By Megan Hottman, Operations Manager and Brand Evangelist
I’ve had the opportunity to work with a number of outsourcing organizations over the years. One of the greatest differentiators that separates the good organizations from the best organizations is how they ran their contact center, referred to as contact center management. Effective contact center management can make it or break it from a customer experience standpoint.
Contact center management is the way that each individual outsourcing firm organizes their operation. As an example, how contact centers identify roles and responsibilities for the team interfacing with clients. For the purpose of this article, when it comes to contact center management there are two roles that play an important part and are key in the success of any contact center – client relationship. Telemarketing account managers and operations managers have a great burden of responsibility for the success of each client. The roles are wildly different, but they unite around the overall success of their clients.
Telemarketing Account Manager vs. Operations Manager Roles and Responsibilities
Telemarketing Account Managers in Contact Center Management
This is a group of individuals in the contact center that is client focused from the beginning. They are the main point of contact between the client and the contact center. They are responsible for the overall relationship, account health and identifying any potential risks that may put the relationship in jeopardy.
From the beginning of the contractual engagement between the client and outsourcer, they take the reins and walk through set up, implementation and act as a liaison between the client and operations team. Telemarketing account managers are in constant contact with the client and voice potential issues and even suggest modifications to the program based upon feedback, their independent assessment and collaboration with the entire team. Forecasting can oftentimes be a responsibility of telemarketing account managers based on the structure and set up of the contact center management model.
There is however a pretty clear delineation between their role and the role of an operations manager. While the telemarketing account manager may have a high-level understanding of the operations side, they are not in the daily minutiae and aren’t consumed with the finer details that make the overall program perform.
Operations Managers in Contact Center Management
As it relates to contact center management, operations managers are the folks in the trenches making sure the day to day is running smoothly for each client. They are actively pulling on and identifying levers will impact performance for the better. Operations managers bring real value to the table for each and every client about performance, enhancements, modifications and are in tune with what potential changes will influence performance positively. Operations managers are fantastic communicators and have the ability to lead teams.
Another important aspect of this role is the evaluation and interpretation of data. Not just data in general but the actual results/metrics of each client program. Operations managers have their arms around the data and dissect this information and look for opportunities to improve overall performance.
When it comes to messaging and making sure the team is on point, operations managers focus on the quality of the phone call and program to help ensure the client is being represented appropriately and make changes as needed.
In summary, both telemarketing account managers and operations managers have a large contribution to the overall success of each client. The way the roles are generally structured allow each to compliment the other very well. It’s a win for the contact center and an even larger win for the client.
The team at Quality Contact Solutions has many years of experience with contact center management and in the telemarketing industry. Our team understands how to help our clients succeed. We’ve been a trusted partner for dozens of organizations over the last 12 years because as a company, we know what winning formulas look like for our clients.
Want to hear more about our winning formulas? Call us today to learn more.
Other Articles You Might Find Interesting:
How to Calculate Call Center Outsourcing Cost: Outbound
How to use Outsourced Telesales for Increase Market Share
How to Partner with a Contact Solutions Provider
Megan Hottman is an Operations Manager and Brand Evangelist for Quality Contact Solutions. Megan’s experience includes working as an outbound telemarketing manager for a Fortune 100 company for many years. Megan has been both a client and an employee of QCS, so she knows first-hand the quality, productivity and passion the team brings to work on a daily basis. As Brand Evangelist, Megan is a freelance contributor to our website. You can reach Megan at https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganehottman
