Are you constantly the go-to problem solver in your contact centre? It's time to break free from the chains of reactive problem-solving, and our latest episode is your key to unlocking a more proactive team. We delve into the persistent cycle of team leaders being side-tracked by their team's issues, a pattern that not only disrupts their workflow but stunts the team's growth in problem-solving skills. Listen and learn how to spot these patterns and implement strategies for training and coaching that foster autonomy and efficiency.
Say goodbye to the days of unnecessary 'permission-seeking' that bog down your workflow. We uncover the power of setting clear guidelines and criteria that equip your team members to act independently, without the need for constant approval. This episode is your guide to transforming your call centre into a dynamic environment where confidence flourishes and time is optimized. Tune in and take the first step towards creating a self-reliant workforce that's empowered to make decisions and drive success on their own terms.
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
Are you constantly the go-to problem solver in your contact centre? It's time to break free from the chains of reactive problem-solving, and our latest episode is your key to unlocking a more proactive team. We delve into the persistent cycle of team leaders being side-tracked by their team's issues, a pattern that not only disrupts their workflow but stunts the team's growth in problem-solving skills. Listen and learn how to spot these patterns and implement strategies for training and coaching that foster autonomy and efficiency.
Say goodbye to the days of unnecessary 'permission-seeking' that bog down your workflow. We uncover the power of setting clear guidelines and criteria that equip your team members to act independently, without the need for constant approval. This episode is your guide to transforming your call centre into a dynamic environment where confidence flourishes and time is optimized. Tune in and take the first step towards creating a self-reliant workforce that's empowered to make decisions and drive success on their own terms.
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
Speaker 2:
Hello listeners, thanks for tuning in. We're going to have a short, sharp episode where we look at what should you stop doing? What are the things that you are fixing that you should stop doing? So we're working with quite a few contact centers and one of the things that's coming up quite a lot is busy team leaders who are being asked to do certain things, and they're doing it. They're dropping their work, they're rushing off and fixing something, but of course, what we all know is that that may fix it there and then, but it means that the person still doesn't know really how to fix it and they ask you to repair it once more.
Speaker 1:
So this follows on from the podcast we did previously on team leaders and managers controlling offers, so they would have an offer in their bottom drawer that somebody would have to ask permission to use with the customer. Now we've talked a bit about that. Now this is similar, but it could be anything. As a team leader, you will have various things that you control and some of those things will be things that you can fix or help somebody with, or something which is a common issue or a common piece of information that you're asked for, that you supply, and this can be quite time consuming, where you have to get up from your desk, go over to somebody else's, sit down at their laptop or their computer and work through a fix of something with that person. It could take five minutes, could take 20 minutes, and because you're the team leader, because you've got the experience, you take responsibility for that and you go and do it.
Speaker 2:
Now what we're going to assume is that you don't know what you're doing because you work in such a busy environment and just you now me to say, hey, what is it you're doing? You're going to go, I don't know. So what you're going to do is you're going to get a blank piece of paper now and you're going to put it by your desk and you're going to write fixes at the top and you're going to write one dot and leave it blank. The very next time someone says, hey, could you, just, you, just, can you, you will decide is this a fix or a repair? Is this actually coaching? Is this a conversation?
Speaker 2:
But if it's a fix and you do it, you'll go back to your piece of paper you've just made now and you'll write down what the fix is. You can do a day, you can do a week, and you can see what is the number of things that you're fixing. And what you're into then is what is the high frequency of the things that I keep fixing, that actually I need to either set up a training session to inform, or they need to be coached, and so on. So the first instance is to find out what is it that you are actually rushing off to fix Huddles and buzz sessions. Please use these short podcasts to train, coach and inspire your people. Reality Training specialise in change programmes that improve the working lives of contact centre people everywhere.
Speaker 1:
Find out more about our work at realitytrainingcom now that also extends from the things that you're fixing and I would give it a single term permissions. So when somebody comes to you and goes, can I have permission to do this thing now? It might not be anything to do with an offer. It might be I've got this sort of customer and they are buying in this sort of way. Do I have permission to put it through in this form? And I've seen this happen a lot in different contact centers, where people say I'll just check with my manager we talked a bit about that looking for a permission to do something.
Speaker 1:
Now again, you look at these things that you're being asked for on a daily basis. If 80 to 90% of the time when somebody asks you for permission about something, the answer is yes, work out what those things are and just say to everyone. From now on you don't have to ask me. If you think these criteria are in the right place, then you can make that choice on that particular permission. You don't need to come to me about it, because think how much time that's taking up. This is what we're talking about.
Speaker 2:
You've got to create a more autonomous team who have more discretion to make their own choices. Otherwise they keep asking mom or dad to repair, fix, take away the pain, help solve, and their knowledge doesn't increase, their skills don't increase and probably their attitude doesn't have a boost either. There's only ever one of those gaps going on in your role as a leader. So determine what it is that you're fixing. What are these permissions that you're constantly being asked? You know that you're overriding for them. First of all, determine what it is and then think how are you going to get past this gap, this block?
Speaker 1:
give them greater autonomy, give them training, give them coaching Part of your job as a leader is to understand what it is you trust people to do because you're a team leader, leading your team forward to be successful, to be profitable, to make good use of their time. That means you've got to make good use of your time and you could be coaching people to do better. You could be working on the propositions and the things that they say. You could be working on the way that things are presented. You could be improving your archaic and old-fashioned computer system, which is slowing up the process. There's lots of things you could be doing which would be absolutely contributing to a better service through your contact center, rather than spending time on past or current things which are just things you've always done. That doesn't mean it has to stay that way, and a real leader works out what it is actually worth spending time on, rather than just administering permissions for things which could be easily given to other people.
Speaker 2:
Thanks for tuning in folks. We'll see you on another one soon. Bye for now. Take care.