The start of a new year is a great opportunity to pause for a moment and think what we want to change, do better, and start doing. This is when we make some spirited resolutions for the following months.

Maybe you already have some personal resolutions, like losing weight, changing habits, to travel more. But, what about your call center? A company is like a person too. It needs attention and dedication to produce better results.

We invite you to take a moment to set team goals and motivate your contact center agents into positive change in the new year. If you need some help to start, here are some resolution ideas you can make for your call center this year.

Reconsider The Metrics You Are Using

When was the last time you reviewed the metrics you are using in your contact center? When was the last time you changed one of your goals? Your metrics should be aligned to your goals and your vision. Sometimes we forget they are connected and maybe what we want to accomplish is not clear to our team. A common mistake is when we want our agents to better listen to our customers, but we are still measuring Average Handle Time (AHT). Take some time this new year to review your metrics and update them in order to achieve your goals and reach the vision you want.

Review Your Training

Training is one of the most essential parts of the success of a contact center. Well-trained agents can deal with the challenges of every customer interaction and can give a better service thanks to their knowledge and the tools you provide them with. It’s possible that your training is working well, but the customers, technology, policies, practices, the world, they change fast, and your training should be updated so your agents can handle any new issue they face. Organize a meeting with your training team and see what can be improved or what should be changed.

Use Technology To Its Full Potential

Technology helps make processes more efficient and easier. It’s good to invest in types of technology, but this investment will not be as profitable as it should be if you don’t use it at its full potential. Maybe you have left training for later or simply you haven’t implemented some of the features it has. Make sure to take some time to learn more about the technology you have and how it can help your contact center be more successful.

Don’t Forget About Your Staff Development

Many contact center managers pay a lot of attention to agent development, investing time and money in training for them. But in many cases, they forget about the development of their support staff, the ones who help keep the contact center going. If this year you want your company to be better, invest in the development of your staff. This way, processes can be improved, motivation will be higher, and this will be reflected in the results of the company in general. Your staff can go to conferences, seminars, take webinars, or take some time to read about the field of expertise. Also, don’t forget about your training staff! You need to invest in their development too.

Better Attendance

In a call center, attendance is really important when managing large call volumes and trying to keep a good customer experience with a fast response. With the stress levels that call center agents experience sometimes, it’s not surprising that they miss work. Maybe you were struggling with this problem the past year, but it doesn’t need to be like that this year! There are many things you can do to have higher percentages of attendance in the new year. The key is to keep your agents happy, committed and educated in how their absenteeism affects the whole company.

Reduce Costs

At the start of the year, we get new budgets and, sometimes, executives ask us to reduce costs in our activities. Depending on which department you are in charge off, you can take several actions to reduce costs. From a smarter use of resources, analyzing past expenses and their results, to analyzing what you should invest in this year and what you need to change, evaluating new suppliers and vendors, etc. But when it comes to larger cost such as agent salaries and overhead, you can consider a nearshore contact center solution. This can reduce your costs by almost 50% without compromising the quality of your service or call center agents. If you have not considered this opportunity, we invite you to learn more about Call Center Services International.