Team Leaders (Supervisors)
Call center team leader, or supervisor, is a job position that is fully described by its name. Call center team leaders are the people who guide and lead the team of agents, help them onboard on the new workplace, build a working environment and healthy relationships between team members, and finally, call center team leaders are also a kind of bridge between agents and senior management.
In most cases, call center team leaders are former call center agents. People who apply for this job should understand all the aspects and pitfalls of working in a call center, so it is very unlikely that any person outside the industry will ever be able to handle this work. Also, as call center team leaders spend most of their time communicating with call center agents, they have to understand what problems call center agents suffer from, what are their main expectations and dreams, what are the ways to gather different team members into a stable and productive team, and finally, what is the way to motivate agents to reach the set goals and KPIs.
Call center team leaders: responsibilities
The main responsibilities of call center team leaders include control of agents’ work, communication with agents about any questions or concerns they may have, making reports for senior managers about agent performance, and practical implementation of long-term customer service strategies. Call center team leaders are responsible for their subordinates, and they are the people who communicate with call center managers about any activities in a call center.
Call center team leaders also work with data a lot – they provide senior managers with agent performance reports and reports regarding the pre-set KPIs. Thus, they also have to work closely with managers to set realistic targets and find the most effective way to reach those goals. One call center team leader works with a group of agents, from 8 agents to 12.
Call center team leaders: skills
Call center team leaders have to bear some specific skills to do their work excellently. First of all, they have to know how to manage the work of a team and how to build this team up from people who are often absolute newbies not only in the call center industry but also in any kind of work. One of the biggest challenges for call center team leaders is agent turnover, so they have to know how to identify emotional issues agents have and how to help them to overcome problems and the pressure they feel. Also, call center team leaders provide onboarding for new agents, even though this is partly the responsibility of the HR manager. In other words, when it comes to building a rockstar team in your call center, half of the work is on the call center team leaders’ chest.
Call center team leaders: requirements
When it comes to education, the minimal requirement for team leaders is to have a high school diploma or GED certificate. Bachelor’s degree is also an option, especially in related fields, like communications or business management.
Team leaders ought to have relevant experience in the call center industry, as former agents, or in other positions. You can hire people who have been team leaders in other industries, as the main skill that matters is to manage the team’s work. Also, onboarding training is required to let new supervisors learn the main business processes and company culture.
Certifications are optional and can be considered an advantage for candidates.