We hear a lot of negative talk in the media about the way that call centre agents are generally treated. This is often blown out of all proportion, but it does highlight that we can often treat our call centre employees that little bit better: this article contains a few ’soft skills’ pointers which are worth bearing in mind:

1. Remember that agents are only human

Yes, it’s true. Whilst the managers are thinking about maximising return on investment by squeezing the last ounce of performance from the various teams, it’s all too easy to forget that call centre agents are individuals, with the needs, desires, strengths and weaknesses that we all possess. Don’t expect super-human performance: reward it when you see it, but nobody can perform at 100% for sustained periods of time - factor this in, and don’t try to fight against it.

2. Agents know about working the ‘phones better than the managers

In other words, the best people to identify any flaws in the call centre are the people who use it day-in, day-out. Don’t forget that as one gets familiar with a tool, new flaws may be revealed that were previously masked. Talk to your agents, see what they think about the systems they use.

3. Make it fun

Happy employees make for effective employees. If you can make little changes or allowances that make the agents’ jobs more enjoyable, you will find increased retention, better performing individuals, and such people present a much more professional image to the customers who they are in contact with. A future article will discuss some great ideas about introducing effective incentives into the call centre and some case studies. For now, however, just use a little lateral thinking. Think: what can I do (as a manager) to make my agents’ happier?

4. Talk, don’t preach, to your agents

Getting to know each and every agent may well be an enormous task, and not something that can be expected of every manager, but it’s at least worth making an effort to break the ice with some. After all, getting to know the agents - their concerns, ideas, issues and even finding out what is going well - all of this enriches our understanding of the true dynamics of the call centre without relying on MIS, much of which is somewhat spurious. Developing one’s soft skills provides a degree of balance which will help you make better, more informed decisions. Don’t forget to treat agents as equals - don’t preach, lecture or judge from on-high: these are your troops and they must also respect you - and the best way to do this is to get to know them and show them that you actually give a damn.

5. Exercise reason

Don’t expect the impossible - setting hurdles too high helps nobody. There is a fine line between effective versus ridiculous objective setting - and only experience, and the points above, will allow you to judge this properly.

As ever, I welcome your comments. This isn’t a definitive list by any means, and it’s all simple common-sense, which could be applied to investment bankers, tradesmen, software developers or teachers. It’s basic man-management, and it’s something we should all practise.