Ways to Reduce Friction Between Agents Working on Different Channels

In a multichannel contact centre, internal conflicts can arise when agents feel that the channel they are assigned to is worse than that of their colleagues.

To explore this issue in more detail, our Editor – Megan Jones – spoke to Adrian Hawes, Arlyne Pardo, Clare Santos, and Keith Stapleton for their expert advice on how to set the stage for cross-channel harmony.

Where Does Cross-Channel Tension Come From?

When delivering a multichannel strategy, oftentimes agents are assigned to handle a certain type of channel (e.g. email) for their core job. Over time, as skill sets and teams become siloed, this can foster false assumptions that some agents are having an easier ride than others.

In some cases, this can even result in a culture of channel snobbery, where some agents look down on other channels.

Not only can this have a negative impact on contact centre morale, but it can also create operational challenges, when agents are reluctant to switch channels if and where necessary to help meet customer demand.

So, how do you stop it from happening?

5 Ways to Reduce Friction Between Agents Working on Different Channels

1. Train Agents on All Channels During the Onboarding Process

A good way to get ahead of this with new recruits is to train all agents to be multiskilled during your nesting or onboarding process, so they are familiar with the nuances of all the channels your contact centre offers – regardless of which they are eventually assigned to.

If and when agents are needed to switch across to different channels, leaders also need to be sure to set very clear expectations from the outset that this is a possibility – so agents don’t get too comfortable in the channel they are first assigned to, or feel they are being blindsided by being asked to move.

This is particularly important for those who may have stronger writing skills compared to conversational skills – or vice versa – as you don’t want a lack confidence to cloud their judgement and create issues later on.

For top tips to improve your agent onboarding, read our article: 21 Top Tips to Improve Your Agent Onboarding

2. Maintain a Strong Sense of Fairness Across All Channels

It’s equally important that agents feel that they are being treated fairly – regardless of the channel they are assigned to.

“If you’re conscious of some rivalry between different channels, make sure you are paying your agents the same baseline salary – regardless of channel.

Otherwise, you risk being in a position of people thinking not only “Hey, they are having an easier time than me” but also “Hey! They are being paid more than me!”” – Clare Santos, Director, Knowledge & Quality, Customer Experience at Aviso

Of course, if people feel their channel is the lowest paid and they can’t wait to move to another team, this is also likely to affect their overall performance – ultimately compromising the overall customer experience. Note – The main exception to this is for languages, where salaries are typically higher to reflect this additional skill set. In such situations, it’s important leaders handle conversations sensitively and transparently.

However, fairness isn’t just about pay! It’s about reward and recognition too – including how much (or how little) teams are celebrated in regular internal communications.

3. Regularly Expose Agents to the Nature and Purpose of Different Channels

Regularly rotating agents between teams will boost their exposure to and confidence in working across other channels too!

“If you never rotate your agents and always keep someone on chat, for example, you will find that agents only feel they have a primary skill – and not any secondary skills – and over time they will become more resistant to working on other channels.” – Arlyne Pardo

Beyond this, be very clear on the purpose for each channel, so agents firmly believe they are doing meaningful work – regardless of which channel they are assigned to.

“It’s very easy for leaders to just say “Oh, you’re handling emails today” or “You’re just doing social media today” – but each channel serves a particular purpose and I think we lose sight of that quite often.

You need to bring purpose into the conversation! I always think if people can see the “why” they’re far more accepting of what they’re being asked to do.

Quite simply, if everyone understands the why and the purpose of the work they’re doing, there’s less opportunity for them to look up to or down on that.” – Adrian Hawes, Award Winning, Transformational Resource Planning & Contact Centre Professional

4. Address Underlying Operational Issues to Keep the Nature of the Work Fair

Of course, if a channel is always dealing with serious failure demand, it is not a fun place to be – and agents will quickly tune into any imbalance associated with channels.

Take a good hard look at your hiring process too!

“If you’re struggling with getting your agents to service customers in particular channels, then you really need to take a look at either what you’re posting, how you’re screening, or how you’re hiring. After all, if you get that wrong at the start, it’s a lose–lose situation for everyone.” – Clare Santos

If you want to get started and understand the classic broken processes that could be holding you back, read our article: Key Signs of Broken Processes (and How to Fix Them)

5. Proactively Prepare for the Increased Impact of AI and Automation

Start preparing for the future too! You can’t ignore the ever-growing impact of AI and automation on role complexity, and you need to adapt – and fast!

“Tensions between agents working different channels are likely to get worse as we automate and use AI to do more, and agents – particularly those handling phone calls – are left to handle the more complex queries.

You need to get ahead of this and decide “Are we going to upskill our agents?” and “Are we going to up their salaries to reflect the more intense nature of the work?”

I think the whole model of remuneration is going to come into question the more and more we automate in the next few years.” – Keith Stapleton

This isn’t something that is years away either… It’s happening now! And we’re already seeing this shift in industry-leading contact centres, such as Simplyhealth – as Dan Eddie, Director of Customer Service shared on our recent site visit:

If you are looking for suggestions on how the agent role may change in future, read our article: What Will Agent Roles Look Like in 2035?

What Have You Tried to Reduce Any Tension Between Agents Handling Different Channels in Your Contact Centre?

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With thanks to the following people for sharing their thoughts for this article:

• Adrian Hawes, Award Winning, Transformational Resource Planning & Contact Centre Professional
• Arlyne Pardo, Workforce Senior Manager, DASH BPO
• Clare Santos, Director, Knowledge & Quality, Customer Experience at Aviso
• Keith Stapleton, Director at Select Planning Ltd and Associate Consultant at The Forum

For more advice on managing contact centre channels, read these articles next:

• Top Tips for Digital Channels – Forecasting and Scheduling
• Why WhatsApp Is Growing in Popularity for Contact Centres
• Move Over Omnichannel… What’s Coming Next?
• Get Up To Speed: The Latest on Messaging, Social Media, and Video

Author: Megan Jones
Reviewed by: Jo Robinson