Call Center Agent Empowerment
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 20, 2008
If you’ve been around the call center industry any length of time (say, 5 minutes), you’ve heard the buzz about “agent empowerment.” It’s a hip-sounding phrase, and if you’re a call center representative it has a nice ring to it. If you’re a call center manager, however, it may sound more vague and perhaps threatening to you (“I’m supposed to be the one with the power, right?”).
Of course, if you’re a call center manager, the chances are you’re a “people person,” anyway — since that’s an essential quality for success in the people-intensive call center environment — so you may already be touchy-feely and confident enough to appreciate the idea of empowering your employees. Don’t be scared: it will be good for you!
To help everyone understand the truth behind the buzz about agent empowerment, ICMI assigned our crack research team (that would be Greg Levin) to investigate. You can read the report for free if you’re an ICMI Member, or download it for $24.95 if you’re not so privileged. Here’s what you can expect:
Just how well are contact centers today empowering and engaging their agents? ICMI sought to answer this question by conducting a survey on the topic in October 2007. In all, 350 contact center professionals—representing a diverse range of countries, industries and center sizes—responded to the survey. The results indicate that most centers are doing a good job of empowering staff to meet customer demands and expectations; fewer centers, however, are giving agents ample power to improve key processes and practices that impact the center’s overall success.
It’s essential reading for call center professionals. Specifically, here’s what is included in the report:
- Agent Empowerment during Customer Contacts: impact on agent retention and engagement, and customer satisfaction
- Agent Empowerment with Regard to Processes and Practices: impact on hiring, training, quality assurance and coaching, rewards and recognition, interdepartmental relations/communication, technology improvement, customer satisfaction improvement
call center management 