So, you’ve been told that your role as a supervisor is primarily that of coach. You “buy in” to all the theory and research that tells us that customer experience, employee engagement and company revenues all increase when call center representatives receive a significant... Read more

There are few business units that enjoy the robust reporting tools that call centers possess. Where else in the company can you get a true real time view of the overall performance of a department, team, or representative? Call center technology providers have done an excellent job... Read more

The global economic crisis of 2009 has been done to death. I mean wherever you look, you have articles, blogs, Web pages, TV shows and even the odd book or two—all warning, preaching, scaring us into numbed acceptance that the economy will never achieve its... Read more

Cheeks in the seat. Bums in the chair. A warm body. A pulse with a brain. These are just a few of the descriptions I have heard to express the selection criteria for a call center representative. With Summer on its way we need to start thinking about how to be smarter about our seasonal... Read more

Drucker’s views on call center strategy were quite different from those taught by others. He did not believe in “portfolio management” or quantitative methods for strategy development. Drucker felt that every situation had to be approached individually and with common sense... Read more

As a call center leader, opening a newspaper or checking online news services can be a frightening proposition that makes you want to crawl right back into bed. Companies are filing for bankruptcy, or closing their doors completely, at an alarming rate. Yet despite the doom and gloom, some... Read more

The call center is getting a bad rap because they’ve got a bad rep. As least this is what my husband thinks. And since he’s about as removed from the call center business as you can get, I thought his insight was refreshing. This is why I asked him to continue.... Read more

Star Date 2314. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise...With these words, movie and television viewers all over the world realize they are in for another hair-raising, interstellar adventure of the Enterprise and its courageous Captain James T. Kirk and First Officer Mr. Spock. Read more

Average Handle Time, the total time a call center takes, divided by the total number of calls it receives or makes, is never a good thing on its own. Speaking as a manager from an analyst background, if you have access to data including average handle time, then it is a duty to report on the... Read more

Call path control is the key to successful call center customer service and client relationships. Dead air should be killed, and filled. It is not a crime to kill dead air, it is a service to everyone! When the call times are not too long, and the customer gets the service he deserves, the... Read more