Here at KOVA, we’re always trying to make contact centers better for the customers, the workers, and the shareholders. We believe that management has one of the greatest influences on all metrics of success, and there are a few key ways to improve the contact center environment. One of those ways is for each supervisor to examine his or her leadership style. We’ve found that although the terms are often used interchangeably, there are some key differences between a contact center manager and a contact center leader.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, a manager is “a person responsible for controlling and administrating an organization or group of staff.”
A leader, on the other hand, is “a person who leads or commands a group, organization or country.”
The world needs both leaders and managers, but most people aren’t good at being both at once. Read on to see whether your style as a contact center supervisor is closer to a manager, a leader, or somewhere in between.
A manager spends most of her time coordinating employees, delegating tasks, scheduling shifts, and planning meetings. Managers are the busy bees of the contact center: they’re always on time and constantly moving from task to task. At their best, managers are the gears of a well-oiled machine, keeping things running smoothly. At their worst, they are frazzled and overwhelmed.
A leader spends most of his time at the contact center inspiring and motivating his customer service agents. He is efficient with his time and maximizes the amount of time with his agents.
A contact center manager is the gatekeeper of protocol. He is likely to identify strongly with the chain of command and finds order in the status quo. A manager is likely to receive some grumbles about his rigidity to a schedule, but people really do need structure and consistency—and a good manager provides that.
A leader perfectly straddles the line between flexible and flighty. She’s comfortable with bold new plans of action and consistently innovates and strives for constant improvement.
A good manager plans the plays that will lead her team to success. When things go well in a contact center, managers take the credit—and when things go wrong, it’s on them, too. Managers see what is universal at a company and capitalize on it, rallying customer service representatives to a common good.
A good leader sets an example of hard work and productivity through his actions. He is one of the most useful members of his team, not the most visible. A good center is the heart of any team, the anchor of the offensive line, and the main protector of the quarterback, but no one talks about him unless he messes up. Leaders aren’t in it for the glory—they see themselves as supporters. They do this by getting to know their team, learning what makes each person special, and capitalizing on their strengths.
In the new, information-based economy, people expect their contact center managers to do more and be more than ever before. Employees expect not only to be assigned a task but also to be given a sense of purpose. In a contact center, this can be difficult because many supervisors find themselves preoccupied with the details that come with running a contact center, such as scheduling meetings, ensuring compliance with government regulations, and staffing—managing the business, in other words.
However, these tasks can be done quickly and efficiently with KOVA’s Workforce Optimization software. After automating some of these responsibilities, the busy supervisor can concentrate on developing more qualities of a leader, which cannot be automated, replicated, or replaced.
Contact us today to learn more about KOVA’s unique Verint Media Recorder Workforce Optimization suite, which can take care of all the busywork that keeps you from rising to your full potential as a leader in the contact center environment.
