Tips to Become the Best Call Centre Team Leader

Being a call centre team leader is a challenging yet rewarding role. You’re responsible for guiding your team, keeping them engaged, and ensuring they deliver the best possible customer experience.

Great leadership isn’t just about managing people—it’s about inspiring and empowering them to succeed.

To help get you started, we asked Charlie Mitchell to share some of his favourite ideas for becoming a great call centre team leader, many of which originate from popular articles that he has written for our online magazine.

Video: 5 Tips to Become the Best Call Centre Team Leader

Watch the video below to hear Charlie share some of his favourite ideas for becoming a great call centre team leader:

With thanks to Charlie Mitchell for contributing to this video.

How To Be The Best Call Centre Team Leader

If you want to be the best call centre team leader, here are five key tips to help you lead with confidence and effectiveness:

1. Help Your Team Find Meaning in Their Work

Motivation comes from having a sense of purpose. Your team needs to understand why their work matters – not just what they need to do. When advisors see how their actions impact customers and the company, they feel more engaged.

To reinforce this, highlight the positive effects of their work. For example, when an agent resolves an issue effectively, show them how it improved customer satisfaction.

By making these connections, you not only recognize great performance but also inspire your team to take pride in what they do.

2. Provide a Sense of Personal Progression

People feel most engaged when they know they’re making progress. As a leader, you should create an environment where team members see continuous improvement in their skills and performance.

A great way to do this is by offering small, actionable tips regularly. Consider structuring your coaching sessions around different aspects of the advisor role each month. Track progress through quality assessments and celebrate improvements.

3. Focus on Strengths, Not Just Weaknesses

Too often, leaders focus on fixing weaknesses rather than building on strengths. While addressing performance gaps is important, constantly pointing out mistakes can demotivate advisors.

Instead, practice “strength spotting”—identify what each team member does well and help them maximize their potential. Encourage advisors to share their expertise with colleagues, perhaps by leading a training session or creating learning materials.

4. Avoid Spoon-Feeding Solutions

As a leader, it’s tempting to give quick answers to advisors’ questions. However, constantly spoon-feeding solutions prevents them from developing problem-solving skills.

Instead, encourage advisors to think critically. When they ask for help, respond with, “That’s a great question—what do you think?”

While this may take more time at first, it will eventually create a culture of independent thinking and self-reliance.

Following the wisdom of Lao Tzu: Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

5. Be Prepared for Difficult Conversations

Handling tough conversations is one of the most challenging aspects of being a team leader.

Whether it’s discussing attendance issues, performance concerns, or conflicts between team members, avoiding these conversations only makes problems worse.

Tackle issues early by improving communication and staying present on the contact centre floor. Daily team huddles, whether virtual or in person, help address concerns before they escalate.

For more tips from the experts, check out the videos in the following articles:

• 10 Experts Share Their Favourite Advice for Remote Working
• 10 Experts Share Their Favourite Advice on Call Centre Metrics
• 10 Experts Share Their Favourite Advice on Employee Engagement

Author: Charlie Mitchell
Reviewed by: Jonty Pearce