Call centers are intense environments with plenty of employees, processes and tasks to manage. Call center management refers to how leaders manage the center and includes activities such as forecasting, scheduling, queue management, agent training and coaching, and, of course, ensuring customer contacts are handled professionally and efficiently.
Because call centers are so fast-paced, things can fall apart quickly. Calls can come in well over forecast and agents call in sick, then suddenly the call queue is backed up and average wait times are through the roof. Taking an eye off the ball can wreck the customer experience. That's why best practice call center management techniques are proactive in nature. Effective call center managers are constantly monitoring and adjusting.
Fortunately, there are numerous software tools available to help with call center management efforts. Workforce management applications automate the number crunching that goes into accurate forecasting and agent scheduling, thereby ensuring agents are in the right place at the right time. Sophisticated analytics tools allow leaders to proactively monitor workloads, volume and trends. Training and quality assurance are supported by applications that provide content, scheduling and reporting. Call center management is still an elite skill, but these tools make it more manageable.
