Mission matters

If you want to give your employees any shot at being connected to the work and staying on the correct path, they must understand the “why” behind what the enterprise is trying to do. For example, if I know that the company is trying to grow, reduce expenses, or create an amazing customer experience, I am better able to get behind the direction the company is headed.

Narrow the field

Once agents understand the “why” behind what they do, they need to better understand “how” business decisions will be made and what the focus of the enterprise will be. While the mission of the organization may never change, the vision of how the organization works toward that mission may change or be modified.

White lines on the road

Your agents need to have a clear understanding of the values of your organization. Shared values keep people moving toward the same goal, and help to keep them on the right path. They let members know what’s right, what’s wrong, and what outcomes people should prioritize over others.

Give them a target

In a data- and metric-driven environment, agents should have a solid understanding of the expectations and how their performance compares to what is expected. Where contact centers stop short is in making sure that the metrics and data link to the mission, vision, and values of the organization. Also, they often do not spend nearly enough time making sure agents understand the connection between what they are doing and how that links directly to what the organization is trying to accomplish. There is tremendous lift to be gained by helping agents see that not only does my work matter, they personally matter to the overall success of the company.

Checkpoints and landmarks

Once you have alignment on the direction everyone should be headed, it’s critical to make sure that you continue to help your agents know that they are following the correct path.

Communicating this message once will not do. Make sure that you check in with surveys, skip level meetings, and one-on-one meetings. By doing this regularly, everyone will have a true picture that they are indeed heading down the right path to success and they can feel good that they know where they are, know where they are headed, and why.

Contact center leaders have a lot on their plates. Making sure that your employees are headed in the right direction each and every day should be at the top of that list.