What makes a successful leader?

Last week marked the launch of this year's Future Leaders Programme, an initiative designed to empower and support agents who remain dedicated to providing quality customer experiences.

Being a future leader in a contact centre dealing with customer services and sales requires many different skills. Leadership is not just about having the right qualifications or experience, but also a combination of hard work and dedication to providing customers with the best service possible.

Future leaders should strive to create an environment where their team is empowered to do their best work and make a positive impact on customer satisfaction. They need to be creative problem solvers and have an eye for detail when it comes to customer service. Future leaders should also be able to prioritize tasks, communicate effectively with customers, and handle difficult customer situations calmly and professionally. 

Beyond these basic skills, future leaders should also be able to recognize opportunities for improvement and implement changes that will make the customer experience better and ultimately, future leaders in a contact centre should have a passion for providing exceptional service.

We've been delighted with the enthusiasm shown by our first intake of 20 agents, who are approaching each task and group discussion with gusto! The next 6 months will be a fantastic learning experience for everyone, as we work to nurture each individual's skills and knowledge to help them become effective leaders.

We asked our award-winning Head of Training and Quality and creator of this programme, Dai Phipps, which leaders inspire him. Here's what he had to say: 

"Bit of a random one but Arsene Wenger the old Arsenal manager.  He never went out and bought superstars but worked with his young talent and made them superstars. Fiercely loyal to the club for over 20 years through the good and bad times and was well respected by his peers and rivals. I took this inspiration and implemented these qualities in this programme."

We look forward to sharing the journey of our future leaders with you over the coming months, so keep an eye on our social media channels using the hashtag #letsbuildleaders