I had the privelege of attending a portion of a Society of Workforce Planning Professionals regional meeting yesterday. (http://www.swpp.org/)
There was a thoughtful discussion centered around getting contact center supervisors to better explain and enforce agent schedules. There are two things that are critical for success. Most importantly, supervisors need to be well-trained and developed to handle the responsibilities of their positions. Their ability to inspire and lead is critical for engaging agents. Secondly, supervisors need to understand the recommendations made by supporting departments well enough to support the decisions when presenting them to the agents. Supervisors should avoid saying “they” when communicating with agents. This undermines the confidence that the right decision has been made and leads the agent to question the supervisor’s credibility. If the supervisor doesn’t agree with the decision, why didn’t he push back or override it?
For these reasons, it is important that contact center managers and function managers build rapport with supervisors so that there isn’t a “them vs. us” mentality that becomes a barrier for having an enjoyable, productive work environment.