FirstLineCoach
Tough time at work
D1 — Directive1. Diagnosis
Agent is on a performance plan.
2. Behaviour Observations
What you might see or hear that points to this pattern.
- Agent has been formally notified either verbally or written that their performance needs to improve.
3. Session Objective
An agent may understand why they are on a performance plan, but the scale of challenge in changing their behaviour to get off the plan may seem daunting. It is particularly important in this session to set experiments that can be incorporated long-term into the agent's behaviour.
4. Session Tactics
How to prepare for and structure the 45-minute call review.
Let the agent know that you know they are on a performance plan. You cannot run a coaching session without this being public between you. Discuss what the agent needs to achieve in order to get back to normal operation. Discuss what new behaviour needs to be observed, the period over which it must be observed and who will make the assessment. You can help the agent with two types of issue in this session: how they interact with customers, and how they recover emotionally after difficult calls. Discuss the agent with the TL before the session. It is important that the agent sees that their exit from the company is not inevitable and that they can move off the plan with some work.
5. GROW Experiments
Experiments the coachee might choose to try. These are offers, not prescriptions — the coachee selects what feels right for them.
The GROW experiment must connect closely to the specific behaviour that needs to change. The agent should be able to see a direct connection between the new thing they are trying and an observable improvement that contributes to getting off the plan.
The change must be part of a set of changes that the agent believes will work — this set must not be so large as to be overwhelming.
Setting some short conversations — perhaps at their desk, only 3 or 4 mins each — can be a useful additional boost at this difficult time.