3 Things to remember when coaching your customer support agents

OABPO Blog Team Published on August 7, 2014

3-Things-to-remember-when-coaching-your-customer-support-agents--Open-Access-BPO
Continuous training and coaching are some of the essential quality assurance strategies you can use to make sure your customer support agents are doing their optimum best. Even when outsourcing to a call center in the Philippines, agent evaluation is always reinforced by thorough coaching to make sure the call center agents’ performance will improve.

Providing feedback to your agents in a timely manner is an important consideration, but the actual message is what matters the most. Even if you tell your agents every day that they are doing a great job, your coaching responsibility can still be weakened if you don’t bulk up your feedback with tips on how to level up their already impressive productivity.

What then makes a good coaching strategy? Here are three pointers to remember when conducting a coaching session with your customer support agents:

1. Allow agents to evaluate their own work

3-Things-to-remember-when-coaching-your-customer-support-agents--Open-Access-BPO-_

Although your insights as manager have a lot of weight when coaching your agents, allowing them to contribute some input by asking them where they can improve on can guarantee you stronger commitment from them. Good coaches allow their agents to go over recorded calls and let them say first what they think about their call handling skills before being provided with criteria-guided feedback.

By allowing them to self-evaluate, you will be able to extract new performance issues that you may have overlooked when evaluating. You can also correct misconceptions or perceived mistakes that are actually good practices, and vice versa.

2. Do not be too negative

3-Things-to-remember-when-coaching-your-customer-support-agents--Open-Access-BPO-_-

Coaching is not a time for you to list down all the flaws of your agents and shove them down their throats. In fact, experts suggest that praising employees for their good traits allows them to become more receptive to negative feedback later on.

Even if your customer support agent was stuttering because of anxiety during a complaint call, you can begin your coaching session by appreciating how he chose not to drop the call or become furious over the phone. If coaching is significantly negative in nature, your agents will begin to be intimidated by them and become defensive instead of cooperative.

3. Provide solutions to mistakes

3-Things-to-remember-when-coaching-your-customer-support-agents--Open-Access-BPO-_-_

One factor than can cause your coaching strategy to fail is the absence of a concrete plan designed to solve your agents’ weaknesses. Instead of just letting your agents go over call recordings or e-mail and chat transcripts to tell them what went wrong, let them know what could be done differently next time. You can also show them samples of good handling skills exhibited in past agent-client interactions.

Just telling your agents that they need to shorten their handling time is not as effective as showing them how to control the flow of a customer service call. In making an action plan, you need to collaborate with the agents concerned. This participation will encourage them to become more dedicated in fulfilling their own objectives later on.

Your agents’ performance relies heavily on your evaluation and coaching. Without a good coaching program, the individual needs of your agents won’t be highlighted and acted upon immediately. This can lead to bigger problems that may bring the team down. By following these tips, your coaching sessions can expose the strengths and weaknesses of your agents that you can use to boost your company’s customer service quality.

Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 5 days ago
Open Access BPO Taipei celebrated a decade of growth and success with a party event at the ILLUME Taipei Hotel.

The evening showcased our strong company culture, with games, delicious food, and a festive atmosphere.
We're proud of our team and excited for what the future holds!

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OABPOKickOff2025 #OABPOWanderlustBliss
#WanderlustBlissOABPO
Open Access BPO 5 days ago
𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗜𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝘁: 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢 𝗪𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

The Open Access BPO's weight loss challenge has officially come to a close after a successful three-month run.

The program, which included wellness sessions and regular weigh-ins, culminated in an awards ceremony celebrating the incredible achievements of our participants.

We're thrilled to announce and congratulate the five champions from our Manila and Davao offices who demonstrated remarkable dedication and commitment to their health and wellness journeys.

Open Access BPO is committed to employee well-being, and this weight loss challenge is a prime example. We regularly offer activities and programs like this to support our employees' personal and professional growth, fostering a healthy and supportive work environment.

We're proud of all participants and look forward to continuing to support their wellness journeys.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#DropItLikeItsHot #OABPODroppinIt
#OneForHealth #IdeaHubOABPO
Open Access BPO 6 days ago
This February, Open Access BPO joins the world in celebrating 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵.

We recognize the vital contributions of African-Americans who have shaped our world.

It's also a call for us all to learn from history, amplify Black voices, and take action against systemic racism.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#BlackHistoryMonth #BHM2025
#OABPOonBHM #BHM
Open Access BPO 7 days ago
Bringing people together, celebrating achievements, and building momentum for their 10th anniversary is the real highlight of 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘀: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢 𝗞𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆.

We're looking forward to being stronger together with our Davao teammates for another decade, but for now, here's a look back at what happened in last week's party: https://buff.ly/3CK1vyM

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OABPOKickOff2025 #OABPOWanderlustBliss
Open Access BPO 12 days ago
The Davao leg of our 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘀: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢 𝗞𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 over the weekend was a celebration of what lies ahead: a shared vision of unforgettable moments and a reflection of our collective drive to succeed in every challenge 2025 has in store.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Acacia Hotel Davao for an evening of inspiration and celebration. Here's to a year of new opportunities and achievements!

Let's take a look back at last weekend's party.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OABPOKickOff2025 #OABPOWanderlustBliss
#WanderlustBlissOABPO
Open Access BPO 13 days ago
Customers trust and engage more with reliable, knowledgeable, and clear communicators.

That's why businesses need #CallCenters that constantly refine their communication strategies and have #CustomerExperience experts to heighten customer trust.

Avoid these weak expressions that can undermine your team's effectiveness: https://buff.ly/4hhfyLc

----------
For exceptional #CustomerSupport delivered by a trusted #CX expert, contact us today: https://buff.ly/3Q3mnEb

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerService #CSAT
#outsourcing #CustomerSatisfaction