The Bottom Line

Your Front Line Leaders… The Epicenter of Satisfaction

• Posted by: Tom Calvert
  on 09.20.2011
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As leaders in the whirlwind environment of the contact center. We like to cut to the chase. We want to see it, believe it, and act on it. That’s who we are and a big part of why we’re successful.

But, hold your horses.

When it comes to employee satisfaction things are not always as we think or believe. Mistaking what you think your team is feeling from what they’re actually feeling can be extremely dangerous. Low satisfaction levels are a major contributor to increased costs (attrition) and poor customer experiences (churn).

So what do we do about it? We usually have a few agent focus groups. We see it, believe it, and do our best to act upon it.

So what happens next? We do it again and hope for the best…

What’s missing?

All too often we don’t get to the actual source of agent satisfaction… Our Supervisors and Front Line Leaders. This is what is known as the Epicenter of Satisfaction.

Consider a 25 year Gallup Study that polled over 7,000 companies & 12 million people. What did employees say was the most important factor determining their satisfaction level?

Drum roll, Please… The Employees Direct Supervisor.

Doesn’t it make sense then that we focus our efforts on ensuring our Supervisors love where they work? If our Supervisors are happy and fulfilled our agents are much more likely to enjoy where they work as well. It’s very simple.

So what can we do about it? The first place to start is by listening to our Supervisors and acting upon what they tell us. This is NOT a one time activity. Set up a consistent process for hearing from your front line leaders and take action on their concerns. Involve them in the problem solving aspect, ask for solutions, and most importantly be forthright and honest in your follow-up.

You may have heard the old saying “They don’t care how much you know, unless they know how much you care”. Show your Supervisors how much you care by listening to them and acting on their feedback and they will return the love big time. You’ll see…