Trust and Collaboration
Slide 2: Introduction
When people describe their dream job, they may name a doctor,
lawyer, teacher, CEO, or any number of careers. However, the role of call
center agent is unlikely to make it to the top one hundred list. Is that surprising?
Call centers are not engaging places of collaboration and innovation. Call center
agents often work in a hostile environment; as one management consultant
explained,
"The constant need to meet targets, deal with difficult customers, and
work long hours can cause employees to feel exhausted and unmotivated" and
“The repetitive nature of the job can make it feel monotonous, leading to a
lack of engagement and satisfaction."(Elliot, 2023, para. 2-3).
Per
Mario Matulich, president of a research company, the amount of “stress and
pressure that customer contact agents face daily is a significant issue” (Elliot,
2023, para. 4). Customers are a large part of that stress as “32 percent of
customers admit to yelling, 24 percent say they have cursed”, and “the rest
have lied,” jokes Matulich (Elliot, 2023, para, 7). The pressure to meet
various metrics while managing demanding customers results in a high turnover
rate and low customer satisfaction in many call centers. So, how can managers
create an environment where people want to continue doing the job and perform
it well? One way is by “prioritizing
employee well-being and job satisfaction” (Elliot, 2023, para. 15). How can
leaders do that? It begins with using skills and tools that build trust and
collaboration.
Slide 3: Building Trust and
Collaboration
Trust
is having “the belief or confidence in the reliability, integrity, and honesty
of another party” (Goman, 2014, para. 9 ). A leader cannot lead without
collaborative effort from others, and trust is the cornerstone of
collaboration. Trust is needed to ensure effective communication and teamwork
between coworkers, leadership, and employees
(Krot & Lewicka, 2012). Trust can also reduce company operating
costs and increase employee engagement and productivity (Krot & Lewicka,
2012). When trust is lacking, employees can become cynical, fearful of sharing
information, and less inclined to collaborate (Goman, 2014 ). A lack of
collaboration at one company created a loss of “tens of millions of dollars in
productivity and efficiency” (Edinger, 2014, para. 5). All areas of business
experience constant change, which requires leaders to build trust and
collaboration so they may lead the company through these changes.
One way a leader can gain trust is by attracting
and developing talent, assuring that each employee is the right fit for the
right position and that their strengths and weaknesses are suitable for their
role. When employees can “apply their talents and knowledge to solve
organizational problems or address opportunities, the greater the value they
bring to the enterprise” (Edinger, 2014, para. 4). Positioning employees in
suitable roles also demonstrates care and concern for their success, thus building
trust (Edinger, 2014).
Another way for leaders to build trust and
collaboration is to play the role of connector, help employees build and develop
strong relationships, and link “people, ideas, and resources that would not
normally bump into one another” (Ibarra & Hansen, 2011, p. 70). Leaders get
better results with projects if employees have time “to get to know one
another, to discover each other's strengths and weaknesses, to build personal
ties, and to develop a common understanding about the project”(Goman, 2014,
para, 8). These deeper relationships and connections cultivate trust between
employees and improve collaboration.
Leaders must effectively communicate their ideas and expectations to their employees (Schaefer, 2015). They must also be able to communicate their strategy or convey the details of their plans to others. Leaders must develop the skills to “communicate in a way that ensures your messages are understood and acted upon” (Edinger,2014, para. 5). Leaders need to continue developing communication skills. Storytelling is one valuable communication tool that leaders can practice.
Slide 4: Storytelling
Leaders can use storytelling to connect with others,
which is “one of the most effective ways to lead” (Schaefer, 2015, p. 76).
Leaders can inspire and motivate others through storytelling. One way is to use
storytelling to recognize others’ successes, motivating others who desire
recognition for accomplishing their goals (Bates, 2017). Leaders can also use
stories to present otherwise dull material like statistics and data in an engaging,
memorable way (Bates, 2017). In his presentation, Carmine Gallo says, "To
tell your story persuasively is the greatest skill to help you accomplish your
dreams & move your brand & product forward” (2014, 0:40). Storytelling creates
a snowball effect. It allows others to connect to your ideas in a meaningful
way, thus building a connection, and connections further trust, and trust
sparks collaboration.
Slide 5
I want to share a story
about how one supervisor decided to do something different to build trust and
encourage collaboration in his call center.
Slide 6:
Cameron
had worked with his company for several years while earning his bachelor’s
degree, so he was already familiar with how the call center operated; however,
as a newly promoted supervisor, he noticed that his team was not performing as
well as others, and he wanted to know why. The call center always had a high turnover
rate, but ten employees had quit a week before Cameron’s promotion, and three
more submitted their resignation. These employees were overall excellent. He
knew the stressors associated with the job, but he wanted to do what he could
as a leader to improve the job. First, Cameron asked to meet with the three
employees who had put in their notices to see if he could perform an exit
interview, and they agreed. During the interview, he asked questions about the
employees' needs and asked if the company could do more to meet those needs.
The employees provided feedback regarding the mistrust they felt towards the
company; they felt as though no one even cared about the employees, and the
constant understaffing issues were enough to cause these employees to leave.
Cameron knew there were issues but was oblivious to the
employees’ concerns. After the exit interviews, he decided to meet with the
entire team, describe his plan to meet with each one individually and inform
them of the expectations he had for members to discuss their concerns openly.
Some employees were not performing well in their jobs because they wanted to
work in other departments, so he helped bridge that gap with other department
heads so those employees could transition out. Some employees were experiencing
burnout, which further questioning revealed was due to the support materials
for the job being unclear, outdated, and unhelpful, so Cameron asked employees
to help gather examples of materials and resources that needed updating. He
also agreed to meet with his team weekly to discuss concerns. Cameron’s efforts
to communicate, understand, and act resulted in a lower turnover rate, higher
customer satisfaction, and higher personal ratings, as discovered on his
employee-rated survey.
Slide 7:
In the book The
Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner say: “When leadership
is a relationship founded on trust and confidence, people take risks, make
changes, keep organizations and movements alive” (Schaefer, 2015, p. 76). Through
Cameron's efforts, his employees began to view him as a leader who cared about
their well-being and built trust. Cameron also made time in the work schedule
to meet, continue the conversation, and encourage collaboration to improve the
issues. He even fixed several reported issues, thus building more trust. Through
his actions, Cameron improved the department’s communication and connected with
his team on a deeper level, allowing him to guide his team forward. Cameron’s
story is only one example of how leadership can use skills to build trust, improve
employee retention, and change their overall call center culture. Companies can
alleviate many of their issues through building trust, encouraging
collaboration, and storytelling.
References
Bates, S. (2017). Tell
Us Another One: Successful Leadership Through Storytelling. American
Salesman, 62(5), 25–29. https://web-p-ebscohost-com.library.capella.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=0&sid=759386ba-15d4-426a-87f8-f9c983cefe95%40redis
Edinger, S. K. (2014,
February 25). For leaders, relationships trump expertise. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottedinger/2014/02/25/for-leaders-relationships-trump-expertise/?sh=50415d156414
Elliot, C. (2023, March 18). Thank you for not calling!
Agents are on the verge of burnout, study finds. Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherelliott/2023/03/18/thank-you-for-not-calling-agents-are-on-the-verge-of-burnout-study-finds/?sh=6ac033e36d14
Gallo, C. (2014, June 11). The unbreakable laws of
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https://www.npr.org/2023/01/16/1149232763/this-is-fine-meme-anniversary-gunshow-web-comic
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