Agents see their job in the call center as an extension of the years they spent in school. Supervisors see that metaphor as well. School is a symbol all employees can relate to, whatever their country of origin, because everybody that works in a call center has lived through the experience of school years. Supervisors will sometimes talk about their agents and refer to them as “my kids.” We’ve heard supervisors say “My kids are doing great.” Or, “The kids are loose again,” or my favorite, “All right everyone, play time is over, back to your desks.” Supervisors know from their school experience that their role mimics the teacher’s role. The meaning of supervisors equating agents to school kids is not to demean the intelligence of the agents, it is to emphasize the similarities between school and the call center that everybody can relate to.
Parallel 1 – Cliques and Styles
We can all remember the cliques that formed in middle school and jr. and high school. People gravitated towards the group that had people most like them, or most like who they wanted to be. The cliques were a big part of each student’s experience in school. The same is true in call centers. Supervisors must recognize that agents bond differently with one another based on a multitude of factors. Remember in school when you would eat lunch with your group of friends? Usually those groups were somewhat familiar. Agents treat lunch the same way. Remember in school how you only liked certain classes, parts of the day, and certain teachers but not others? Agents view the call center the same way. For example, agents may dislike taking member servcie calls from Alabama, but love taking calls from Oregon. Agents may dislike one supervisor but value the intelligence and input of another. And agents may dislike making outbound telsales calls to prospects before 10 a.m., but love to do so after 2 p.m.
TO READ MORE, INCLUDING 3 MORE PARALLELS BETWEEN THE CALL CENTER AND SCHOOL, DOWNLOAD THE WHITEPAPER “HOW CALL CENTERS ARE LIKE SCHOOLS!” HERE http://store.callcentertoday.com/frwhpa1.html
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Call Center Today training and consulting features the most in-depth development of training academies for companies. It becomes their academy, literally a custom-designed University for managers and on-the-phone staff. In particular, we have developed numerous training acadamies for corporations of all sizes. They are structured, deep, and full of complete learning solutions.
The best part of a call center learning academy is that it can be what the organization needs, concise and tactical. That means classes can be taught on how to communicate in English or third party languages; how to classes for the phone; how to classes on management; classes on products and services, etc. And it becomes a staple of the culture. The learning academies that Call Center Today builds becomes a spirited, warm learning environment of on-going and forever training.
Really, it is about infrastructure. Planning the classes, build the curriculum, identifying the channels such as classroom and e-learning, hiring the instructors, planning the times. Once that is complete, it is about organizing the delivery, consistently. For new hires, veterans, and all personnel.
For more information on how Call Center Today can help your organization build a learning and training call center academy in your business please contact us at MyCallCenter@CallCenterToday.com or call 888-835-5326.
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Enjoy the latest and FREE audio training podcast on call center management. It’s a 30 minute webinar on the 10 key strategies to call center management. Call Center Consulting ready for you to implement in your contact center.
Visit http://store.callcentertoday.com/10watobemayo.html to order the FREE 30 minute audio podcast on the 10 key lessons to call center management. It is hosted by Call Center Today.
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Call Center Today is doing some amazing programs for our clients, it has been a fantastic month of May. We had back to back spectacular trade shows and garnered several new clients, from Response Expo and ASTD. Before that, we enjoyed a dynamite conference with the ATA in Washington, DC.
On the web site we added several channels for our clients to better strengthen the relationship. The click to chat button allows chat access, and we posted 10 new whitepapers and audio podcasts, free to download for training. We also added our facebook page to complement our twitter and linked in accounts. And, we create a poll which we will update regularly, come on by to enjoy the poll and see what others are saying about call center management.
All in all, great new clients, spectacular new social communication tools, and lots of energy at Call Center Today. We are deeply proud of the entire team, and so lucky to have top clients who allow us to help! — Dan Coen
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Call Center Today has new call center training tools @ www.CallCenterToday.com for links to Facebook, Live Chat, Linked In Group, Whitepapers, You Tube & More
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The Call Center Today team will be exhibiting at ASTD Chicago next week, May 17-19, 2010. Please stop by the booth number is #245. As usual, we are giving away a buffet full of books, whitepapers, audio CD’s, and more.
Call Center Today focuses exclusively on management consulting. Top organizations recognize that Call Center Today is a special consulting partner. Whether your company is selling products and services, building management practices and training, or delivering that special touch of customer care, you will see that the magic of exceptional inside sales and customer care results is contagious. Our team of consultants are spectacular, nurturing, and very good at training and consulting.
More info? Email MyCallCenter@CallCenterToday.com.
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March 5, 2012 8:03 am | 
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