Team Leaders are the heartbeat of the Contact Center.
That’s why we’ve created this Team Leader Resource Series — a collection of practical articles to help Team Leaders grow their skills, shift their mindset, and elevate the way they lead.
We’ve Met a Lot of Team Leaders
We’ve been teaching new and experienced Team Leaders for more than 25+ years.
And we’ve incorporated the insights, stories, and examples shared by thousands of participants across more than 75 countries.
The Industry Challenge
Let’s begin with the reality most Team Leaders face today.
Most folks come into the industry by accident — and then end up learning on the job. Which is a very hit or miss way to master an industry.
This lack of professional know-how doesn’t just hold individuals back. It holds their organizations back too.
You probably wouldn’t go to an unqualified dentist to have your teeth fixed. You’d expect them to have a formal background in dentistry along with relevant experience.
The same approach applies for Team Leaders.
Because even if your Team Leaders were Agents before, they need more than on the job experience.
They need real industry know-how.
We Treat the Customer Ecosystem as a Business Discipline
An ecosystem is an environment that involves relationships and interdependencies across multiple Stakeholders.
Think of a natural ecosystem like a national park or nature reserve.
In a nature reserve you might have plants, animals, and aquatic life thriving together.
In a healthy ecosystem, an elegant balance has been achieved.
The Customer ecosystem is similar.
In the Customer ecosystem, the Stakeholders include our Customers, Employees, Colleagues, Bosses, Partners and Owners.
Achieving a thriving community — one that meets the needs of all Stakeholders — is both an art and a science.
So we treat understanding and managing the Customer ecosystem as a business discipline.
One that — like finance, law or marketing — requires specific industry know-how and skills.
Four Domains of Core Industry Know-How
These four domains form the backbone of Team Leader mastery across the Customer ecosystem:
- Operations Management
- Quality Management & Coaching
- Leadership & People Management
- Customer Experience Management
They provide the structure and vocabulary that Team Leaders need to lead effectively.
I’ve Never Met a Team Leader Who Didn’t Want to Do a Good Job
Here’s one of the most common comments we receive after any Team Leader training course:
“Dan, I’ve been in the industry for 5 (or 8 or even 14) years and I wish I had taken this course back when I started. Because I would have done a much better job.”
Because we don’t know what we don’t know.
And working with scattered bits of knowledge when you’re managing a complex ecosystem is bound to be problematic.
Now and then I see well-meaning ‘CX experts’ write that training for Team Leaders has been overlooked.
I disagree.
The Team Leader job role has been analyzed, written about, and discussed for decades.
So something else is going on.
Why Aren’t Team Leaders Doing Better?
We see two key factors that hold Team Leaders back from job mastery.
Factor #1: How Serious is the Organization?
First off, not every Organization prioritizes Team Leader development the same way.
Imagine a continuum here with two endpoints.
At the far right endpoint you have the Organizations that prioritize management development.
In these Organizations, Team Leaders are formally taught what they need to know and then placed in environments where they can apply — in the real world — what they’ve learned.
At the far left endpoint you have the Organizations that don’t understand or even believe that the Customer ecosystem is a business discipline.
These are the places where you’ll hear the bosses talk about ‘on the job’ learning as the solution to building Team Leader competency.
Or they may be Organizations that pay lip service to the Customer ecosystem — ‘talking the talk’ — without actually dedicating resources or qualified leadership to manage the ecosystem, otherwise known as ‘walking the walk’.
Factor #2: How Prepared is the Organization?
Here we are back to the industry challenge again.
That people don’t go to school to become professionals in Customer Experience, Customer Service and Contact Centers.
To develop an effective curriculum for Team Leaders — who work in the Customer ecosystem — requires specialized know-how.
To be fair to Learning & Development folks, not everyone has the background or know-how to develop this specialized curriculum.
Often what Team Leaders receive is pretty basic. Sometimes it’s just a generic management course.
Not one that addresses the art and science of the Customer ecosystem.
If you’re in charge — and you take the Team Leader job role seriously — don’t accept basic.
Because basic doesn’t move the needle on becoming better. With all the great benefits that come with that.
When Will I Know My Team Leaders Are Gaining Mastery?
There’s no question that Team Leaders need to master each of the four individual domains outlined above.
But do you want to know when you’ll know that your Team Leaders are gaining job mastery?
That’s an easy one.
When they begin to confidently connect the dots across the four domains — which happens as their knowledge grows.
I love it when a Team Leader can accurately describe the impact of a proposed decision or action across the multiple domains — including Operations, People and Customers.
They see the big picture and how these domains interrelate.
I also appreciate when a Team Leader can articulate the leadership and self-management behaviors they employ to be better as people.
That approach to self-management and leadership is always powerful.
And as Team Leader mastery of the Customer ecosystem increases, their confidence, the quality of their decisions and their results increase as well.
Practical Resources for Team Leaders
These articles provide practical guidance for Team Leaders who want to grow, lead effectively, and understand the Customer ecosystem with confidence:
Help Your Contact Centre Team Leaders Do Better – Part 1
- Explore the essential foundations for Team Leaders — and how to help them do better.
Help Your Contact Centre Team Leaders Do Better – Part 2
- We continue our review of the essential foundations for Team Leaders — and what helps them succeed.
How Team Leaders Can Talk Like a Leader
- Explore how conversations shape leadership — and how Team Leaders can talk like a leader.
“But My Way Is Better” – A Common Coaching Challenge
- Learn how to manage this common coaching challenge with empathy, respect, and a structured approach.
Team Leaders Do Better When They Pour from a Full Cup
- To have meaningful conversations with their team members, Team Leaders need to feel ready and prepared to do so.
Why Years of Experience Aren’t Enough in Contact Centre Management
- Years of experience don’t guarantee Contact Centre success. Learn why know-how, leadership, and impact matter more than tenure.
Thanks for Reading
If you’re exploring training and development options for your Team Leaders, you can learn more about our Team Leader Training Series here.
I regularly share stories, strategies, and insights from our work across Contact Centers, Customer Service, and Customer Experience. If this resonates, I’d love to stay connected.
You can drop me a line anytime, or subscribe on our site.
Daniel Ord
[email protected]
www.omnitouchinternational.com
