By: Justin Browning, MVP, Contact Center Operations, Velera

We ask a lot of those who work in the service industry. Whether in a restaurant, retail store or hotel, we expect our food to arrive on time, our order to be correct and our lodging needs to be met — all delivered with excellent people skills and, perhaps, a prescient anticipation of our needs. 

In the credit union industry, expectations can be higher still. The contact center is often the entry point for members looking to resolve a perceived problem with their account or report potential fraud. Some callers enter the conversation feeling anxious or annoyed — or worse, angry or threatened. It is the job of the agent to analyze, investigate and correct the issue with empathy, professionalism and grace, which can be a challenge, especially during times of high traffic or stress.

The complexity of the products and solutions offered in personal finance, combined with the need for compassion — especially in the case of fraud or financial distress — requires the right balance of technology and skilled agents. Here are three areas credit unions can focus on to find, attract and retain top contact center talent. 

1. Find the Right Fit

When hiring for contact center positions, consider building a staff that matches the diversity of your member base. Select candidates from a range of education levels, with fluency in a variety of languages and, if remote, from geographically different locations. When interviewing, focus on soft skills before industry knowledge — which can be taught — by considering the intangibles behind their responses.

• Sentiment. How does the candidate show up and deliver their responses during the interview? Look for positive tone, inflection and word choice rather than responses that tend toward the negative. 
   
• Empathy. Is the candidate able to diffuse a difficult situation? Do they project a genuine desire to help? Agents must demonstrate patience and a willingness to listen — and they must understand how their response may impact a challenging call.
   
• Charisma. Can the candidate deliver a difficult message that is still supportive? For example, do they use words that demonstrate what we can do for the member, instead of what we can’t do?

We recommend allowing candidates to observe a day in the life of an agent to demonstrate what they can expect from the role if selected. At Velera, we set clear expectations of training, policies and metrics, and ensure they understand the rapid pace of the work: often non-stop calls throughout the course of a shift. We also highlight the value of becoming a Velera employee, including a generous benefits package, paid time off and more — all to help ensure the candidate has a good chance of staying for the long run.

2. Invest in Ongoing Development

The traditional model for contact center onboarding involves an initial period of intensive training, during which agents learn the breadth of skills required for their roles. They are bombarded with information about products and solutions and trained in the technology they use to manage their work. Once training is complete, they jump into rotation — where they either sink or swim. 

Velera’s model, however, considers the ways adults actually learn, retain and use information. 

• Building-block approach. After the initial orientation, we train new hires gradually. First, they learn the basics and take calls on just the things they’ve learned. Next, their training goes deeper — focusing on what to do with fraudulent charges and chargebacks — and those sessions are followed by taking calls on those concerns. This building-block approach is repeated throughout the duration of training, breaking it up so it’s less daunting. At each stage, the new agents learn in a nesting environment where mentors are available for support; agents quickly gain a deeper understanding of their members and the types of issues they will face once they are fully trained. 
   
• Keep it fresh with gamification. Gamification learning tools have revolutionized agent training and development in the industry. We motivate agents to ramp up daily activities as they move toward goals in friendly competition with peers; they see their progress in real-time dashboards and earn real and virtual rewards, too.
   
• Ongoing coaching. One-on-one sessions are built right into the schedule. Throughout the day, team leads monitor and coach as calls take place. And at any time, agents are encouraged to ask for help from any leader at any level. The open-door policy is key and empowers agents to ask for the support they need. 

3. Building a Culture

The contact center, like other sectors, emerged from the pandemic with a new model that supports remote work; we can hire and retain better talent when employees have the freedom to work from home. We found, however, that working remotely made some agents feel isolated. They missed the “water cooler community” where they could get to know each other, vent, brainstorm new ideas and enjoy the camaraderie of working alongside others. 

Accordingly, we’ve taken steps to build a culture that relies less on face-to-face interaction and more on strengthening bonds among colleagues.

• Understand employees’ needs. Virtual focus groups give agents the opportunity to share their stories and let others know they’re not alone, even if it sometimes feels like it. Leaders are trained on empathy and how to lead with care and check in with their employees as people. We make a point to ensure meetings aren’t all about business but include the human aspects of working as a team. 
   
• Develop leaders. Among a pool of contact center agents, leaders naturally arise — and when they do, we encourage their aspirations with a solid program of career development. Our rising stars complete a six-month training course and, if successful, can be rewarded with leadership roles, higher pay and additional benefits. 
   
• Be seen — and have fun. At Velera, we’re committed to supporting a culture that is caring, engaging and empowering. Throughout the company, we sponsor culture-based resource groups that bring people together in safe virtual spaces based on their interests. Within our Contact Center, we also encourage hobby-themed social groups and seasonal activities to create community. Even if they’re attending from different states across the nation, employees feel more energized through these connections and are better prepared to serve.

Service industry work isn’t for everyone. But with a solid strategy for finding people energized to provide great service, combined with ongoing development and support for your community of agents, you can build a team of professionals to serve your unique membership — and stay with you for the long term. 

Justin Browning is the Managing Vice President for Velera’s Contact Center, overseeing the day-to-day operations. He has 25 years of experience in the financial contact center space, having held positions in Workforce Management and Quality Assurance for large financial contact centers. Justin also holds an MBA in business management.