Red bottoms, center management takes into account all the factors involved in running a properly maintained contact center. In many cases, call center management is not just about implementing protocols but also adopting a philosophy. To achieve success in a contact center, the people at the top must understand their jobs from the ground up. Therefore, to be a successful manager, one must first be a successful worker. It's challenging to ask someone to do a job that you cannot perform yourself. All call center management personnel must be proficient in every aspect of every level of answering service personnel. Call center management is usually a team effort. Since call centers are typically 24/7 operations, management needs to be in place to cover every hour of the day. While many call center managers are hardworking individuals, it’s unlikely they can work every hour of the day. Hence, a manager must be assigned for each shift. Call center management may also extend to weekends through weekend supervisors. Management can also be divided into different departments, which will determine the duties of that manager.
**Call Center Sales:** The sales director is a crucial part of the call center management team. This individual, or in many cases a group of individuals, oversees the call center’s sales team. A manager helps organize the sales staff, distribute leads, and track follow-ups on potential inquiries.
**Customer Service Management:** The customer service management team is what makes the answering service, contact center, or call center successful. These individuals are the glue that holds the entire operation together. The ideal manager is an excellent listener, a great communicator, and someone who can motivate the entire team to accomplish their tasks.
**IT Manager:** The IT Department is the heart of the call center operation. The management team must be capable and willing to learn and grow. With technology advancing rapidly, an IT manager must be able to adapt and grow with the evolving capabilities of new and expanded features as they become available. The quality of a call center is usually reflective of the quality of its management. Generally, a strong management team elevates the answering service to an entirely different level. When assembling a call center, a management team and a management philosophy must be in place to help implement a well-run call center.