In our last blog, we revisited the ever-important topic of providing constructive feedback to your call centre reps. In today’s blog, we’ll round our list of helpful tips.
Here are four more:
1. Make time for one-on-one feedback sessions.
Some call centre managers like to provide feedback at their phone agents’ workstations. But this doesn’t exactly allow for a lot of privacy. It can prevent employees from opening up and having dialogues that can further enhance the effectiveness of the feedback sessions. As well, some managers provide feedback during group meetings. Again, for best results, you should sit down with each phone agent to have a private discussion.
“Even praise for some people is better delivered in a private meeting, rather than being pointed out in a public arena: some people simply don’t like being the centre of attention,” writes David Hassell on 15Five.com, “And allow the opportunity of feedback without a face-to-face meeting as it can make it easier for a person to say what they really think.”
2. Make clear your wish to be helpful.
Some employees take feedback the wrong way. We’re all human. We all have feelings. And there are those of us who simply don’t like to hear about what we’re doing wrong. With that said, it’s important that you communicate your intentions for providing the feedback. Be sure to let your reps know that your sole purpose is to help them improve upon their performances and achieve better results.
“The best feedback is sincerely and honestly provided to help,” says Susan M. Heathfield on TheBalanceCareers.com, “Trust me, people will know if they are receiving it for any other reason. Most people have internal radar that can easily detect insincerity. Keep this in mind when you offer feedback.”
3. Accept feedback in return.
If you’re serious about making your business better, you’ll be open to the fact that feedback should go both ways. Surely, there are areas where your phone agents can improve. But there are also areas where you can improve as their manager. Allow for a back-and-forth dialogue to take place, during feedback sessions, so that you can also benefit from constructive criticism. It will only help for the entire business to have more chances to prosper.
“Evaluation is tough and it takes a lot of thought and care to do it properly,” says Hassell, “Therefore, make sure you give your employee the opportunity to speak up in your meeting or get in touch with you about it afterwards. This way, you’ll get to know whether your effort has worked and whether you need to up your game with the next person!”
4. Utilize Monitor/Whisper Control Panel
As we mentioned in our last blog, MeloTel’s Monitor/Whisper Control Panel allows you to listen to phone calls live and as they happen without being detected. While listening using the “monitor” feature, you can also “whisper” suggestions to your phone agents without the other parties hearing you.
In the event an interaction requires supervisory intervention, you can quickly “barge-in” to immediately assist and resolve any pending issues your rep may be unable to fulfill, while still maintaining the overall customer experience.
For more information about Monitor/Whisper Control Panel, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-888-MELOTEL or use the Live Chat feature on our website!
