Remote team management is challenging. People can’t sit together in the break room and build casual rapport. We can’t just glance down the aisle to see if someone is at their desk or not. And you don’t hear that hum of an active contact center operations floor.
I’ve been reading a lot about tools and strategies to help agents, but what about supervisors?
Here’s some food for thought on ways to help supervisors build stronger remote teams:
Communication
Communication is key. Supervisors need omni-channel, asynchronous communication. Phone (with and without video), email, chat, and text are all critical means of communicating with remote teams. What works best during a Monday morning peak may not be best for a mid-week lull. Having multiple ways to reach out to individuals and groups is a must.
What is asynchronous communication? Simply put, it is a dialogue that doesn’t happen all at the same time. A text may have several minutes lag time before a response is received. A call may result in a voicemail and a callback.
Extended delays are cause for concern, but don’t expect an immediate response. Agents may not be available at all times, don’t distract them from their primary goal: providing great service.
Rewards and Recognition
Supervisors are expected to dole out rewards and recognition to their team members. There should be similar rewards for the supervisor(s) who maintain the best teams. Often times, the entire team shares in the reward for group performance, but it’s important to make a special call out to the leader who motivated the team to meet or exceed its goals.
Training
Training can come in many forms. First, a formal leadership development curriculum is needed so new Supervisors can quickly excel in their role. At minimum, it should cover tools and technologies, coaching strategies, and inter-departmental SOP. But it doesn’t stop there, Supervisors need coaching and up-training, too.
Supervisors who have not been trained properly are not set up to succeed, and failure to perform by a Supervisor can lead to failure to perform by 15 to 20 agents.
Avoid these types of systemic performance struggles by laying the proper foundation, and taking the time to invest in your Supervisors’ success.
