I just walked out of my office to walk the production floor and saw our operations manager looking at 2 agents. She took me aside and showed me a beautiful sight. While waiting for a call, they were enjoying themselves. As soon as one received a call, the greeting was enthusiastic. True enough, the customer on the other end was a happy one. I said, “You don’t see that everyday."
Since we went live (3 months ago) our attrition is still at 0%. We haven’t lost an agent due to performance or behavioral issues. This is phenomenal considering that we’re used to losing agents even on the first month. It’s not rocket science and everybody knows that if you manage your agents well by having a team that is focused on agent performance, they will trust management, will continuously improve and stay in the company.
Remember to be fair with everyone and they will start respecting you. Be diligent with your one-on-one coaching sessions and teach them something every time you get a chance. Update them on their performance and listen to their ideas – it may be the next best practice to be rolled out on the floor. Discuss opportunities and goals and reach it together.
Competition is fierce and though money talks louder as everybody thinks, personal growth is their priority. They care more about improvement and knowing that they’ve helped several people makes them feel good.
You now have good movement on your metrics, high morale, loyal agents and more business. Don’t you think it’s worth a try?
You and your team should be commended, Jam. That kind of retention in the call center world is exemplary. You've done it the right way, it seems: fairness, good coaching, regular feedback, goals and opportunities. What I hear you saying is that you're building agents up, not tearing them down and spitting them out. Kudos to you!
Posted by: Tom Vander Well | April 18, 2006 3:27 PM | Permalink to Comment