Effective performance coaching can make or break your call center's success. While AI tools can provide data and insights, only human coaches can truly connect with agents, build trust, and drive meaningful improvement.
Performance coaching is the primary driver of agent performance, yet it's often the most challenging aspect to master.
This 6-step performance coaching model is a straightforward and clear roadmap to coach your team effectively. It focuses on the human-to-human interactions that no AI can replicate.
By following these steps, you'll have more productive conversations, help your agents improve, and ultimately boost your contact center's performance.
The performance coaching model provides a framework to guide your coaching sessions, they are meant to be adaptable to any coaching situation and a variety agent needs.
Each step builds upon the previous one, creating a cohesive and effective coaching experience. As you review these steps, consider how you can apply them to your unique coaching scenarios:
Preparation is the foundation of effective performance coaching. This step ensures you have a clear understanding of the agent's performance before the conversation begins. It allows you to approach the coaching session with specific, data-driven insights.
Determine if previous commitments were attempted, completed, and how. Decide strengths and opportunities. Capture behavioral and contextual details.
Building rapport and setting clear expectations will create the right environment for a productive coaching session. This step ensures you and the agent are aligned on the session's purpose.
This step involves a balanced discussion of the agent's performance including:
By addressing strengths, areas for improvement, and transitions between topics, you're giving the agent a 360 degree view of their work and encouraging engagement.
Involving the agent in the problem-solving process fosters ownership and commitment to improvement. This approach will lead to more effective and lasting solutions.
Going forward, how might you handle that differently? Questions like these help connect the agent to the issue.
How do you think you can make that change / implement that?
Performance coaching sessions should inspire actionable improvement. The commitments made in this step ensure your coaching sessions translate into concrete steps for development.
Will you; try that/do that/work on that next time?
Ask they write out WHAT they are doing, HOW they are going to do it, and by WHEN they will have it completed.
What and When you will do to support their commitment
Track your and their commitments for what you will each do and when
Effective performance coaching requires trust, fostering open communication, and consistently supporting your agents' growth. It's a skill that develops over time, and each coaching session is an opportunity to refine your techniques.
Download our comprehensive "Ultimate Call Center Coaching Toolkit" to access a wealth of resources to bring out the best in your coaching skills.
This toolkit includes:
