The Important Role played by Team Leaders towards Call Center Agent Resignation
The Important Role played by Team Leaders towards Call Center Agent Resignation
by: Arlene Gentallan
In the call center industry, everyone is part of a team. It's the organization that helps keep it intact and manageable.
Handling each team is a team leader or a unit manager.
For the past several years I've been in the BPO industry, I've came across several team leaders. Observing how they perform their responsibilities, evaluating their management skill. And judging from which, I can say that team leaders do play a vital role to the team's overall performance and success.
Not long ago, I was told that for some reason yet to be figured out, one particular team leader has a significantly higher turnover rate of employee compared to her colleagues. That is to say, people who work under her supervision tend to resign.
It didn't take me long to figure out the reason behind the mystery.
For the record, I do think that in every call center out there, there will always be those set of people that'll make you rethink your goals and reconsider other opportunities.
When I was coached by my previous team leader, she'll give me words of encouragement, ask me question like "Would you like to take a higher position in the future?" and discuss with me points I should work on to reach my ambition.
But with my new team leader, I kind of felt it's out of place when she asked me "Are you the breadwinner of your family?" and reiterated that "If you want to stay in this company and continue catering to your family's needs, then you better work on your performance."
Yep, so much for encouragement. I do believe that in the call center industry, motivation is a paramount determinant of an agent's intent to resign. And I know that there are those team leaders that can motivate and those who cannot.
Also, I'm putting a stress mark that there's a thin chance in materializing improvement out of a threat. In line with this fact is the team leader's ability to coach.
"The coaching."
How can a team leader help this agent to meet the standards set for a given month?
My previous team leader coached me by first looking into my score card, looking into the individual aspect that makes up the month's target. Commending the good aspect I should keep up. Focusing on my weak parameters as a starting point. Working out with me towards a reachable plan of action.
Coaching is a continuous process of reinforcement. You can't expect someone to excel in one sitting. Improvement happens one step at a time. But I guess, our new team leader don't buy this concept because at times when we have a coaching session, she'll discuss with me my impending resignation. Or to be more accurate, she said "I'll do everything to make sure you get kick out of this company." Which by the way isn't legal as per company policy.
But that statement does solve most of the mystery. Looks like she's a filter, not a coach.
"The knowledge."
On the topic of a team leader's ability to conduct an effective coaching is the indispensable part played by the team leader's ability to impart knowledge.
The best thing I like about doing coaching with an experienced team leader is that she'll be able to share her best practices she's using way back when she's still at agent level. She can relate to what an agent is facing and in turn, be able to provide a proven solution.
But my new team leader figured I'm the call center agent and she's the supervisor so that means I'm the one taking in calls. She said "You're the one who knows your job better. What should you do to improve your score?"
That's peachy but had I knew the right modus operandi, there wouldn't be a need to do the talk.
Her resolution, me asking my team mate who is faring well on that certain aspect of the score card for help. Which I conclude is a crappy help coming from one of the best agent. I don't know if our team leader know that each agent in the call center is competing against all the other agents. Goodness doesn't just come out of a heart. But I know there are those agents who so willingly share their best practice, not this one though.
Concluding from that, it's paramount that there should be a knowledge to share in the first place. There's a big difference between reiterating that "that's a bad call" and being able to identify why it's a bad call, coming up with a cure.
Unfortunately, there are those team leaders who believe they're imparting knowledge when all they do is to lay orders on the table.
So, there's your motivation and coaching. Now, let's dive into stress.
"The stress."
A team leader's stress management has a bearing on how she interacts with the team.
My previous team leader is epic. She stays cool under pressure. Unfortunately, not our new team leader.
Team meetings should be about "giving updates" and "sharing positive points" not "ranting" and "blaming." For a starter, let me tell you that the call center is a stressful industry. Call center agents are definitely stressed at the end of their shift, and the last thing they would like on the menu is to hear out somebody's frustration for one full hour before they go home.
With my previous team leader, team members are willing to stay for a team huddle at the expense of their unpaid time. But with our new team leader, agents always want to skip. You know what our new team leader did?
She rolled out an email notifying everyone of a mandate she constructed by herself. That those who do not attend the unpaid team meeting at the end of the shift will be terminated on the grounds of insubordination. Which by the way, again I'm saying isn't legal as per company policy.
Come to think of it, this team leader always seem to want to bend rules to meet her demand.
I believe people are willing to listen provided the talk is helpful and constructive. I mean, not only that our new team leader uses meeting as an outlet of her stress and frustration, she also have a tendency to go on circles. I can even wander off my mind for several minutes while she's doing the talk only to come back to my senses with her still delving on the same thing. I'm telling you, she can discuss a small tiny dot for hours.
"The value."
...Demotivation
Ineffective coaching
Stress
A lot of reason to file resignation. But I think, what cuts the cheese is poor employee morale.
Why would you want to work for someone who treats you like a trash? Why would you want to stay if no one believes in you, when you're already labeled as failure? When you cry because all they see are your mistakes. They don't understand. There's no peace of mind.
It's all about value. People will always want to go to that place where their potential is appreciated. Where they could be happy. If it's not here, then it's somewhere else...
Summary of Contents:
The motivation.
The coaching.
The knowledge.
The stress.
The value.
by: Arlene Gentallan
 |
| The Important Role played by Team Leaders towards Call Center Agent Resignation |
Handling each team is a team leader or a unit manager.
For the past several years I've been in the BPO industry, I've came across several team leaders. Observing how they perform their responsibilities, evaluating their management skill. And judging from which, I can say that team leaders do play a vital role to the team's overall performance and success.
Not long ago, I was told that for some reason yet to be figured out, one particular team leader has a significantly higher turnover rate of employee compared to her colleagues. That is to say, people who work under her supervision tend to resign.
It didn't take me long to figure out the reason behind the mystery.
For the record, I do think that in every call center out there, there will always be those set of people that'll make you rethink your goals and reconsider other opportunities.
Starting-off with...
"The motivation."
"The motivation."
When I was coached by my previous team leader, she'll give me words of encouragement, ask me question like "Would you like to take a higher position in the future?" and discuss with me points I should work on to reach my ambition.
But with my new team leader, I kind of felt it's out of place when she asked me "Are you the breadwinner of your family?" and reiterated that "If you want to stay in this company and continue catering to your family's needs, then you better work on your performance."
Yep, so much for encouragement. I do believe that in the call center industry, motivation is a paramount determinant of an agent's intent to resign. And I know that there are those team leaders that can motivate and those who cannot.
Also, I'm putting a stress mark that there's a thin chance in materializing improvement out of a threat. In line with this fact is the team leader's ability to coach.
"The coaching."
How can a team leader help this agent to meet the standards set for a given month?
My previous team leader coached me by first looking into my score card, looking into the individual aspect that makes up the month's target. Commending the good aspect I should keep up. Focusing on my weak parameters as a starting point. Working out with me towards a reachable plan of action.
Coaching is a continuous process of reinforcement. You can't expect someone to excel in one sitting. Improvement happens one step at a time. But I guess, our new team leader don't buy this concept because at times when we have a coaching session, she'll discuss with me my impending resignation. Or to be more accurate, she said "I'll do everything to make sure you get kick out of this company." Which by the way isn't legal as per company policy.
But that statement does solve most of the mystery. Looks like she's a filter, not a coach.
"The knowledge."
On the topic of a team leader's ability to conduct an effective coaching is the indispensable part played by the team leader's ability to impart knowledge.
The best thing I like about doing coaching with an experienced team leader is that she'll be able to share her best practices she's using way back when she's still at agent level. She can relate to what an agent is facing and in turn, be able to provide a proven solution.
But my new team leader figured I'm the call center agent and she's the supervisor so that means I'm the one taking in calls. She said "You're the one who knows your job better. What should you do to improve your score?"
That's peachy but had I knew the right modus operandi, there wouldn't be a need to do the talk.
Her resolution, me asking my team mate who is faring well on that certain aspect of the score card for help. Which I conclude is a crappy help coming from one of the best agent. I don't know if our team leader know that each agent in the call center is competing against all the other agents. Goodness doesn't just come out of a heart. But I know there are those agents who so willingly share their best practice, not this one though.
Concluding from that, it's paramount that there should be a knowledge to share in the first place. There's a big difference between reiterating that "that's a bad call" and being able to identify why it's a bad call, coming up with a cure.
Unfortunately, there are those team leaders who believe they're imparting knowledge when all they do is to lay orders on the table.
So, there's your motivation and coaching. Now, let's dive into stress.
"The stress."
A team leader's stress management has a bearing on how she interacts with the team.
My previous team leader is epic. She stays cool under pressure. Unfortunately, not our new team leader.
Team meetings should be about "giving updates" and "sharing positive points" not "ranting" and "blaming." For a starter, let me tell you that the call center is a stressful industry. Call center agents are definitely stressed at the end of their shift, and the last thing they would like on the menu is to hear out somebody's frustration for one full hour before they go home.
With my previous team leader, team members are willing to stay for a team huddle at the expense of their unpaid time. But with our new team leader, agents always want to skip. You know what our new team leader did?
She rolled out an email notifying everyone of a mandate she constructed by herself. That those who do not attend the unpaid team meeting at the end of the shift will be terminated on the grounds of insubordination. Which by the way, again I'm saying isn't legal as per company policy.
Come to think of it, this team leader always seem to want to bend rules to meet her demand.
I believe people are willing to listen provided the talk is helpful and constructive. I mean, not only that our new team leader uses meeting as an outlet of her stress and frustration, she also have a tendency to go on circles. I can even wander off my mind for several minutes while she's doing the talk only to come back to my senses with her still delving on the same thing. I'm telling you, she can discuss a small tiny dot for hours.
"The value."
...Demotivation
Ineffective coaching
Stress
A lot of reason to file resignation. But I think, what cuts the cheese is poor employee morale.
Why would you want to work for someone who treats you like a trash? Why would you want to stay if no one believes in you, when you're already labeled as failure? When you cry because all they see are your mistakes. They don't understand. There's no peace of mind.
It's all about value. People will always want to go to that place where their potential is appreciated. Where they could be happy. If it's not here, then it's somewhere else...
Summary of Contents:
The motivation.
The coaching.
The knowledge.
The stress.
The value.
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