What kind of boss are you?

When running a call center, you may feel as if you must be many things to many people. From a teacher and instructor to a leader and a role model, there are so many parts that a manager of a call center must play.

There is definitely a right way to do things when you’re running a call center, though. Consider this: employees in almost any industry and position respond better when they feel instructed and guided, rather than simply talked to by their management staff. If you’re looking to improve the way you manage your contact center, consider taking on the role of coach with your employees and consider your center in great hands.

We all like to think our employees are doing the most that they possibly can with their paid time, but are your call center agents really making the best use of theirs? It can be difficult to determine whether they are – but in most call centers, there is always room for improvement when it comes to agent productivity.

Here are some call center agent tricks to help your staff make better use of their time and boost call center productivity - without sacrificing employee satisfaction.

Have you ever wondered what takes today’s biggest brands from unknown start-ups to world-renowned companies? For many of these companies, it’s their sterling customer service strategies.

Is your company among those with strong customer service techniques? If you’re not sure – or you’re looking to improve your customer service approach – check out these tips borrows from top companies around the world:

Furloughed Federal Employees: Talented Individuals and Perfect Potential Remote Call Center Agents

If you’ve seen the news in the last month or picked up a newspaper – even if you aren’t living in the United States – you’re probably aware that America’s government is in shutdown.

Now the longest in American history, the government shutdown has impacted numerous professionals and their families. Hundreds of thousands of government employees have been furloughed, meaning that they are essentially temporarily laid off until the government reopens. The problem isn’t just that these employees are temporarily out of work; it’s that the work that they once relied on for a primary or secondary income is now no longer available, meaning that their families and the necessary expenses they accrue are no going unpaid.

Call and contact centers are notorious for having high turnover rates. This typically comes from a high rate of dissatisfaction on the part of employees. But why is this – and what can be done to turn the tide on this trend?

If you own or operate a call center, you may be wondering how to increase employee satisfaction. Here, we outline a few top strategies – many borrowed from today’s top companies – and how they can help you make the workplace a better place to be for your entire staff.

Are your agents well-versed in upselling and cross-selling techniques? If not, you may offer the excuse that they don’t need to be – it’s 2019, after all! Why would you train your agents to cross-sell and upsell when consumers don’t respond to these techniques anymore?

The truth is, consumers still definitely opt for additional products and services when they are recommended or sold properly. It’s all in how you approach the sale – and that’s where equipping your agents with solid techniques will come in handy.

Here are some upselling and cross-selling techniques for the modern call center that will help your numbers soar and your agents understand how to suggest the sale without leaving your callers or consumers feeling like they’ve had something forced on them:

The holidays are a busy time for everyone. For those who work in the field of customer service – especially in call centers and similar settings – the winter holidays and the days that directly follow them are some of the busiest and most difficult. With so many people making holiday purchases, there’s bound to be an increased need for customer service when something goes wrong along the way.

That's why peak season planning is so important. Keeping consumers happy is an all-year, round-the-clock job, and your call center can't afford to take days off from providing excellent customer service just because your numbers have gone up. 

Here’s your guide to maintaining great customer service despite the hectic pace of the holidays – or any peak hours or season your call center may encounter – with good peak season planning:

6 Things Your Customer Service Call Center Agents Should Be Doing During Every Call

Call center agents are the frontline soldiers of providing excellent customer service and solving the problems your consumers call in. Looking for ways to improve their performance – and your callers' perception of your center – only makes sense.

If there is a formula for success when it comes to making your consumers and clients happy, it is handling every call as well as your agents possibly can. What does that mean? It is different for every caller and every agent’s interaction with those callers, but in general, here are six things that a customer service call center agent should be doing every time they pick up the phone:

When it comes to giving your call center agents room to grow and improve in their position, one of the best ways to do so is to offer opportunities for feedback. However, most call center managers only provide feedback from their own point of view, meaning that the constructive criticism that their staff receives is purely from the standpoint of improving within the ranks of the business itself. If you want to take your staff's performance to the next level, you've got to incorporate feedback from your call center clients as well.

Not sure how to begin collecting meaningful feedback from your call center clients? Here's more of what you need to know to put this critical resource to work in your call center this year:

Call center customer service is changing. As the way we communicate evolves with our ever-changing culture, the way we do business must adapt along with it. Nowhere is this truer than in the call center setting, where communication isn’t just important – it’s the backbone of the entire operation.

One of the critical elements of this evolution in call center communication is the use of live chatting. Here, we look at how this technology has gone from a purely social medium to the future of customer service in a very short time – and how to put it to work in your call center this year.