Anyone who’s watched the movie The Devil Wears Prada will never forget Meryl Streep in the role of Runway’s Editor-in-Chief.
Here was a boss so ice-cold her staff were left quivering in their . . . well, Prada boots.
Thankfully, in the world of call and contact centres, no one expects the manager to be a snow queen ruling over a land of petrified operators.
That management style would be as effective as directing a symphony orchestra with a fog horn.
Sure, as the team leader, you need to know how to meet tough targets – and that does mean having a tough attitude when it comes to staying one step ahead of your rivals.
But if you want to be considered a contender for a management position, the real secret is to learn how to use strong words softly.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because whether you realise it or not, it’s precisely the same skill you’ve used many times to engage with customers, deliver advice and deal with issues.
In the call and contact centre workplace, such positive engagement means the difference between helping a caller and making them angrier, or winning a customer and wasting an opportunity.
That’s why in almost 400 contact centres across Scotland staff are shaping careers by engaging with customers by using words that make callers feel they’re being listened to and their queries acted upon, all in a tone that makes them feel comfortable and at ease.
These operatives work for companies that are forward-thinking because they recognise you don’t get results by having an ‘us against them’ attitude – or by hiring managers who believe success comes from reading everyone else the riot act.
After all, actions may speak louder than words, but you can’t arm wrestle an outbound sales adviser into following protocols or demonstrate new call handling techniques using a David Brent-inspired dance.
But positive and persuasive words spoken in a genuinely engaging tone can do this: strong words such as ‘you’.
Use this more than ‘I’ or ‘the company’ – especially with the team member’s first name – and it shows you’re listening, hearing their needs and helping them in their own career journey.
If it sounds straightforward, it is: it’s simply about recognising the manager’s job is not about you, it’s all about them.
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