How to Plan for Contact Centre Success

Heather Foley explains how you can plan for a successful year in your contact centre.

1. Be specific about what you want your team to achieve

What do you want to achieve by the end of the year? Be as specific as possible so that you can properly plan to achieve it.

Set SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound) for yourself and your team that will provide a path to success.

Remember, there’s no point in being unrealistic or over-ambitious.

2. Align any training with company requirements

Even seasoned CEOs need continuous training and development. To fulfil your ambitions and your team’s potential you will almost certainly need help to develop and train your skills.

Make sure you align any training with your personal ambitions and your company’s requirements. Otherwise, it could be a waste of time or upper management may simply refuse to fund it.

3. Break your plans down into quarterly targets

A year can feel like a long time. However, 12 weeks seems eminently manageable.

A useful technique can be to break up your plans into quarters. These are useful ‘sprints’ that will help you to see that you’re on track and make all activities and objectives seem real and achievable.

4. Make time for holidays and hobbies to avoid everyone burning out

Enlightened employers and employees realise that to achieve the most at work, it needs to be sustainable. So, as you’re putting your plans together, ensure you consider where holidays fit.

Similarly, making time for exercise and hobbies can help to make everyone happier, more productive and more likely to achieve their professional ambitions.

5. Lay the groundwork for next year as well

Although you’re focusing on just one year’s plan, it’s also useful to look further ahead.

For example, if you anticipate that your greatest opportunities lie in the future, spend this year putting in place what you’ll need.

A new year offers a chance for change, so don’t let it pass you by. With a strong and clear plan in place, you can feel confident that this time next year you’ll be able to look back with pride and be in a stronger position than ever. It’s a chance that’s too good to miss.

Heather Foley is a consultant at etsplc.com, HR consultancy and software provider