Good Habits to Encourage in CX Leaders

What sets the best apart from the rest? A lot of it comes down to the habits practised day in, day out, that amount to true long-term success.

To put the spotlight on which habits make the biggest difference, our Editor – Megan Jones – spoke to industry experts Clare Santos, Dan Pratt, Dara Kiernan, Marco Jetmir Ndrecaj, and Vinay Parmar to hear what’s worked well in their careers so far.

Catching People Doing the Right Thing

It makes a huge difference to agent morale when leaders routinely take the time to stop and say “Great job!”. This should be a habit all leaders strive to include in their day-to-day work.

“I’m a big believer of always trying to catch employees doing the right thing. This helps to shake off any agent worries that managers are just out to catch them doing the wrong thing.

When you replace this with regularly saying things such as “Wow, great job”, “I’m so proud of you”, and “You’ve made such an improvement on that part of the call”, it really helps to lift people up. Making a habit of giving people a pat on the back is one of those little gestures that costs absolutely nothing but can have such a big impact!” – Marco Jetmir Ndrecaj, Director of Customer Experience Management, Shared Services Connected Ltd

Using the Power of Silence

Good leaders also make a habit of listening to and learning about their team, so they can truly get to know them – not just ticking the box on what their kids are called, but their personal likes and dislikes too.

This approach really helps them to personalize their leadership style right down to “Sarah likes chocolates, but Nathan prefers gummy sweets”, so they can hit the right note with their team even with a quick win “sugar hit” on a Friday.

Success here comes down to HOW a leader communicates and whether they talk TO their team or talk AT them – because there’s a huge difference.

“How much time do you spend listening versus talking? Because if you’re in a meeting and essentially listening to your own voice, then you’re not communicating – you’re broadcasting!

One of the best habits leaders practise therefore is to ask the questions and then – quite frankly – shut up and listen to what your team tell you.

It can be tricky to get started with this approach, as it can result in an uncomfortable silence at first, but ask that open question and be brave enough to just hold that space and somebody will go first. Over time, this habit really helps to build genuine connection.” – Vinay Parmar, Managing Director at Customer Whisperers Limited

Avoiding the Word “Unfortunately”

Another great habit is avoiding negative words such as “unfortunately”, as there’s so much power in the way things are said.

“I hate the word “Unfortunately” as it implies “I’m not prepared to find another solution for you” or, worse still, that you just haven’t really listened to them in the first place.

So, when an agent speaks to their line manager and regularly hears the word “unfortunately” it very much comes across as a “computer says no” moment and that can damage working relationships in the long run.

This can be far better phrased as a “We can’t at the moment; however, in six months we’ll be able to do this…” or “What we can do right now is…” conversation.” – Dan Pratt, Founder & Director of DAP Consultancy

If you are interested in ways your contact centre leaders could be unintentionally demotivating their frontline staff, read our article: 35 Surefire Ways to Demotivate Your Best Agents

Mentally Preparing for Failure

Great leaders make a habit of preparing for failure, so they can get better and better, and always be prepared to lead with confidence – if and when things do go wrong – without panicking and passing that stress on to their team.

“I always say that, as a leader, you have to prepare to fail. It has to be in your plan. If you compare this to how a comedian prepares for a show, for example, they always do “work in progress” shows to test their material.

Being completely honest, some of these shows would be miserable failures with tumbleweed moments and no laughs at all – but this was all part of the preparation for a great show on the night.” – Dara Kiernan, leadership development and contact centre consultant

Avoiding Micromanagement at All Costs

Another critical habit is to avoid micromanagement at all costs.

After all, it’s these types of behaviours that not only push teams away and isolate them from their leader but also contribute to them leaving. Instead, great leaders should make a habit of empowering their teams to carry out tasks independently.

An extension of this is to make a habit of providing honest feedback, because some leaders end up falling back on micromanagement as they’ve never given the feedback agents really need to manage that task well in the first place. Sadly, it can be a vicious cycle if not managed well.

Carving Out Time for Coaching (Even When You’re “Too Busy”)

As a leader, it’s important to make a habit of regularly coaching people too.

After all, if leaders are not spending time with their people, how are they going to know what they’re doing well and where they could improve? The best leaders know this isn’t an optional extra, but rather a habit to build into their weekly routine.

“You have to carve out that time and make coaching a priority! It not only shows your agents that you care about them, but also helps to keep your KPIs on track so any issues can be fixed before they affect the customer experience.” – Clare Santos, Director, Knowledge & Quality, Customer Experience at Aviso

This habit also pays dividends in future, as it helps to nurture and retain the best people.

For tips and advice on making every coaching session count, read our article: How to Make the Best Use of Coaching Time

Taking an Interest in What’s REALLY Going On

There will be times for every leader where someone in their team makes them think “Why on earth have you done that?!”, but rather than jump to conclusions or punitive measures, good leaders make a habit of seeking to understand the real “why” behind the behaviour.

“When you see the way that somebody behaves, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What’s really driving that behaviour is under the surface. And when you understand what’s really happening, you can work together to try and improve the situation.

For example, if someone keeps being late, don’t jump to conclusions. Instead take a moment to think “why” and explore the issue together.

It could be as simple as moving their shift start time around family commitments, but you won’t know unless you take an interest in what’s really going on.” – Vinay Parmar, Managing Director at Customer Whisperers Limited

What Habits Do You Foster in Your Contact Centre Leaders?

Click here to join our NEW Readers Panel to share your experiences and feature in future Call Centre Helper articles.

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

• Clare Santos, Director, Knowledge & Quality, Customer Experience at Aviso
• Dan Pratt, Founder & Director of DAP Consultancy
• Dara Kiernan, leadership development and contact centre consultant
• Marco Jetmir Ndrecaj, Director of Customer Experience Management, Shared Services Connected Ltd
• Vinay Parmar, Managing Director at Customer Whisperers Limited

If you are looking for more information on great habits to nurture in your contact centre, read these articles next:

• 21 Amazing Habits to Foster in Your Frontline Agents
• 10 Customer Service Behaviours Every Contact Centre Agent Should Have
• Which Soft Skills Do CX Leaders Really Need?

Author: Megan Jones