5 Strategies for Identifying and Nurturing Top Talent

Some people say having a great CX strategy is the most important thing for a contact center. Others might argue that creating systems and processes that suit the business is the better way to go.

But the fact is, a contact center’s greatest resource in business is its people. It is the raw talent of professionals at their disposal, with the unique strengths of each individual that serve as pillars for systems and strategies to function as intended.

These unique strengths are exactly why people remain the greatest resource. Having a contact center built on talented individuals who excel in customer relations truly makes a difference, from the minor details to the biggest stages. Here’s a look at how to do just that:

Establish what your team values

As a contact center leader, establish what attributes of a professional are important to the team, and what isn't really necessary. This first comes down to the role of the contact center and what brand offering is provided to the customers you support. Understanding this gives a blueprint of what to look out for in a new hire, and also recognizes potential talent already within the team, regardless of current title or seniority.

Champion a proactive team

So many customer professionals and agents are limited in their roles as set by the business. Most teams follow a strict set of systems and processes that focus on being reactive alone, without any room for employee growth. As a leader, encouraging bravery and a proactive mindset enables every agent to think on their feet and improvise as needed, with the end goal always set to great customer experience. Doing this motivates customer talents on the team and creates a perfect environment to nurture new ones.

Classify team strengths with data

Everyone has a talent, and there are several customer talents to discover in a contact center. Creating evaluation systems and metrics using behavioral data can give a great understanding of everyone’s key strengths in a team. This will provide key feedback on who is consistently resilient in their work and embodies a growth mindset in the team.

Foster career development within the team

To keep and nurture top talents, a clear roadmap and structure need to be established to challenge every talent to improve consistently. This can include:

• Building customer experience programs to educate the team.
• Defining key milestones for agents to aspire to.
• Providing mentoring opportunities that guide individuals on their work motivations and career goals.

Build on culture and reward excellence

As a contact center leader, recognizing and rewarding excellence within the team goes a long way to building a culture of success and encouraging a growth mindset for each team member. A great way to start is to reward great work by empowering performers to keep doing great and even better work. You can also acknowledge valuable contributions from individuals and implement systems to reward based on customer feedback and innovative solutions. This encourages customer talents in your team to excel continuously on the job and drive customer and business goals as a whole.