6 Characteristics That A Good Contact Center Leader Should Have

A manager or supervisor of a call center is important to learn to go beyond their daily tasks and can work, inspire and motivate your team to do their job in the best way possible. Its function goes beyond the simple management of daily tasks and deepens its ability to foster a positive work environment in which its employees trust and respect their decision-making.

There are six main characteristics that a good contact center leader needs to be successful in his work, as well as to be appreciated and respected by his employees.

1) Leadership Capacity

One of the most important characteristics of an effective leader of a call center is, of course, the ability to lead. Inspiring employees to meet objectives is only part of the equation. With the high rates of staff turnover in customer service centers, supervisors face a complex situation when it comes to motivating employees and promoting a culture of permanence.

Successful contact center supervisors must promote a good work ethic and dedicate time to their agents. It is now more important than ever to have strong leaders who encourage the participation of agents and create a work environment that is not only a challenge, but also inspiring for agents.

2) Being Able To Build Relationships

Building relationships fosters teamwork, creates a positive work environment and increases productivity. Therefore, dedicating the time and effort necessary to develop relationships with employees will help the workplace flourish. Likewise, the supervisors will better understand the complaints and suggestions of the agents, and vice versa.

3) Continuous Development Of Skills

It is necessary that all the team work together to meet the objectives and deadlines. One of the key features of a true contact center leader is one who is always looking for ways to improve not only his skills, but also those of others, since continuous improvement sets the tone for a pleasant and evolving work environment. 

Organizing regular training and training practices, as well as solving problems with employees as they arise is also an essential quality. In this way, it will be easier to solve any problem and supervisors can focus on the development of fundamental skills to perform their work satisfactorily.

By motivating the team to develop their skills, stagnation is avoided and agents are helped to improve their work. This improvement will also be reflected in the fact that users will experience higher levels of customer service.

4) Being Organized

The call center supervisors must be incredibly organized. In fact, this is a quality that has to go in crescendo. No matter the type of task, if there is no good organization, the proper functioning of the call center will be affected. Therefore, this will affect management and leadership skills.

Call center leaders must be able to take on multiple tasks, meet the needs of their employees and help them with customer service as needed. Maintaining a good organization will reduce errors and keep things running smoothly. It will also be a good example for call center agents who need to be organized to work efficiently and offer customers exceptional service.

5) Thinking ‘Out Of The Box’

One of the advantages of working in a call center is that no two days are the same. Every day different situations are dealt with.

One of the most demanded characteristics of a good contact center leader is to be able to adapt to these new situations and handle them without problem. Coping with and quickly resolving these small “surprises” from day to day will keep the call center running smoothly.

6) Being Accessible

In the busy daily work of a contact center, it is important that supervisors be considered accessible. It is an important part of your responsibility to create an environment in which your staff is not afraid to ask questions or raise concerns.

Becoming more accessible can be something as simple as exchanging greetings with a smile or maintaining eye contact when speaking.

It is important that, even with a busy schedule, supervisors always find time to attend to their staff. For example, you can take time to simply walk through the call center and interact with employees. This is a great way to encourage your employees to ask questions and express their concerns in an informal environment.

In conclusion, while there is no plan to become an effective leader of a customer service center, there is always room for improvement. By focusing on incorporating these six characteristics of a good contact center leader into your management style, you can also help the call center to meet your KPIs while your employees develop and optimize their skills.