How do you advance your career from a call center agent to a supervisor or manager?

Focusing on learning and developing communication, leadership and problem solving skills have a direct impact on agent's career path in the contact center community

To advance from a call center agent to a supervisor or manager, focus on developing skills, seeking opportunities, learning from mentors, gaining relevant experience, continuous learning, and networking.

In my experience, being self-aware and identifying specific skills and qualities that inspire you in your leaders is a great starting point for working towards a leadership role. Be honest with yourself where you could use some growth and seek it out. Own your development. It's also important to have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve and what kind of leader you want to be in order to set specific goals and track your progress.

Constantly getting feedback (and improving based on it) is the fastest way to prove yourself capable. Call and support centers look for people who know the people, processes, and skills to move up—with a big emphasis on processes. Mastering these skills and getting opportunities to help with training (advocated by your mentor) is the single fastest way to get to a management level.

It is easy to fall into a trap of seeing things from only your view which can lead you to achieve things based on a limited understanding of the actual problems senior staff are focused. This in itself can cause alot of wasted energy and focus. By engaging senior staff it can help broaden your understanding and help to steer your energies towards more productive outcomes. Which will put you on the radar for the right reasons and hold you in good stead when opportunities arise in the future.

I can't stress this one enough. Step out of your comfort zone. Volunteer to lead a meeting or project. Ask to present in front of the next stand up meeting. Do ONE extraordinary thing that is outside of your scope of work, once a week. Be creative. Showcase what you can do. Even if you fumble, this is the time to learn right? Mistakes are just opportunities to re-evaluate, learn and grow. By being intentional about your personal and professional development and consistently working towards your leadership goals, you can position yourself for success.

Get yourself on some new projects. If a new product or service is being launched, ask questions. If you notice something you want to learn about the business, that you don't already know, ask to be taught. Many managers will be willing to speak about their department or function to help aid your development.

When hiring leaders, we're looking for people who think and act strategically, who can see things from a higher level. An individual who asks their manager questions like "What problems are you trying to solve?" and "How can I help?" will be appreciated!

Allow me to add; Be curious. Ask and consult where you need additional information. This will open you up to multidisciplinary engagements which then builds your network internally.

In my experience those that seek to become multi disciplinary by taking initiative, self learning, taking on more tasks, roles and solving problems from an empathetic point of view stand out and get noticed quicker by leaders. Be a person that delivers a unique and personalised output that the day you are away the customers literally ask why? Do it like you ,that no one else can do it like you do.

Realize that a vertical move to a management position might not be the best option for you at your current company. Also consider lateral moves to more advanced departments (such as sales, compliance, or advanced support). The pay often gets much better in these specialized departments and adds to your resume if you do consider going back to your original department looking for a management position.

I believe that the individual should have passion, grit and determination to take himself to the next level, to be kind in this wide sector of customer industry and willing to offer the best to give out to community and set out the brand image and standard that will help that individual get notice by the administration members also one has to be keen to be updated with the promotions going in the organization.

Learn about what the other departments in your company does. How does the supply chain affect the customer service team? Why do products take so long to manufacture? Why does the accounts team insist on credit checks before authorising a credit terms? All of these questions and knowledge nuggets will allow you to have a deeper understanding of how the business works. You'll have better customer conversations and better internal conversations when you take the time to listen. Plus, you'll be showing you care about all sides of the business.