Articles about staff

We have had a number of requests from our readers to provide more training materials.  We are lucky to have been supplied with a number of training cheat sheets by Rob Wilkinson of Call Centre Connect.

Skill levels in the contact centre can vary considerably and product knowledge can often be poor.  With the internet and social media we sometimes find that the customer is more knowledgeable than the agent they are talking to.
So how do we encourage a learning culture in the contact centre?  Sarah Mackie provides some pointers.

As leaders of people, one of the most disliked elements of our roles is that of disciplinary action.
Angelo Azar gives his top tips for dealing with performance management.

Breaks are an essential part of the daily routine in a call centre, but scheduling them can cause a headache for management. Matthew Brown looks at successful methods to overcome lunch and tea break planning chaos.

This week, Jo Lord looks at the impact that communication styles have on assertiveness.

Agents find the option to swap shifts very useful, but for businesses, it can cause all sorts of trouble. Shift swaps can leave a call centre understaffed and unable to perform to targets, if organised badly. Matthew Brown looks at the trials and tribulations of swift swaps in the call centre.

Customer compliment often reflects great service from a whole team. Good feedback is useless unless shared with a team. Even good feedback for individual agents can give others an insight into the level of service they should be aiming to give.
Here are a few suggestions on how to share feedback with the rest of the [...]

Have you got a team that is underperforming?  Is poor teamwork producing lower results?
Are there frustrations that inhibit individuals’ effectiveness?
Martin Marris highlights some top tips that could help to make your team more than simply the sum of the parts.  

The London 2012 Olympics will be the biggest sporting event in Britain for generations, and it provides the perfect opportunity for some exciting motivational games for the call centre.
Matthew Brown looks at how to set up an Olympic-themed call centre game.

Keep your workforce happy, loyal and productive with this guide to the ten most effective and inexpensive motivators around.