Being a Leader from ANY position in a contact center [Part 3 of 3]

By: Amayea Maat

Hello again! In parts 1 and 2 of this article, I mentioned a leader being:

• Someone who brings others along with them (inclusive)
• Someone who sees a need, and fills it
• Someone who is continuously learning and growing 
• Someone who leaves other people and situations in a better place than what they were found

We began to look at this from the vantage point of customer service, starting with the most important people,the front line representatives and supervisors. Now, let’s expand that to the entire contact center – QA, Operations,Training, and so on. Depending on the size of your contact center, you may not have all of these individual departments but, you may have someone who perform these functions.

For those in these departments/roles, there is still an opportunity for you to lead and make a difference. Identify YOUR customers, understand their needs, and provide them the support and services they need.

Here is an example. I worked for a large, fast moving financial software company. I will never forget the support that I received from the finance manager and his department! They understood my business unit and the impact they had to our success. He stood out because he partnered with me. My success, and that of my department was due in part to his supportive role. 

Conversely I have had experiences where there was no partnership, understanding or adequate communication. The results were disastrous! Services were not delivered, which impacted my business unit and my end customer. The picture that I hope I am giving you is that through the context of understanding who your customer is and what they need to be successful you have an opportunity to lead.

Will it take courage if this is not happening in your department? Yes! Will it take a shift in contextual thinking? Yes! But, it will be worth it. Not only will you gain new confidence and skill sets but, you will be viewed as a leader. You'll be seen as someone who identifies needs and provide a solution to meet them. This is when being a leader is most needed.

Regardless of your role, or the situation, it is possible for you to exhibit your leadership traits.

I invite you to try it out!

As an expert in Technical Support, Client Services, Organizational and Leadership Development and Process Improvement, Amayea Maat has spent time in fortune 100 and 500 companies disrupting the status quo while being a stand for what is possible beyond expectations.

Amayea currently is the Director of Technical Support for MineSight, a software solutions product serving the mining industry. Where she ensures international Global Support and Services readiness, and at present, oversees support teams in eight global locations.

Her passion is to create and empower organizations where the experience of leadership inspires the human spirit.