Team leadership in hybrid contact centers. We are at a time when, as in other areas of a company, the hybrid work model for Customer Service or Customer Experience is more than established. However, when starting it up in a contact center it is important to prepare our middle managers so that they have the necessary resources to be able to lead their teams.
A priori it may seem that implementing a hybrid system in the Contact Center is complex —because it does not have direct supervision and because of the needs in terms of technology. However, it also has benefits for both the client and the employee. Do you want to know more? Keep reading!
Team leadership in hybrid contact centers: benefits
In this way, implementing a hybrid system in the contact center is positive, not only for middle managers when leading their teams, but also for the protagonists of said teams: the agents. Some of the benefits are:
- Having agents motivated and happy positively affects the employee experience —and therefore, the customer experience—. And of course, it reduces leaves due to physical and mental exhaustion, as well as increases satisfaction and attitude. This translates into a reduction in the employee attrition rate by more than 50%.
- The agents have greater availability and immediacy, as they do not have to commute and, in addition, it is much easier to cover possible substitutions.
- Of course, as there are not so many trips by the agents, the company contributes to the environment by reducing pollution.
- Increase productivity levels: Researchers at Stanford University revealed that telecommuting yielded a 13% increase in productivity for those who worked from home.
Team leadership in hybrid contact centers: aspects to consider
In the same way that we find benefits in this new way of working, we must also take into account a series of aspects to ensure that the services are adequate and are managed properly. For example:
- Promote relationships between workers, not only to create a good work environment (increasing their motivation and, at the same time, reducing burnout syndrome), but so that daily contact between them is not scarce and impersonal.
- Provide agents with systems and equipment to ensure that their tasks are managed in the same way as they would be in an office and in person. This task seems easy, but it is very important to ensure a suitable workplace with quality software or platform, not only so that agents can provide good service to customers, but also to create a network that communicates perfectly with the team that be in the office and with the one who is remote. This guarantees that the calls —or contact through the different communication channels— are answered through the assigned devices no matter where they are.
- But above all it is important to create good team management and leadership.
Team leadership: how it should be to ensure that our Hybrid Contact Center is functional
There is no single model or style of leadership for telecommuting that we should strictly follow. As a leader you will always depend on the situation in which your team or company finds itself, and you will need to act in one way or another; from being indicative, affiliative, participating or assertive.
Create trust between the team and the manager
This will allow agents to be autonomous in their work. Of course, this delegation of tasks has a continuous review to make decisions on time. Among them we can include, for example, how we can improve the result of the work or how the agent can add to the team.
Have flexibility within a team that works remotely
For sure we will have to modify the way in which the team was organized or worked together, reconfiguring its ways of acting. And it is that if we continue working in the same way as during face-to-face work, we may not obtain good results. Keep in mind that each person on your team is different, with different experiences and problems. Therefore, the leader has to know how to have a personal relationship with his team. In this sense, being flexible with them at certain times is key, as well as knowing how to adapt their abilities to the team.
Result orientation is also essential
In the end, what every organization seeks from the Contact Center is to obtain results and achieve lower costs, without neglecting the standards agreed with customers and taking into account both corporate KPIs and those of the department itself. That is why it is important to guarantee that, even if there is no face-to-face supervision when working remotely, a plan and guidelines must be created so that everyone meets the objectives.
In summary, hybrid Contact Centers can be as effective or more than face-to-face contact centers, but to do so they need the supervision of a leader who can provide a plan and who keeps their agents active and motivated. In addition to providing the company with all the material, training and facilities necessary to guarantee good service and results when working remotely.
