Make coaching in a timely manner a New Year's Resolution

Many contact centers have a goal of completing a number of quality evaluations per agent per month. What is less often talked about is the timeliness of those evaluations and how long after a call agents typically receive feedback.   

According to John McCarthy, Education Consultant, Advocate for Student Voice in Learning for the most impact, and to ensure the context is not lost and forgotten, feedback and coaching should be given in 24-48 hours.

Impossible in the contact center?  Maybe not. In previous articles we’ve talked about the concept of Micro learning and electronic coaching packages.  These are typically short, relevant segments of content (a recorded call, an evaluation, a supervisors spoken commentary) that can be delivered directly to the agent at their desks. The coaching package can be used as a tactic in between classroom training sessions and one-on-one, in person meetings. The use of electronic coaching packages is effective with the right tools because it can not only be personalized but it can be presented more frequently. Consider especially your remote staff. With continuous and timely feedback, your work at home agents can get the attention they so desire. Try to mix things up a bit. Send your agents a note of appreciation or recognition from different coaching staff or maybe their peers, not just from their immediate supervisor.

Take Camis for example.  Camis, a camping grounds reservation center, has a unique seasonal nature in their contact center. And while onboarding and training is thorough, intermediate coaching is key to keeping their agents informed. Camis relies on targeted, customized agent coaching and it makes a big impact on their agents.  “Leveraging coaching packages has really improved our coaching and performance because now we can give our agents feedback just as soon as they get off the phone,” said Victoria MacKenzie, human resources coordinator for Camis. “They’re not waiting for two weeks until they meet with their coach. Instead, they get real-time, immediate feedback that they can apply to the next call.”

Meeting feedback and coaching goals in any size contact center can be difficult without the right tools and the supporting processes in place. Want to learn more?  Contact Envision for a brief review of coaching and monitoring in action.