Call Center Management

Call center management involves the use of various strategies to achieve one common goal; delivering customer service experiences that exceed expectations. In order for these strategies to be effective, they need to address every facet of managing a call center, which includes:

Hiring and training agents
Ensuring agents stay engaged
Allocating workload
Generating call center improvement ideas
Analyzing customer behavior
Using technology to streamline call center operations
Allocating call center resources effectively

But where do some call centers fall short? Why do lots of companies outsource their customer service department? Most importantly of all, what makes an effective call center? Let’s explore the complex but rewarding world of call center performance management.

What is call center management?

Call center management refers to the way businesses manage their daily call or contact center operations. It covers employee hiring and training, workforce scheduling, and customer interactions, among other things.

How your team handles these call center processes contributes to your call center’s performance.

So, how does a call center work?

Managing the daily operations of a call center demands significant effort and coordination. To clarify how customer concerns are addressed, inbound call centers focus on assisting customers who reach out for help, while outbound contact center specialize in proactively engaging with customers. Both play a vital role in delivering exceptional customer service.

For businesses aiming to improve the handling of incoming customer queries, investing in an inbound call center solution can help streamline operations and deliver better service outcomes.

Inbound call center

The customer calls the company’s customer service department to raise his or her concern.

The inbound call center agent answers and tries to address the customer’s needs.

If the resolution doesn’t meet the customer’s standards, the customer can make a follow-up call or use another communication channel.

Outbound call center

The agent calls the customer and makes their motives known.

Using an autodialer can further streamline outbound operations by automatically dialing numbers and improving agent productivity during campaigns.

The customer listens and, depending on the situation, can make a purchase, answer a survey, or simply learn about new products.

The agent closes the call and thanks the customer, whether or not their goals were met.

A call center can handle both inbound and outbound customer calls. It’s also possible to have an entire call center workforce based in different locations; in which case, it’s called a remote call center.

Organizations with dispersed teams can benefit significantly from virtual call center software, which enables consistent service quality regardless of where agents are located.

What makes a successful call center?

When it comes to call center success, there’s no definitive formula that ensures a call center performs well. But when the entire customer service team is working together, using the right call center technology, and integrating advanced AI solutions like AI receptionists, it's a great first step. Successful call centers often leverage these AI technologies to enhance efficiency, improve response times, and provide a better overall customer experience.

Let’s take a close look at the two key roles in a company’s customer service department—call center manager (or supervisor) and call center agent.

What is a call center supervisor?

Call center supervisors are people who are responsible for managing a call center’s operations in order to support the company’s customer service goals.

To further enhance outbound calling efficiency, many organizations turn to predictive dialler software for streamlined campaign execution and improved agent productivity.

For teams running outbound campaigns, using a dedicated outbound call center software solution can significantly improve agent productivity and campaign results.

They may also be responsible for applying relevant call center improvement strategies such as leveraging technology like sales dialers to increase agent productivity, minimize downtime, and ensure outbound campaigns are executed effectively.

Let’s find out exactly what their role entails.

Call center management responsibilities

A supervisor or other contact center management role involves a variety of tasks, which include:

Managing, guiding, and motivating team members
Overseeing hiring and onboarding processes
Promoting agent engagement and retention and helping reduce turnover rates
Creating and maintaining a harmonious culture
Setting call center performance goals, typically with the senior manager
Identifying key performance drivers that affect contact center goals
Assigning responsibilities necessary to achieve goals
Speaking with dissatisfied customers and coming up with satisfactory solutions
Preparing and evaluating call center performance reports
Identifying and resolving call center efficiency issues
Helping optimize the call center’s processes to improve efficiency

Important call center supervisor skills

As call center supervisors have a lot on their plate, it’s important for you to hire the most well-rounded candidate.

Here are the top skills you need to look for:

Critical thinking: An effective call center manager needs to have an objective approach to evaluating situations and making important decisions. Critical thinking allows them to visualize possibilities, come up with alternatives, and challenge assumptions.

Use case:
After analyzing customer behavior, a call center manager designs their interactive voice response (IVR) system to prioritize mobility options so customers can receive confirmations via text message.
Decision-making: Call center managers should have the capacity to handle difficult situations and act decisively. Above all, they take initiative instead of delegating important decisions to a team leader.

Use case:
After carefully weighing up their options, a call center manager decides which call center software to purchase for the company. He or she may consider , which is packed with features and offers an easy-to-navigate interface.
Problem-solving: Like any leader, call center managers should be excellent problem solvers. They should have the ability to identify the root of any problem and the creativity to think of and evaluate possible solutions to eventually arrive at the most effective one.

Use case:
A good call center manager notices a burgeoning conflict between agents. He or she takes action to avoid escalation and restore harmony in the team.
Interpersonal skills: Successful call center managers may think and act strategically, but they also have the emotional intelligence to deal with all sorts of people on the team. A sense of empathy also goes a long way, as it allows them to share the sentiments of customers, agents, and team leaders.

Use case:
An agent endures a very difficult call with an angry customer. The supervisor can speak to their agent in such a way that they provide feedback on how to improve in future, while still acknowledging and empathizing with how they feel after the call.
Communication: Call center managers should not only be good speakers but also adept observers and listeners. Communication skills allow them to engage with team members and stakeholders and become a good trainer and mentor.

Use case:
A call center manager is expected to impart company policies clearly, train agents effectively, and articulate feedback constructively.
Time management: With the amount of work they juggle, call center managers must have a good grasp of time. It allows them to prioritize tasks effectively, stay on schedule, delegate tasks when necessary, and understand the importance of using the right call center technology to get things done quickly and efficiently.

Use case:
With a monthly report to finish, a new set of agents to hire by the end of the week, and quarterly plans to be wrapped up, an effective call center manager can schedule and manage their own time to meet all deadlines.

What is a call center agent?

A call center agent is responsible for managing inbound and outbound customer calls for a business. They operate as the company’s front line, handling issues like product complaints, billing concerns, support requests, and more.

Call center agents may also go by names like customer service representatives, customer care representatives, telephone service attendants, or telesales agents. You’ve probably heard of the term contact center agent—contact center agents handle emails, live chats, social media messages, and other interactions via digital channels on top of traditional phone calls.

If your agents are also responsible for proactive customer outreach, it's worth exploring how outbound call center services can streamline outbound operations and boost campaign effectiveness.

What do call center agents do?

The main duties of a call center agent are to answer and dial out customer calls. Incoming calls usually mean responding to queries, addressing complaints, taking orders, and troubleshooting problems.

Outgoing calls, on the other hand, normally come in the form of gathering survey data, setting appointments, and relaying promotional offers.

Here’s a list of typical call center agent duties:

Answering and initiating customer calls in a professional manner
Obtaining, recording, verifying, and updating customer information and other data to efficiently handle conversations
Identifying and escalating priority issues if needed
Keeping records of conversations
Finding opportunities to upsell or cross-sell if needed
Building strong customer relationships
Meeting personal and team targets

It’s a given that call center agents must have exceptional communication skills. Apart from that, they have to be empathetic, organized, able to retain information well, and keep calm under pressure.

Why do successful call center operations matter?

The success of a business depends not only on sales reps closing deals but also on call center agents delivering great after-sales care. And that’s where successful call center operations play a vital role.

With effective call center management, any issues or questions that customers have can be dealt with efficiently and satisfactorily, meaning that customers are more likely to stay with your business.

When call center management is done correctly, the benefits for call centers include:

Increased customer loyalty
Positive customer reviews about customer service and the company as a whole
Ability to improve based on customer feedback
Reduction in agent turnover rate

How do you effectively manage a call center?

Knowing how to manage a call center effectively is vital for delivering optimum customer service. Let’s take a look at areas that you should focus on for call center management success before finding out the best practices to follow:

Using a call management app can streamline these processes and ensure your team handles customer inquiries more efficiently.

Areas to focus on for call center management success

To achieve call center management success, areas that you should focus on include:

Quality management

A vital component of successful call center management is quality management. All staff should be trained on the level of quality that they should deliver when in contact with customers, and how to achieve it.

To consistently maintain high service standards, many teams implement to monitor agent interactions, ensure compliance, and provide actionable feedback.

Calls should be monitored to ensure that this level of quality is always being achieved, and staff should receive further training where necessary.

Agent training

Providing call center agents with the best possible training will yield results for your customers and the business as a whole.

When training your agents, ensure they know all the ins and outs of the company’s products and services so that they can provide reliable answers to any questions that customers have.

Reporting and analytics

Reporting and analytics are crucial for call center management. After all, how would a manager know what needs to be improved or what’s being done exactly as it should be without any solid data to back it up?

Leveraging advanced tools like can significantly enhance workforce efficiency and ensure higher quality service delivery.

Useful metrics for call center managers to track include average handle time, CSAT, and first contact resolution.

Now, let’s look at some contact center best practices that will help elevate :

Call center best practices

Following these best practices for call centers can help ensure your operations run smoothly.

1. Hire the best employees

Call center management best practices begin with hiring a special group of people. Apart from the technical skills, you want to go for those who have a genuine passion for customer service. Take the time to screen new employees both for know-how and character.

2. Provide comprehensive training and onboarding

Make sure the candidates you picked are ready for the tasks at hand. It’s important to have a comprehensive training and onboarding program.

This is the time to communicate your company’s standards while instilling good habits from the start. You may also improve employee weaknesses or mitigate any hiring mistakes.

With thorough training and onboarding processes in place, your new agents feel better equipped to handle any type of customer call.

3. Cultivate a coaching culture

A great way to empower your agents is to develop a coaching culture. What you want is an environment that promotes continuous learning and creates opportunities for growth not just for agents but also for other call center staff.

4. Communicate with employees regularly

Schedule meetings with individual agents not only to provide targeted coaching but also to share ideas for personal and process improvements. Remember that agents are at the front line of the call center and often have a better view of issues as they arise.

Make sure your communication lines are always open. Agents and team leaders appreciate an approachable supervisor who welcomes feedback and is always ready to discuss employee issues.

5. Ensure proper scheduling

Working in a call center can be overwhelming, and the stress it brings can hamper agent productivity. This can be a bigger problem for smaller call centers where agents usually extend hours to accommodate their workload. They may be able to get more work done but not without sacrificing quality.

The answer is proper scheduling. Make sure to give your agents enough time to recharge so they don’t feel overworked. To support these efforts, implementing a robust can play a key role in maintaining high service levels while managing staffing efficiently. When scheduling, consider factors like peak hours, agent ability, and time between shifts, among others.

To further optimize how incoming calls are distributed to agents, businesses can benefit from implementing that manages call flow and reduces customer wait times.

6. Balance workflow to meet demand

A spike in call volume may force small call center teams to handle more work than usual. Inversely, there may not be enough work to keep everyone in larger teams occupied. Your goal is to balance everything out.

Review staffing levels so you can wisely forecast call volumes and determine how many agents you’ll need in any situation. Think about average call volumes and peak times per day, week, month, and year. You should also consider the number of agents needed to ensure short wait times.

By balancing your workflow, you’ll not only meet demands but also keep labor costs to a minimum.

7. Use data to make sound decisions

Smart companies understand the importance of data. In the context of customer service, data gathered in a call center allows you to know your customers better and understand their behavior.

Net promoter score, average handling time, and first-call resolution rate are just some of the important metrics that allow a call center manager to gain insight into operations and make important decisions.

8. Use call monitoring tools

The importance of monitoring calls can’t be overemphasized. When you monitor calls, you’re able to see any cracks in agent performance. Your findings will boost your performance management initiatives—you’ll be able to provide quality feedback, empower your agents, and streamline your call center processes.

RingCentral uses for automated conversation summaries, scoring, and feedback to ensure quality performance.

You also get valuable features like call whisper, which allows managers to give instructions to agents without the customer hearing it, and call barge, which allows them to take over an ongoing call.

9. Use customer feedback to reduce churn rates

Successful call centers understand their customers. They know that the metrics call center managers keep an eye on only tell a part of the story. To get a better feel for what customers want, you have to ask them directly.

Customer feedback presents a way for you to hear the voice of the customer. Any review or opinion you get should help you make the necessary adjustments to and make them stay.

To get the most out of these insights, many businesses turn to that specialize in collecting and analyzing customer feedback to improve contact center operations.

A good way to elicit feedback is to conduct surveys through phone, email, or social media.

10. Invest in technology

Aside from the people, another strong driver of call center management success is technology.

You may have a manager and agents with the best intentions and résumés, but without proper technology, such as software, to complement their efforts, it could be tough for your call center to reach its full potential.

Trusted platforms, like the one offered by RingCentral, provide a comprehensive suite of features like call monitoring, interactive voice response (IVR), and skills-based routing.

As a call center manager, you don’t want to miss out on anything that would enhance your overall efficiency.

Choosing from among the solutions can further elevate your service levels by adding scalability, flexibility, and AI-enhanced efficiency.

You want to stay on top of the latest advancements, whether it’s the newest workforce management techniques or the latest contact center software.

All the call center management tips mentioned above deliver a positive impact on both customer and employee engagement. Add a good customer experience platform into the mix, and you have a call center that’s built for success.

If you're looking to explore how these strategies perform in action, you can demo customer service solutions tailored to your business needs.

See RingCX in action

Call center metrics: Essential KPIs a call center manager should take note of

A call center manager is expected to monitor customer behavior and help enhance the performance of their staff.

They should be able to gather data and analyze metrics to identify trends, create reports, and refine processes—all for the purpose of improving customer experience, agent performance, and ultimately, call center performance.

Below are some important call center metrics that provide great value when you’re measuring performance.

First-call resolution (FCR) rates

First-call resolution rates show how many issues were fixed at the first time of asking. Companies use it to evaluate their service level standards. A high FCR rate (around 90%) means agents are efficient at resolving issues at the first point of contact.

Customers don’t need to make follow-up calls or switch to digital channels like chat, email, or social media.

Let’s look at the two ways you can measure FCR:

Gross FCR is measured by dividing the number of cases resolved in a single call—those that can actually be resolved in the first call, including cancellations, upgrades, and booking changes—by the total number of incoming calls you received.

The Gross FCR formula
Gross FCR =	Number of cases resolved on the first call
	All incoming calls

Of course, not all cases can be addressed in one call. If you don’t factor that into your equation, you might get a distorted picture of your call center’s performance. This is why many companies prefer to use net FCR.

Net FCR takes cases that can’t be resolved on the first call (e.g., support issues and hardware repair) into account. That number is subtracted from the total number of incoming calls received.

The Net FCR formula
Net FCR =	Number of cases resolved on the first call
	All incoming calls - Cases that can’t be resolved at the first call

To get the gross FCR or net FCR rate, you just have to multiply the quotient by 100.

Average handling time (AHT)

Average handling time refers to the average time to address customer issues. It covers the amount of time a customer waits in a queue, call duration, and after-call work time.

You can calculate AHT by first adding the agent’s total talk time, total hold time, and total after-call work time. Then you divide the sum by the total number of calls to get the average handle time.

Average Handling Time (AHT) formula
AHT =	Total talk time + Total hold time + Total after-call work time
	Total number of calls

Keep in mind that low AHT isn’t always good. Let’s say an agent encounters an irate customer who wants to cut his video subscription. The agent easily gives in to the customer’s request for fear that his AHT would shoot up.

Compare this with a situation in which an agent may have spent a little more time on the call but managed to calm the customer down and address their concerns.

Net promoter score (NPS)

What’s a good way to assess customer loyalty? Ask customers themselves. You do this by posing this simple question: “On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend the company or agent you spoke with to a colleague or friend?.” (If you want, you can append this with a follow-up question—“Why?”)

You can run the survey over the phone or other communication channels. Based on customers’ responses, you’ll get your quantitative score:

0-6 (Detractors): Unhappy customers who can potentially damage your brand using negative word-of-mouth
7-8 (Passives): Satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who can easily be swayed by competitive offers
9-10 (Promoters): Loyal customers who will keep buying from you and recommend you to other consumers

To calculate your NPS, add your number of detractors, passives, and promoters. Get the percentage of each group by dividing each segment total by the total number of survey responses. Then subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. The resulting difference is your NPS.

A little confusing? Here’s an example. Let’s say you received 100 survey responses:

15 Detractors - 15%
40 Passives - 40%
45 Promoters - 45%

NPS (45% - 15%) - 30%

In this case, you have a low NPS. Any score above 50% is considered decent because it means you have at least 50% more promoters than you have detractors. But let’s not forget that there’s one more element to your survey question—“Why?”

The answers you get will give you valuable insight as to why customers are satisfied or not with your service.

Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)

The ultimate goal of a call center is to make customers happy. When they’re happy, they give positive feedback and are more likely to recommend your service to people they know.

A good indicator of customer happiness is the customer satisfaction score (CSAT), which is given to an agent.

CSAT is measured by asking your customers a question about a particular interaction they’ve had with an agent (e.g., “Were you satisfied with how our agent handled your concern?”). The customer is provided with a survey scale they have to fill out, typically 1-10, with 10 being the highest.

The CSAT score is calculated by adding all of the scores an agent received and dividing the sum by the number of surveys.

Customer Satisfaction score formula
CSAT score =	Total score agent received
	Total number of surveys received

These are just some of the top metrics you can use to drive call center performance. As a call center manager, you’ll also deal with cost per contact, abandoned call rate, average call transfer rate, and more.

Getting the right call center management solution

As a company, you need to be able to serve every type of customer, from young people who spend lots of time on social media and messaging platforms to professionals who want fast, straightforward replies over the phone.

The right call or contact center solution empowers agents, enhances customer experience, and drives successful call center strategies—all of which are crucial for successful call center management.