What is the key to success in a call center? You may not need to look very far to find it.
What is the key to success in a call center? It’s the question every call center manager wants the answer to. Success can feel elusive, like trying to get tickets to see Adele in a 500 seat theater. You know it exists. You even know someone who knows someone whose friend’s sister got one.
But just like there’s more than one way to enjoy music from your favorite pop star, there are simple ways you can achieve success in a call center. In fact, sometimes, it’s a matter of putting the correct elements together. Yes, many call centers rely on metrics and sales to define success. Those are certainly valid and important factors. We do, after all, need to make money to continue doing business.
However, if you only look at success as that big, ever-changing number, you may have a hard time feeling successful. So what is the key to success in a call center? And how can you set your team up to reach that success every time? Let’s see if you can answer that for yourself.
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What is the key to success in a call center? That might not be the right question to ask.
If you’re asking yourself what is the key to success in a call center, it might help to step back for a minute. Success, however you define that, is rarely the result of one “key.” Yes, there are factors and characteristics that help get you there. For example, success is never far removed from being organized, perseverant, positive, or hard-working.
However, success is rarely the result of a single person’s efforts. Alan Shepherd may have been the first American in space, but hundreds of people behind the scenes made that first flight possible. While the stakes at a call center aren’t quite so high (no pun intended), success is the culmination of everyone’s work. From the facilities crew who keep the lights on to the newest employee on the team, success is a group effort.
What does that mean? What is the key to success in a call center if it depends on what everyone else is doing? Ultimately, what you’re looking at here isn’t some bit of magic; it’s leadership.
Let’s break this all down. We can even start with that big metric – profits. You need to run a profitable call center. But what are the factors that lead to profits? Outside of a stellar product or service, which, for our purposes here, we’ll assume you have, there are some consistent factors.
Some of the most profitable businesses excel at customer service. And one of the surest ways to offer remarkable customer service is to lead a team that loves what they do and is happy to be working with you. Even stepping out from that, however, part of your team feeling happy and successful comes down to your onboarding and training practices.
Is success as simple as a good training program? To some degree, yes. Think, for a moment, how frustrating it is to drive somewhere new when the directions are vague. Think how tense you feel when you miss your exit or don’t know whether to turn right or left at the intersection. That’s how your team feels when they don’t have the training they need to do their job.
By the way, that’s not just training for new hires; this means ongoing training. When your team knows the ins and outs of the product or service they’re working with, it’s that much easier to solve problems, share benefits, and help customers. They’ll have the experience they need to work through objections, answer tough questions, and feel confident.
Training alone will only get you so far, though. You still need the tools to stay organized and make the work as streamlined and efficient as possible. Especially in a call center, where each agent may talk to dozens of people in a day, organization is critical.
Are you keeping up with the follow-up calls your customers are expecting? Is customer information on an easy-to-access dashboard, so your agents don’t have to start each call as if it’s the first call? More importantly, do your agents have the tools they need to make this possible?
The right dialing software is an essential part of call center success. It helps you and your team stay organized, on track, and it makes it easy to see where there may be gaps in your strategy.
As you look for those keys to success in a call center, remember that you don’t have to look far. Train your team and give them the tools they need and success will soon follow.
Make more calls in less time with all of your client details right at your fingertips. See this in action and much more when you schedule a free demo of Call Logic. Get in touch today!