Why contact centre agents are the true heroes of your brand

We all know how important great customer experiences are. So why don’t we value more the people who deliver them, day in day out?

In a business, contact centre agents often get the short end of the stick. They’re seen as the bottom rung – or the job you do before you get a ‘real job’. But that perception couldn’t be more wrong – and it’s one that I will never stop talking about until it changes. Spend a day in an agent’s shoes and you’ll soon see why.

Challenging the myths about contact centre agents

Being an agent isn’t just about answering calls or responding to emails. It’s a role that requires a massively diverse set of skills – from empathy and problem-solving to communication and resilience.

They need high emotional intelligence, to be able to read situations, and people. To know the company’s business inside and out, comply with complex industry regulations and keep up with productivity targets. All while staying composed under pressure.

Agents need to be prepared to help the most vulnerable of people, struggling with debt, often faced with a literal ‘heat or eat’ situation. They need to be able to pick up on triggers: is this customer in health, financial or mental distress? Is it an emergency?

Someone who can do all that is an amazing asset to your organisation – and at the heart of a great customer experience. You don’t want to risk losing them by taking them for granted. By elevating customer contact as a career in people’s minds you not only attract the right people to the role, but hopefully keep them too. And with the right people on board you improve customer experience, brand loyalty and, ultimately, business success.

I want contact centre work to be celebrated, to be seen as a fulfilling career in itself with a clear path ahead. And this is the responsibility of businesses, employers, the contact centre industry and customers.

In my new paper I dig a bit deeper and discuss how we can collectively change the narrative, as well as the practical steps we can all take to ensure we truly value the unsung heroes of our brands.