Coaching

We live in a challenging, high-stress time that has become known as the new normal. Unfortunately, it has led too often to frayed tempers, rudeness, and a lack of respect. All of which collide...

As an enthusiast of nature and intelligence for the majority of my life, I was fortunate to be introduced to artificial intelligence (AI) when it wasn’t still a buzzword, even in dusty computer labs...

There is no question that managers wield a powerful sword. In fact, 75% of voluntary turnover is attributed to poor employee-manager relationships. (You read that right: Three out of every four people who voluntarily...

Hybrid, remote, or fully in-person? This month, our top blog posts are all about how to move forward in the new normal. Our authors offer insights on hiring and training remotely, the best ways...

In centers that suffer from high absenteeism, you'll typically find disengaged supervisors. Like agents, supervisors who are performing the same coaching tasks day in and day out can get into a rut. Disengaged supervisors...

2022 has been a pivotal turning point in the age of sales, risk, and technology. Traditional business-to-business (B2B) selling strategies, through inside contact centers and mobile in the field, have been replaced by data-driven...

Despite the critical role that they play in employee satisfaction and retention, frontline supervisors often are not provided with the training on how to drive engagement through coaching. New supervisors tend to approach agent coaching...

I just wrapped up my 13th anniversary message for the March issue of Contact Center Pipeline. In doing so, I was reflecting on our very first issues of the magazine back in 2008. Just...

A call comes into my line at 5:50 pm, just 10 minutes before the call center closes, I do my greeting, and the caller requests to change his grandmother’s health plan selection. Assuming that he...

Remember when “coaching” was represented by reports shoved in front of agents with lots of red circles accompanied by motivating messages like, “Good quality, but you need to get that adherence rate up to...

Now that call centers have transitioned to working from home, many managers and supervisors are finding coaching remotely to have its challenges. Managers often go into “survival mode” and put coaching on the back...

I knew I was in trouble! I was driving down the highway with my lovely wife, Jana, when we spotted a traffic jam up ahead. I suggested we stay on the highway, since it...

Our coaches occupy the most critical blocks on our organizational charts. Wedged between those who set the policies for handling customers and those who carry out those policies, it is our coaches—supervisors mostly, but...

I’ve always known that I must listen more than I speak when coaching an agent. However, when I first became a team lead, I was always thinking about my response while the other person...

We kick off our top 5 blog posts this month with a top 5 favorite, "20 Empathy Statements to Show Stressed-Out Customers That You Care." Leslie published this article back in 2020, and it...

The word “load” appears in many familiar idioms and phrases. We might “carbo load” before a race or “get loaded” over the weekend. As well, heavy equipment operators must keep an eye out for...

It is a good news/troubling news story for contact centers. How they and their supplier partners plan and respond will help determine how well the industry succeeds in the post-COVID-19 pandemic “new normal” era. On...

Can you recall a story that took you on an emotional roller coaster ride and ended with an essential motto or lesson? Over the past decade of providing call center coaching and training, my...

In 2020, the sudden shift to work-from-home (WFH) status for contact center employees felt chaotic and temporary. In 2021 it became a necessary, but less than optimal, way to keep businesses moving forward. But...

Customer experience, employee engagement and sales results are driven by effective coaching. Coaching helps develop your agents’ skills. Done right, it also improves morale and employee retention. However, coaching needs to be done on...