How to build an effective employee experience strategy
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Effective contact center coaching is key to enhancing agent performance and ensuring outstanding customer service. In this article, 23 industry professionals share their insights, strategies, and recommended tools to elevate coaching practices. From real-time feedback techniques to leveraging AI-driven analytics, these leaders provide actionable advice on how to build a coaching culture that drives results.
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In this article:
- What is contact center coaching?
- Contact center coaching techniques
- Tips, techniques & tools for effective contact center coaching
- Elevate agent performance with CallMiner Coach
- Frequently asked questions
What Is contact center coaching?
Contact center coaching is an essential process for enhancing performance and ensuring operational excellence. It aims to equip agents with the skills, knowledge, and confidence necessary to deliver exceptional customer experiences.
By fostering an environment of continuous improvement, contact center coaching not only empowers individual employees but also contributes to overall organizational success. Through tailored feedback, monitored interactions, and targeted skill-building exercises, contact center coaching seeks to optimize agent performance, streamline communication processes, and ultimately improve customer satisfaction.
. @Gallup found only 33% of employees are engaged at work, with a lack of clarity in expectations being a leading factor. One area this is particularly prevelant? Customer service.
— CallMiner, Inc. (@CallMiner) August 13, 2024
Head to the CallMiner blog to learn how #AI-driven feedback and real-time coaching can help.
Contact center coaching techniques
Many techniques can be used in contact center coaching. A few of the most commonly used techniques include:
- Real-time monitoring and analytics: This technique involves evaluating agent interactions through advanced software tools that analyze calls, chats, or emails in order to identify strengths and areas for improvement. By leveraging data-driven insights, supervisors can provide precise feedback tailored to individual performance metrics.
- Personalized coaching sessions: These one-on-one meetings are designed to foster open communication between agents and their coaches, allowing for a deeper exploration of challenges faced during customer interactions. During these sessions, agents can discuss specific scenarios, receive constructive feedback , and collaborate on developing strategies to enhance their skills.
- Peer coaching: This method encourages experienced agents to mentor newer team members, sharing best practices and insights from their own experiences. Peer coaching fosters a collaborative environment where agents feel supported by their colleagues, promoting a sense of teamwork that can lead to improved morale and performance across the board.
- Gamification: By incorporating game-like elements into training and coaching processes—such as leaderboards, badges, or rewards for achieving specific goals—organizations can motivate agents to engage more actively in their development. Gamification makes learning enjoyable and encourages healthy competition among agents, driving them to strive for excellence.
- Role-playing: This hands-on approach allows agents to practice handling various customer scenarios in a controlled environment. Role-playing not only enhances agents' problem-solving skills but also aids in building confidence when dealing with real customers. Coaches can observe these exercises and provide immediate feedback, helping agents refine their techniques and adapt to different situations effectively.
- Ongoing training: Ongoing training programs complement the coaching efforts by providing agents with updated knowledge about products, services, and industry trends. Continuous learning ensures that agents are well-equipped to handle diverse customer inquiries and challenges.
For more insights on the most effective contact center coaching techniques and tools, we reached out to a panel of contact center professionals and business leaders and asked them to answer this question: “What are your top tips, techniques, and tools for effective contact center coaching?”
Tips, techniques & tools for effective contact center coaching
Keep reading to learn what our panel had to say about their top tips, techniques, and tools for effective contact center coaching.
Martin Gasparian
Martin Gasparian is the owner and attorney at Maison Law. He’s a business aficionado with a passion for justice. Before establishing his own law firm, he worked for various major corporations, gaining valuable experience in the field.
“Our call center agents are unique because of what they are trained for…”
Apart from being trained in the basics of call center duties, we also ensure they obtain solid legal training. This is important for our legal firm to gain the trust of our prospective clients. To ensure this call center coaching is effective, we set a minimum of 90 days to prepare them for everything else in the call center.
This ample time is crucial as we aim to minimize errors that arise from inadequate training. Our goal is to fine-tune their expertise to the level where it's grounded in basic legal training, call center etiquette, and mastery of the tech tools we use.
Speaking of the tech tools that we use, we use simple tools that our employees find easier to learn within the training period. Aside from using landlines, we also have apps that our customers can use to make a call even when they are far away from our head office.
So far, I am glad we haven't received any complaints from our customers. This attests to the fact that we give our call center agents enough time to learn everything that helps them in their role.
Melissa Meyers
With over 25 years in Financial Services, Melissa used innovative talent management and business strategies to promote competitive advantage. In 2020, her passion for helping others led her to focus on Professional Coaching. She holds several professional designations including Certified Professional Coach and Certified Change Management Professional.
“One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is that…”
90% of service leaders know their quality programs rarely reflect the customer’s experience, but they don’t know why or how to fix it.
Leaders incent the behavior they reward. If your quality program relies on a checklist, the customer experience will feel transactional.
Reps can earn high scores by acknowledging, using please and thank you, confirming understanding, providing accurate information, summarizing next steps, and closing the call with a script. However, this doesn't truly reflect the customer's experience, as each customer is unique.
Tips, techniques, and tools for effective contact center coaching:
- Ditch the cookie-cutter approach: Replace strict checklists with flexible guidelines based on competencies and skills, encouraging reps to deliver personalized and authentic service.
- Rethink coaching frequency: Avoid frequent coaching on individual calls. Instead, listen to multiple calls over time to identify trends and coach periodically based on individual growth needs. Utilize AI and data analytics if possible.
- Personalize coaching focus: Don't coach every rep on the same things. Partner with each rep to select a few areas to continue and a few to improve, allowing them to identify best practices authentic to them.
- Stop scoring: Scoring doesn't accurately reflect the customer’s experience, and there's no such thing as a perfect call.
Jose-Miguel Pache Duran
Jose-Miguel is the Communication Coordinator at i24 Call Management Solutions, one of Canada’s premier answering service providers. He leads a dynamic team dedicated to providing seamless communication solutions to businesses across various industries.
"My top tip would be to ensure that your training team regularly does the tasks that they teach your agents…”
This means being up to date with the new accounts, taking calls occasionally, etc. In other words, your trainers need to be able to replace your best agent in a heartbeat. Theoretical knowledge can only go so far; they need practical refreshers too.
We make each agent take a personality test to find out the best approach to teach them. Each trainer has been trained to adapt their approach for each type.
We use video training a lot as it saves time and ensure everyone gets the same information. We use Camtasia for videos and Talent LMS as our LMS platform. I’d recommend both as they are efficient and user-friendly.
Vikas Kaushik
Vikas Kaushik is the CEO at TechAhead and an expert in the field of IT.
“To be effective, coaching at a contact center must be individualized and focus on each employee's areas of strength and improvement…”
Use particular instances from each agent's calls to customize your feedback based on how well they performed. To encourage best practices, highlight excellent actions, and provide helpful criticism along with doable recommendations for development.
Frequent one-on-one meetings create a positive atmosphere that encourages agents to feel appreciated and driven to improve their abilities. By putting in place a feedback loop, agents can demonstrate progress, apply new methods, and seek clarification—all of which contribute to ongoing improvement and improved performance.
Rongzhong Li
Rongzhong Li is the CEO/Founder of Petoi, a programmable bionic robot pet shop for adults and kids with applications in robotics education, STEM, coding, AI learning, and human companionship.
“I rely on regular one-on-one sessions, real-time feedback, and performance analytics…”
Tools like call recording software help identify areas for improvement, while role-playing scenarios boost confidence and skills. Encouraging a culture of continuous learning and using dashboards to track progress ensures our team stays motivated and performs at their best.
Gabe Garcia
Gabe Garcia is the Founder of PierrePark. PierrePark shares the love that every furparent has for their dogs through its nutrient-rich single ingredient dog treats, which are crafted exclusively from the finest USA sweet potatoes.
“Effective contact center coaching relies on…”
Clear goal-setting, regular one-on-one sessions for feedback, and leveraging tools like call monitoring and role-playing. These methods help identify areas for improvement and enhance agent skills, while performance analytics provide real-time insights to optimize team performance and achieve business goals consistently.
Josh Volpe
Josh Volpe is the Chief Marketing Officer at Kind Water Systems.
“Providing ample resources and a structured plan are crucial to effective contact center coaching…”
Your team has to be guided through the process of achieving their goals, even if you articulate specific expectations. If employees don't get the right guidance, they might struggle to achieve success, leading to frustration and failure.
Start by providing comprehensive contact center training materials that cover both fundamentals and advanced techniques. It could include detailed tutorials, step-by-step guides, or industry-specific knowledge bases. For best practices and insights, consider regular workshops or webinars led by professionals.
Then, create an action plan that outlines every step needed to reach their goals. It should include milestones, check-ins for feedback, and a realistic timeline. Additionally, pairing team members with mentors or coaches can offer personalized support and help with specific challenges.
Lastly, modern technology could also improve coaching. Our coaches use Coach VICI, a cloud-based platform that gives real-time feedback, tracks performance, and customizes coaching plans. Additionally, speech analytics software can identify communication skills that need improvement, and gamification platforms can motivate and engage employees.
Raisha Shrestha
Raisha, marketing manager of Ling, has a wealth of experience in marketing and branding apps within the gaming and edtech industries. Her data driven practices and vision have helped brands to increase reach, installs, and user retention. Raisha specializes in email CRM, growth marketing, ads and much more.
“First, I suggest focusing on personalized feedback…”
Tailoring coaching to individual strengths and areas for improvement creates a more impactful experience. Utilize performance metrics and call recordings to provide actionable insights that resonate with agents.
Second, take advantage of advanced training tools like AI-driven analytics and simulation software. These tools can pinpoint training needs and simulate real-life scenarios for hands-on practice.
Third, foster a supportive environment where agents feel comfortable sharing their challenges and successes. Encouraging open communication helps build trust and promotes continuous learning.
However, instead of overemphasizing structured training programs, consider adopting a more fluid approach— adapting training to the evolving needs of agents and market conditions. This flexibility can be more effective than rigid schedules and set curricula.
Marin Cristian-Ovidiu
Marin Cristian-Ovidiu, CEO of Online Games, is a dynamic and passionate technology enthusiast with a deep-seated love for tackling new challenges. With an impressive background that spans several years in IT development, Marin has carved out a niche for himself as an expert in project management, game design, and game development.
“I recommend starting with a transparent feedback system where agents receive consistent updates on their performance…”
This should include regular reviews and instant feedback to encourage quick adjustments and growth.
Next, focus on continuous learning by developing training programs that cover both the soft skills and technical knowledge needed for stellar customer service. Then, implement e-learning platforms that agents can use at their convenience, making sure they can brush up on complex topics whenever necessary.
Lastly, make the most of technologies like call monitoring and analytics tools. These actually provide great insights into how agents are performing and what customers are feeling, allowing for targeted coaching in areas that need improvement.
Mary Zhang
Mary leads Dgtl Infra's Data Center coverage, analyzing major players like Equinix and Digital Realty. With 5+ years of experience, she focuses on hyperscale, colocation, cloud, and edge computing sectors. A graduate of Duke University with an MBA, Mary previously worked as a Lead Strategy and Consultant in the data center industry.
“Effective contact center coaching is crucial for maintaining high customer satisfaction and agent performance…”
We've implemented several strategies that have significantly improved our customer support outcomes.
One of our most successful techniques is real-time call monitoring and feedback. We use AI-powered speech analytics tools to identify key moments in customer interactions, allowing coaches to provide immediate guidance. This approach has reduced our average handling time by 15% while improving customer satisfaction scores by 20%.
Another essential strategy is personalized coaching plans. We analyze individual agent performance data to create tailored improvement strategies.
For instance, we noticed one agent struggling with technical queries. By focusing their training on our product knowledge base, we saw a 30% increase in their first-call resolution rate within a month.
Gamification has also proven highly effective. We implemented a points-based system rewarding various performance metrics, which increased agent engagement by 40%. This friendly competition not only boosted morale but also naturally improved key performance indicators across the board.
In terms of tools, we've found great success with Calabrio ONE for workforce management and quality assurance. Its comprehensive analytics have helped us optimize scheduling and identify coaching opportunities, resulting in a 25% improvement in overall contact center efficiency.
Stefanie Amorin
Stefanie Amorin is a proficient web developer, skilled in WordPress, data entry and analysis, and transcription. She presently oversees projects for Japan-101.com. Stefanie earned her bachelor's degree in Pharmacy from Negros Oriental State University and has honed her wide range of expertise in marketing and customer service with her previous roles.
“In my experience, integrating feedback as a regular part of the workflow, rather than an occasional review, encourages ongoing improvement and learning…”
This approach not only enhances individual performance but also builds a supportive team environment.
Agents become more open to receiving and acting on feedback, seeing it as an opportunity for personal and professional growth rather than criticism. Plus, this culture helps identify areas for improvement in real-time, allowing for swift adjustments and better customer service outcomes.
Implementing this continuous feedback loop requires a commitment from all levels of management to maintain openness and support throughout the organization.
Steve Sacona
Steven Sacona, a legal writer at Top 10 Lawyers, is a seasoned legal writer with a strong track record in the legal sector, focusing on law & justice. Skilled in crafting compelling copy, developing content, and optimizing for search engines and direct marketing.
“One effective method for coaching in contact centers is…”
Using call recordings to analyze real customer interactions.
You see, this gives managers and agents the chance to listen back and pinpoint what worked well and where there’s room for improvement. Reviewing specific calls allows coaches to highlight strong performances or missed opportunities, providing clear, actionable feedback.
It also encourages agents to reflect on their own work, recognizing patterns they can build on or adjust. Since the focus is on real conversations rather than hypothetical scenarios, the feedback feels more relevant and grounded.
This method not only boosts service quality but also gives agents practical insights they can apply directly to future interactions.
Jonas Torrang
Jonas Torrang, a Visionary in AI, Technology, and Prosthetics, was born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden. He is the co-founder of IsBrave.com, an innovative platform dedicated to becoming the ultimate resource for amputees. IsBrave.com aims to be the go-to hub where people can find all the information they need to navigate their new lives, from support groups to reviews of the latest prosthetics and much more.
“A fantastic technique for contact center coaching is to incorporate some role-playing real-life scenarios…”
This lets agents practice handling difficult customer situations in a low-pressure setting.
Going through different types of interactions, like tough complaints or challenging sales calls, agents can build their confidence and fine-tune their responses before dealing with real customers. The idea is to help them sharpen their problem-solving skills and improve how they communicate.
Role-playing also allows for quick feedback, making the learning process more engaging and immediate. Though it can take some time, investing in these practice sessions helps agents become better prepared and more adaptable, leading to stronger performance on live calls.
Nathalie Llanto
Nathalie Llanto is the Manager at Shopthemer.com. Nathalie excels at crafting compelling brand narratives and merges her strategic marketing prowess with a passion for WordPress to provide comprehensive resources, expert insights, and a curated collection of high-quality themes and plugins.
“One effective approach to contact center coaching is providing real-time feedback…”
Addressing issues immediately after an interaction helps agents quickly make adjustments while the experience is still fresh. Call monitoring tools also play a great role by letting supervisors review live or recorded calls to spot areas for improvement like communication or problem-solving.
Using performance dashboards is another helpful strategy, as it tracks metrics and shows where agents are doing well and where they could improve.
Personalizing coaching sessions based on this data makes the process more practical and impactful, ultimately benefiting both the agent and customer experience.
Carla Niña Pornelos
Carla Niña Pornelos is the General Manager at Wardnasse. With a rich background in contemporary art and a keen eye for innovation, Carla is passionate about celebrating modern artistic expression's diversity and thought-provoking nature.
“Role-playing would be a fantastic method to use as this allows agents to practice handling challenging customer situations in a relaxed setting…”
In turn, this helps to boost their confidence and problem-solving skills.
It also gives supervisors the chance to offer specific feedback on how agents can improve. Call shadowing is good too. It's essentially where supervisors listen in on live calls—providing a more accurate view of how agents manage real-time customer interactions, revealing areas for improvement that might not be captured by metrics alone.
One-on-one coaching sessions are also important for personal growth. These meetings should focus on building the agent's strengths while addressing areas for development, creating a positive space for them to grow and refine their skills.
Gabriel Lukov
Gabriel Lukov is the Head of Inbound Growth at Businessmap, where he drives enterprise agility through innovative strategies and a commitment to continuous improvement and honest communication.
“Firstly, regular, constructive feedback is crucial…”
Real-time feedback allows agents to immediately improve their performance. Secondly, employing agile methodologies in coaching can facilitate continual learning and flexible adaptation.
Lastly, leverage tools for performance analysis. Reviewing agents' performance metrics can pinpoint areas needing improvement and enable setting clear, achievable goals.
These strategies have consistently proved beneficial in my inbound growth work, promoting continuous improvement, and maintaining high standards of customer service.
David Martirosian
David Martirosian helps other digital agencies scale and grow their brands. He’s the Founder of Galaxy Growth Media, a full-service local SEO agency, and Co-Founder of Evolve Mala, crystal jewelry brand based in Texas.
“My best and most important tip is not to use a blanket approach when it comes to training your reps…”
I've seen a lot of managers who told everyone the same thing, reprimanded everyone the same way, and generally, just looked like they didn't care.
Your reps need to feel valued and understood. They need to see that you care. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses, so a blanket approach to coaching rarely ever works.
Secondly, when you spend individual time, you have the opportunity to recognize and reinforce what each rep is doing right, and for those working in a call center, is an unbeatable feeling that can compound into greater motivation and better performance.
Jan Brandrup
The patriarch and current leader of wellness company, Neurogan, Jan Brandrup is a seasoned businessman with over 25 years of professional experience. From production manager to lead engineer, to CEO, he has and will continue to use his decades of experience to create a thriving business that helps people improve their wellness routine with the use of Premium Scandinavian CBD.
“When the first business owner declared, ‘The customer is always right!’ I dare to say they never thought e-commerce would be the business way of the future…”
E-commerce companies (and many other industries) around the world use call centers. My business is based online, and through many years of successful selling and customer service, I have learned just how integral effective call center administration is to my company's bottom line and guarantee of repeat business.
One way I ensure those who work in such settings are ready to represent my company through virtual means is dedicated coaching and the practice of call center experiences through role-playing. Just as any person has a cut-and-paste response for a company's address, call centers have guaranteed quandaries that routinely come their way.
Of course, nuanced circumstances occur, but I believe if a call center employee can master the foundational issues, they can build off this knowledge to provide a higher level of support when necessary.
My company also teaches employee what tools are at their disposal to effectively help our customers and how to use such means swiftly. Obviously kindness is key, but so is a customer's desire to make one phone call and have their issue resolved without confusion and a mediocre attempt.
I also reward my call center employees with recognition for positive customer surveys and/or comments, rate of calls completed, and amount of issue resolution.
Call centers may be the only point of contact anyone has with my company other than through a screen. Therefore, I treat these departments as important as any other business function and division.
Chris McDermott
Chris McDermott is a practicing clinician by day and a life care planner by night. He is a Certified Advanced Practice Registered Nurse with Autonomous Practice in Florida and holds a certification in Adult-Gerontology Primary Care as well as a Certified Life Care Planner.
“Effective contact center managers provide regular and timely feedback to agents…”
This ensures that they receive guidance and support to improve their performance continuously.
A quality management system such as Scorebuddy can greatly enhance coaching efforts. Scorebuddy allows managers to evaluate agent interactions based on predefined criteria. It helps them identify areas for improvement, and provide targeted coaching sessions.
With features like call recording playback and performance analytics, managers can track progress over time. They can customize coaching sessions to address specific skill gaps.
By leveraging such tools alongside consistent feedback, contact center managers can empower their agents to deliver exceptional customer service. This will drive overall team performance.
James Owen
James Owen is the Co-Founder of Click Intelligence. Since 2007, James has been at the forefront of the SEO world. During the early years of his career, James was the lead on many high-end projects for well-known travel, gaming, and retail brands, such as Jackpotjoy, Smyths Toys, eBay, Gumtree, Betway, and Expedia.
“One of the most powerful tips for effective contact center coaching is to lead by example…”
We understand the importance of setting a high standard for performance and behavior. When team members see their leaders actively engaging in coaching and demonstrating the desired skills and attitudes, it creates a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
One technique that has proven highly effective in contact center coaching is the use of role-playing exercises. By simulating real-life customer interactions, agents can practice applying newly learned skills in a safe and supportive environment.
This hands-on approach reinforces training concepts and also builds confidence and encourages collaboration among team members.
In terms of tools, nothing beats quality feedback mechanisms. Whether it's through call recordings, live monitoring, or performance analytics, having access to accurate and timely feedback is essential for guiding coaching efforts.
By utilizing data-driven insights, managers can pinpoint areas for improvement and tailor coaching sessions to address specific agent needs effectively.
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a Harvard-trained digital strategist with expertise in online promotions, consumer behavior analytics, and digital trend forecasting. Giveaways.org isn’t just a sweepstakes hub; it’s an insight-rich platform. From vetting the authenticity of giveaway platforms to demystifying the selection processes, he offers a comprehensive guide for enthusiasts.
“First things first: keep it positive…”
Acknowledge your agents' wins and build on their strengths. When it comes to feedback, be specific. Don't just say "be better at communication." Show them what "better" looks like with clear examples and even role-playing exercises.
Remember, coaching is a two-way street. Work with your agents to set goals and create action plans they can own.
Technology can be your friend, too! Use call recording tools to pinpoint areas for improvement and celebrate successes together.
And lastly, don't forget to recognize even small wins. A little praise goes a long way in keeping motivation high and reinforcing positive behaviors. By following these tips, you can transform your contact center into a coaching powerhouse.
Simon Brisk
Simon Brisk is the founder and Co Founder of Click Intelligence - Data Driven Search Marketing. Simon attended The University of Salford.
“Focus on specific and actionable feedback…”
Don't just point out mistakes. Link feedback to specific behaviors and offer clear steps for improvement. This empowers agents and makes development achievable.
Embrace active listening and collaboration. Coaching should be a two-way street.
Listen to agent concerns, understand their challenges, and work together to create solutions. This fosters trust and engagement.
Mocca Biajao
Mocca Bajao is a Digital PR Strategist at Thrive Digital Marketing Agency who enjoys writing about SEO, tech, and business.
“A key aspect often overlooked in contact center coaching is encouraging agents to engage in self-assessment and peer learning…”
Agents who actively reflect on their performance can identify specific areas they wish to improve, fostering a proactive approach to personal development.
Similarly, peer learning sessions provide platforms for agents to share best practices and learn from each other’s experiences, further reinforcing the culture of continuous improvement.
Elevate agent performance with CallMiner Coach
Delta Defense is growing and changing rapidly, and they needed a singular platform for call coaching and customer insights.
— CallMiner, Inc. (@CallMiner) September 12, 2024
Hear how they're using CallMiner to capture unsolicited feedback from customer calls and share that data enterprise-wide. ⬇️https://t.co/0LFXjxyKa1 pic.twitter.com/nTLDq4dHEl
The right technology can streamline and optimize your contact center coaching processes. CallMiner Coach, part of the comprehensive CallMiner platform, is an AI-driven tool that helps contact centers enhance performance through automated performance scorecards and personalized coaching.
Leveraging insights from customer interactions, CallMiner Coach identifies coaching opportunities, provides targeted feedback, and improves agent and customer experiences. Book a demo today to learn more about how CallMiner Coach and other tools in the CallMiner platform can help you improve agent performance and optimize contact center operations with effective coaching.
Frequently asked questions
What is contact center coaching?
Contact center coaching involves guiding and training agents to improve their performance, enhance customer interactions, and achieve organizational goals. It focuses on skill development, effective communication, and continuous feedback to ensure agents meet quality standards and deliver excellent customer service.
How do you coach soft skills in a contact center?
Coaching soft skills in a contact center includes role-playing scenarios, providing real-time feedback, and demonstrating empathy, active listening, and problem-solving techniques. Regular training sessions, mentorship, and constructive feedback help agents understand how to communicate effectively and handle customer interactions with a positive attitude.
What are hard skills in a contact center?
Hard skills in a contact center are technical abilities and knowledge required to perform the job, such as using CRM software, navigating call scripts, understanding product details, and managing ticketing systems. These skills ensure that agents can efficiently handle customer inquiries and troubleshoot issues.
How can I be a good call center trainer?
To be a good call center trainer, develop a deep understanding of the skills and knowledge required for the role, create engaging training materials, and use a mix of teaching methods like workshops, hands-on exercises, and interactive sessions. Focus on clear communication, patience, and regular assessments to track progress and adjust training strategies as needed.
