Intersecting Sports and the Contact Center World

One might think that the world of sports has little to nothing in common with the contact center industry but that is not true.

First foremost like coaches, managers have an active role in the success of their team. By using language that promotes learning, issue management and success, managers help boost morale and encourage team building.

Although sometimes we get wrapped up in the bottom line or the “final score” of the game, we should remember that how we get there is more important.

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There are other traits that can be borrowed from athletics to apply to our contact center industry:

• Coaches have a playbook- so should managers. Managers know the strengths of weaknesses of their team. If they hire and train people to best suit the needs of their contact center, they will have the right strategy in place to make a winning team.

• Coaches set goals. Every coach sets a goal with their team – whether it’s to win one game or the Super Bowl. In the contact center, goals are vitally important to measure success. Not only should the manager know which goals must be met but the associates should be fully aware of what they’re trying to accomplish, as well.
• Coaches cross-train their athletes. Managers should be cross-trained in different areas of the contact center in case something goes wrong.  A manager should never ask someone to do something they are not willing to do themselves.
• Coaches expect great performance. Performance is the name of the game in our industry and managers should make performance their top priority. A manager should implement training and tips to make sure performance is also top notch.

Managers, like coaches, support their teams but they also realize when improvements need to be made. Taking the time to manage your team in a way that not only helps poise them for success but help them learn how they became successful is just as important as winning the game.

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