7 Coaching Strategies Every Call Centre Needs

Coaching is one of the most impactful ways to improve call centre performance, but only when it’s done right. Outdated methods and vague feedback won’t cut it in today’s fast-paced, data-driven environments.

In this article, we share 7 modern coaching strategies that help turn everyday conversations into powerful performance drivers.

7 Modern Coaching Strategies to Elevate Call Centre Performance

1. Use the Sandwich Technique

When giving performance feedback, start and end on a positive note, with the coaching opportunity placed in the middle, the classic “sandwich” method. It’s still highly effective when used well.

Begin by highlighting a recent strength or success, using performance data or customer feedback. This sets a constructive tone and shows the agent you’ve noticed their good work.

Then introduce the improvement area – clearly, but without judgement. Use data and call examples to ground the feedback in reality and make the opportunity feel achievable. Finally, close with encouragement or another positive, ideally something related to the agent’s growth.

For more on how to use the sandwich technique, read our article: How to Use the Sandwich Technique for Customer Service

2. Use Data to Drive Clarity

When it comes to coaching, vague comments like “You need to improve your tone” don’t cut it any more. Agents want specifics, and modern call centre platforms make it easy to deliver them.

Use dashboards, transcripts, sentiment analysis, and historical performance data to clearly show where an issue is happening, and why it matters.

For example, highlight a dip in customer satisfaction scores during a specific type of call or walk through a recorded interaction to identify missed opportunities.

Concrete data provides a shared reference point that makes conversations more objective, fair, and actionable.

3. Role-Play Real Situations

Role-playing isn’t just for fixing mistakes, it’s a powerful tool for helping agents build muscle memory around key behaviours before they go live.

Use real scenarios from recent calls or customer types the agent often handles. Choose common or high-pressure situations like complaints, cancellations, or upsell opportunities, and walk through them together. You play the customer first to model best-practice responses, then let the agent practise their approach.

Focus on specific skills like active listening, tone of voice, empathy, or objection handling. The goal isn’t to test, it’s to give agents space to try new techniques, ask questions, and build confidence in a low-risk environment.

If you’re looking for role-playing scenarios to use in your contact centre, read our article: 9 Customer Service Role-Plays

4. Ask Before You Advise

Coaching shouldn’t feel like a lecture. Before offering suggestions, give agents the space to reflect and share their own view of recent performance.

Start with open questions like “What’s one call you think went well this week?” or “Where did you feel challenged?” This not only builds trust but often surfaces barriers or issues that aren’t visible in the data, like unclear processes or tech limitations.

When agents feel heard, they’re more likely to engage with the coaching process and take ownership of the solutions.

5. Set Goals Together

Performance goals are more powerful when they’re created with, not for, the agent. After reviewing key insights and discussing the session, collaborate on 1–2 focused goals that are specific, achievable, and time-bound.

Use shared dashboards or follow-up notes to track progress. This shouldn’t make the agent feel stressed, but instead serve as a clear, supportive reminder of what they’re working toward.

6. Deliver Feedback in the Moment

Don’t wait for weekly reviews to highlight wins or address issues. Use real-time tools like whisper coaching or live call monitoring to provide immediate, constructive input.

If you hear an agent successfully apply a new skill, acknowledge it right away. Reinforcement within minutes of the behaviour is far more effective than waiting days.

Similarly, if something goes off-track, a quick in-the-moment nudge can help course-correct before habits form.

7. Enable Coaching With Better Tools

Even the best coaching methods fall flat without the right support. Your tech stack should give you full visibility into performance, enable quick access to relevant call data, and support continuous coaching at scale.

The more seamless the tech, the more time you can spend coaching, not chasing metrics or digging through recordings.

The Right Tools Make All the Difference

Many of the coaching strategies outlined here rely on having the right systems in place to support them, not just occasionally, but consistently and at scale.

To coach effectively, your platform should allow you to:

• Monitor and analyse real-time conversations between agents and customers
• Access and review recorded calls to highlight key examples for coaching
• Visualize performance data for any timeframe, at both individual and team levels
• Benchmark agents against peer performance to identify gaps or best practices
• Enable fast feedback loops between coaches and agents with minimal friction

This article is a revised version of Call Centre Coaching: Turn Agent Potential Into Performance, originally published by NiCE.

For more on coaching call centre agents, read these articles next:

• Take Your Coaching Strategy to the Next Level
• Training Cheat Sheet – Coaching
• 10 Great Ideas for Successful Call Centre Coaching Sessions

Author: Hannah Swankie
Reviewed by: Megan Jones