10 Things To Keep In Mind When Coaching Call Center Agents

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Paras Kela

Senior Writer:

green tickDate: February 8, 2024

Your call center agents quit their jobs when they don’t feel like growing in their careers. 32% of employees leave because of a lack of career advancement or promotional opportunities. 

Call centers with a coaching culture see an increase in agent retention. They also enjoy an improvement in their effectiveness in building better customer relationships and providing excellent customer service. 

However, training your agents the right way requires you to follow certain best practices. I will also help in improving your first call resolution. We’ve come up with ten such points that you need to keep in mind to get the most out of your call center coaching efforts. 

1. Ensure agents get coaching at least once every month

A lot can change in a month, especially when it comes to customer handling best practices. Ensure agents get coaching at least once every month, so they keep improving their knowledge and skills. 

Coaching Call Center Agents

 

2. Coach even your best agents

It might seem ok to leave your best agents out of coaching. But it’s not. First, it will make them feel singled out (or not getting the opportunity to grow). Second, they might miss the chance to further improve their telephone skills. Therefore, coach even your best agents along with other team members. 

3. Share positive feedback before constructive criticism

The best way to get your agents to take your constructive criticism and suggestions into consideration is by starting with positivity. Share things that they have recently improved, or are consistently doing well. This will make them feel valued and increase their chances of being receptive to what comes next. 

After sharing the negative feedback, end the session on a positive note by highlighting their strength. This ensures that the agent feels motivated and is ready to improve.  

Coaching Call Center Agents

4. Conduct one-on-one coaching sessions

Not all agents feel comfortable discussing their weaknesses in public. As a call center owner or manager, you should keep constructive feedback to a minimum during side-by-side coaching sessions

Then, conduct one-on-one sessions where you discuss the negatives more discreetly. It will increase their confidence and motivate them to do better. 

5. Leverage data to highlight the agent’s performance

Data helps agents better understand how far they are from the target and the magnitude of the issue. For example, saying “your customer satisfaction rate is declining” is less effective than stating, “your customer satisfaction rate has declined 40% this month.” 

Coaching Call Center Agents

6. Use examples to help agents better understand your point

When coaching agents, it is essential to provide specific examples that support your feedback. For instance, you can play call recordings and highlight where exactly the conversation went wrong. You can also use other agent’s recordings who master that skill to support your point. 

7. Use roleplay to help agents understand the scenario

Roleplay helps agents understand how to handle different customers. Choose a conversation that could have been better and roleplay it. Make the agent the customer and yourself the support representative. Show the agent what he should have done/said in that situation. This will help the agent better analyze and respond to different customer queries. 

8. Involve agents in improvement plan creation

Involving agents in the creation of an improvement plan can prove beneficial in the long run. First, it ensures that the goals are attainable (based on agents’ input). Second, it gives agents a good idea about what is expected from them and how they will be evaluated, thereby reducing confusion. 

9. Check the agent’s progress towards goals

Coaching is not something you can set and forget. It requires continuous monitoring. Before you start the next coaching session, check if the agents are progressing towards their goals, implementing what you suggested the last time, and are heading in the right direction. 

10. Identify and remove roadblocks to enhance performance

Apart from identifying an agent’s strengths and weaknesses, you should also determine things affecting their performance. Does the agent feel background noise is too high? Or the expected call wrap-up time is minimal? Discuss the potential roadblocks to enhancing performance and create strategies to remove them. 

Conclusion 

Call center coaching is not optional. It improves your agents’ performance, customer satisfaction, and helps retain your best employees. Follow the ten call center coaching best practices mentioned above to get the most out of your investment. Don’t miss to check out the best call center apps that will help you in your day-to-day call center activities.

Did we miss any important call center coaching best practices? What steps do you follow when coaching your agents? Let us know in the comments.

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