Tuesday, April 10, 2012

How to Stay Productive in a Call Center



Every business occasionally has to address the issue of productivity in the workplace, and call centers are no exception to that. Working in a call center has its own set of challenges, and as such there are a unique set of ways that customer service representatives or other call center employees can maintain a high level of productivity.

Stay comfortable. If call center employees are uncomfortable, chances are that they’re not going to be able to focus on all of their tasks. They may even grow irritable with the customers they’re speaking to, which could have tragic results. All employees should have a desk large enough to hold all of their supplies, with enough space under the desk for their legs to fit comfortably. Chairs should comfortable to sit in, and the climate in the center should stay comfortable. As long as employees are comfortable, there’s a greater chance that they’re happy!

Use mirrors. This is actually an old trick in the call center business that many people don’t know about. Encourage customer service representatives to keep a mirror in their personal space, and have them look into them while on calls. It’s crazy how it works, but if a representative is smiling, chances are that the person on the other line will hear that and respond accordingly!

Give constant feedback. This is important for the supervisors in a call center. Everyone wants to hear how they’re doing, especially if they’re doing a good job. Be sure to praise employees when they’re doing well. If they’re doing something wrong, remember that it’s almost surely not intentional. Give them constructive criticism in a friendly manner, and then afterwards reassure them that they’re doing well. Treat all employees with this same respect, and it will go a long way toward creating a healthy work atmosphere!

Keep a code of conduct. Every now and then, representatives will encounter difficult customers. Be sure that you have plans in place to combat a wide variety of different, difficult situations. This will help you to avoid having representatives get in heated, awkward debates with customers. Document this code in a written form and make it easily accessible.

Show appreciation! Just like you have your representatives show appreciation to the customers, show appreciation to your representatives. Go out of your way to make them feel like the work they do is noticed and truly appreciated.

All of these are great ways to keep productivity levels high in a call center, and it’s methods like these (and others) that help make TeleDirect such a success. Learn more about our services today by visiting the TeleDirect web site!


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