Call Center Essentials 4: The Operations Manager

It’s no secret that owners of call center companies are supposed to hire agents to deliver the superior customer service they promised to their clients. On top of that, people who will supervise these agents once they’re divided among the different teams are required; these are the team leaders. While there isn’t a number specified above, it’s not hard to imagine that the scenario entails hiring a lot of people. When a company has this many a workforce, it needs a handful of employees to oversee the rest of the flock.

This is where the operation managers come in. They are the ones who orchestrate the show and make sure that everyone hits the right notes at the right time. This depiction alone is enough to make one guess that an operations manager’s job is crucial as well as significant. But what exactly do operations managers do? Let’s take a look.

Operations Manager Defined

In essence, it is the duty of the operations manager (OM) to ensure that the business practices of the company are observed in the most efficient means possible and to uphold the company’s core values at the same time. It is also the responsibility of OMs to be knowledgeable about every single business process performed by the company such as the production of goods or the rendering of services. Also added in the OMs checklist is to help the company strike a balance between costs and profit so that the company can earn the highest revenue possible from the operations alone.

In a call center setting, the operation manager makes sure that the account he or she handles does not get penalized because of not meeting the contractual goal of the account.

Responsibilities of an Operations Manager

To say that operations managers have a lot of tasks would be an understatement, so to understand better how big the shoes they need to fill in are, here are some of their responsibilities.

• Handle team leaders.
  If the team leaders are the ones responsible for looking after the agents and ensure that they’re delivering exceptional performance, it is the job of the operations managers to make certain that the team leaders are also on the top of their game. OMs have a hand on the recruitment, training, and coaching agents that are up for team leader posts, as well as to justify and warrant termination whenever the need arises. If there are lapses in the operations, the OMs should also be able to make recommendations to solve them.
  

• Deal with customers (clients).
  OMs are expected to oversee every level of operations and to make sure that the people involved can perform the duties that their job entails. In the case of call center companies, it is the OM’s responsibility to ensure that the agents are trained well in preparation for their work on the floor. From the spiels to the answering of the queries, to the proposing of alternatives when the need arises, operations managers need to make sure every agent knows what to do which in turn requires the OMs to learn how to do the process themselves. On the other hand, OMs of companies that offer outbound services like selling is expected to guarantee that the company meets the client’s quota.

• Balance assets.
  Another area OMs have a role in is making the company resources hit equilibrium. Since call center companies invest a great deal in people, technology, and infrastructure, it is only wise that the firm ensures that every penny spent is cost-effective and efficient enough to earn revenue. Many competent OMs have mastered which seasons are the most profitable and which seasons are lean. They study these trends to allocate enough resources regardless of the time of the year. By examining data like these, companies can maximize the assets they have and to foresee the parts which they need to improve on, whether they’re tangible or otherwise.

• Submit reports.
   Operations managers are answerable to higher company executives. Depending on the frequency of the reporting, OMs need to file reports about everything they have their hands on, whether it’s human resources, client relations, or asset management for the previous term or year.

Included in the types of reports OMs are expected to present Profit and Liabilities (P&L), annual business forecasts, and incentive reports. In addition, OMs are in charge of seat allocations on the floor. This involves ensuring that all agents of every account are distributed efficiently throughout different working shifts available and that every seat is utilized in favor of the client’s demands.

In a nutshell, operations managers serve as shepherds to their herd. They are the ones who look after the group and make sure nobody messes up. They function like smooth-running engines determined to supervise agents and team leaders when delivering quality customer