Case 3

Case

"Non-independent team"

How the call center team became self-sufficient after four months, thanks to our recommendations implemented by the manager following our check-up

About the Client

The call center is part of the oldest state bank of one of the CIS countries

The head of the call center has been with this division since its establishment in the bank in 2020. During this time, the staff increased from 8 to 46 employees. The manager directly oversees two team leaders—one responsible for the development of the call center and the other for operations.

In 2022, the bank's call center ranked first in the country among state banks for customer service quality.

In 2023, part of the team left due to a change in bank management. Since then, there has been a shortage of operators and difficulties with their training.

PSY Element:

What would you like to work with?

Manager:

I want to understand why my team is not independent. I plan to leave for my project within a year, but I can't do it, because now the team can't make any decision without me. My departure can harm the business, and I don't want to let it happen.

PSY Element:

Why did you decide to contact us - organizational consultants?

руководитель:

Because I don't understand the reason behind this. Could it be that I'm not setting tasks correctly? Or are the employees too young and inexperienced? I've already done a lot—I've talked to them, assigned tasks that interest them, and brought them to meetings with bank management. Yet, they still don't show initiative and wait for me to solve everything.

I offered a 3-stage project

The client has limited time, and their main objective is to quickly address the team's autonomy so they can focus on their own project. Therefore, I proposed a three-stage approach that will enable us to resolve this issue swiftly

Check-up

At this stage, we will understand the reasons for the team's inaction. This will allow you to accurately and quickly influence the root cause

Team session

We will conduct one team session with the key employees of the call center to highlight to the leader and the team what is holding them back from taking responsibility. Additionally, after this session, it will be easier for the manager to implement our recommendations based on the outcomes of the session

List of recommendations

We will prepare a checklist for the manager to rely on when implementing changes within the team. These changes will help the team become more autonomous, allowing the manager to focus on their own project

Signing the contract

As organizational consultants, we pay close attention to the form and content of our communication with the client. This communication holds valuable information that helps us better understand and delve deeper into resolving the client’s problem.

However, at this stage, we did not notice any peculiarities except for one. When the head of the call center was discussing our candidacy with the deputy chairman of the bank, he assumed that the consulting would involve the entire bank rather than just the call center.

This leads us to consider that there may be some underlying issues within the bank itself that need addressing.

1 stage

"Check-up"

This stage is similar to a doctor's diagnosis, where, before prescribing medication, the doctor sends the patient for tests to accurately determine the diagnosis. We also cannot work without a diagnosis, as we will not know the true reason for the team’s strong dependence on the leader, making it unclear which tools should be used

Check-up included several stages:

Analysis of external sources

We analyzed open sources on the Internet to understand how the company "sounds" in the outside world

Analysis of internal communication in the department

At this stage, we analyzed the correspondence in work chats and internal documentation. This helps us see the company's internal "language" and the nuances of communication among employees

Interview with the head and key employees of the department

The interview helps us to get a complete view of the problem, to feel the emotional background in the company

Analysis of consultants' dynamics

As consultants, we observed our own feelings and behavior during work. This is an important part of the analysis, as the team of consultants begins to "play" the same dynamics as the client's while working with the client.

Analysis of external sources

We analyzed publications in the media, the company's website, customer reviews in order to see the image of the bank in the outside world. And also, in order to find out the key events in the history that could affect the general dynamics and in particular the dynamics of the call center.

Publications in the media, bank website

What we observe from the analysis of media publications:

1

Change of Chairman and Departure of Key Team

The bank frequently changes its chairmen. The departure of the most recent chairman prompted the resignation of key employees
2

Prolonged Privatization

The bank has always been state-owned, but attempts to privatize it have been ongoing for two years, so far without success
3

Capital and Resource Issues

n 2023, there were problems with lending. The bank's market share is declining, and it is going through a challenging period
4

Strategy for the Next Two Years Strengthens the Role of the Call Center

The strategy, developed by external consultants, enhances the role of the call center, as many tasks are linked to sales and customer service provided by the call center

Customers' Feedback

What we notice from the analysis of customer feedback:

Conservatism and Outdated Technologies

Many highlight the bank's reliability due to its longevity. However, they also point out a high level of conservatism and bureaucratic red tape that hinders innovation
Friendly "facade"

The friendliness of the staff at the entrance, reception, and call center is prominently noted. However, this friendliness often diminishes during further communication regarding the bank's products

Our notes following the analysis of external sources

Due to privatization, the bank's role is changing; it now needs to take a more active position in the market, as demands for profitability and competitiveness are increasing.
The role of the call center is becoming more important for the bank.
There is a friendly "facade" that conceals the conservatism typical of a state bank.

For now, we are simply noting these observations, as we still have limited information to form a comprehensive picture

Analysis of internal communication in the call center

When there is such an opportunity, we always analyze internal correspondence, documents, working notes that are available in the company. This helps us to understand the "language" of communication in the team, to see its features.

Here we pay attention to a few points:

most of the manager's communication with employees takes place online, in Telegram
employees respond to the manager very quickly
the manager points out to the employees their inexperience
there is irritation in communications with the manager responsible for development

Interview with the head and key employees of the call center

At this stage, we conduct interviews and observe how they take place

Preparation for the interview

Before the interview, we prepare a list of questions. These questions are based on a psychoanalytic approach, which allows us to find out the "hidden layers" of the team - how the business task is described, what fears it raises, how employees protect themselves from these experiences, etc. These "hidden layers" help us see how the team functions as a system, and what hinders it

List of questions for the interview

Interview with the call center manager

Observations from this conversation:

Intuitive Management

From the very beginning, the manager has built the call center intuitively, as there was no prior experience, and no one in the company knew how to do it. They did not seek external expertise or training, instead constructing the department themselves and experimenting
Lack of System in Task Assignment

Tasks for managers are assigned by the leader "on the go," via Telegram. There is no supplementary program for tracking tasks. Meetings with managers are always at different times and are chaotic
HR Department Offers No Support in Hiring and Training

The call center independently searches for, interviews, and hires employees. This consumes a significant amount of resources from the current staff
45-Minute Wait Times on the Line

Due to a shortage of operators, wait times have increased to 45 minutes, and sometimes the manager has to assist operators by answering calls.

Interviews with key employees

When the team is more than 5-10 people (as it was in this case), we make a selection of those with whom we will conduct interviews

As usual, we select employees for interviews:

Those who are connected with the main problem

Usually these are those employees who are directly related to the problems stated by the head.
In this case, there are two managers
From different levels of the structure

We try to interview people from different levels of the structure to get a better picture.
In this case, we chose managers, supervisors and operators
Those who stand out from the team

Such employees reveal the side of the team that usually goes unspoken. In this case, we invited the conflicting employees and those who are consistently dissatisfied with their working conditions

This selection allows us to gather a wealth of valuable and diverse information and to understand the overall picture of what is happening. Therefore, it is sufficient for us to speak with a few individuals to grasp how the entire team operates

WE INVITED 6 EMPLOYEES:

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
OPERATING BOARD MANAGER
2 SUPERVISORS
2 OPERATORS

What happened next
surprised us

We've never had such "sterile" interviews!

All the employees were surprisingly friendly, arriving on time, smiling, and responding with identical, almost rehearsed phrases.

We couldn't glean any insights—neither through metaphors nor through emotions (which the employees simply did not exhibit). The only thing we managed to understand is that almost all tasks assigned to the managers by the leader are addressed collectively. Both managers consult with each other and involve supervisors to determine how to tackle specific tasks.

We were puzzled

As consultants, we couldn't understand the cause of this "sterility" and how it affects the team's lack of independence

However, the beauty of our method is that it allows us to analyze what is happening even in such complex situations and to think about how it all relates to the team's dynamics and the client's request

Therefore, in this case, it was especially important to assess HOW these interviews were conducted::

"Sterility"

We recall the "facade" mentioned in client feedback about the bank—something similar played out during the interviews. The communication was very friendly, flat, and emotionless. However, behind this even communication, something is clearly hidden. This is likely related to the nature of the call center, where employees are forced to conceal their emotions, endure negativity, and respond according to scripts
Many contradictions

There were many contradictions in the employees' interviews regarding various issues: how decisions are made in the team, what the KPIs in the call center are, the frequency and order of meetings, the atmosphere within the collective, etc. As a result, it was challenging to piece together a coherent picture. Here, we consider that perhaps this confusion is created by the employees' feelings, which do not surface due to the nature of call center work
Theme of Maturity

The theme of maturity was constantly present during the interviews. Some mentioned their young age, others spoke of children they need to care for, and some referred to the call center as a "springboard to adult life." All of this indicates that the theme of maturity is in the air and somehow linked to the current problems. We think that the role of the call center is shifting to a more active one, just as the role of the bank itself is changing. This also resembles a stage of maturation

Our notes on the results of the interviews

Lack of resources

The call center is experiencing an objective lack of resources due to the change of management and the dismissal of some employees. A large volume of operational tasks prevents the independence of the team.
Lack of time

The specificity of the call center's work "conserves" all the feelings and experiences of employees that are not processed in any way. This, among other things, can interfere with the independence of the team, since the initiative requires a lot of healthy aggression.
Role change

The theme of the call center's maturation mirrors the theme of the bank's maturation. Both the call center and the bank are shifting their roles from passive to active

Analysis of internal dynamics of consultants

In this project, this stage was particularly important because we did not manage to gather substantial information during the employee interviews. Therefore, analyzing our dynamics while working with this client will reveal insights that the employees could not express during the interviews. This is possible because, during client engagements, consultants experience a "parallel process"—the same dynamics that exist within the client's team. This reflects how psychology operates in team interactions

To distinguish the client's dynamics from our own, we look at the behavior that is atypical for us and reflect on how it relates to the client's request

Task overload

One of the consultants took on more than they could handle. As a result, we had to redistribute tasks when the deadlines for the client had already been extended.

Health issues

Two consultants experienced food poisoning, with one falling ill right before the team session

Working on weekends

We were so overwhelmed with the project work that our meetings were rescheduled to late Sunday evenings. This caused a lot of frustration, and we felt extremely tired

Our notes on internal dynamics analysis

Employees are overloaded

Employees are likely overloaded with operational tasks due to a lack of personnel in the call center. This leads to overwork and declining health (indeed, the manager and some employees often take sick leave)
No place for emotions

Confidentiality, strict adherence to scripts, and a lack of emotions are all characteristics of call center work that “preserve” emotions

Based on the analysis of all this information, we formulated a HYPOTHESIS for the client's request:

"The dynamics of the call center completely mirror the dynamics of the entire bank.

The bank is currently undergoing privatization, and its goals for the coming years are significantly changing (the bank's role is becoming more active - the requirements for profitability and competitiveness are increasing). Key top managers have recently left the bank, and their positions have been filled by employees without managerial experience.

The same situation is occurring in the call center. The function of the call center is shifting from a passive role (handling inquiries) to an active one (selling the bank's products). Employees have also left the call center, and some managerial positions are occupied by staff without the relevant experience.

As a result, the call center team finds itself in a position where it needs to completely change its approach to work and set new goals (becoming a sales division). However, no one knows how to implement these changes, as there are no specialists with such competencies and experience in either the bank or the call center, and external expertise is not being sought.

Additionally, the nature of the work and the overload with operational tasks contribute to the “freezing” of feelings, making it impossible for any activity, including independence, to manifest"

Typically, after this, we provide the manager with an analytical report where we detail our hypotheses regarding the situation with the team, outline its strengths and weaknesses, and provide a comprehensive list of recommendations following the completion of the diagnostic phase.

But since we had teamwork ahead of us, we decided to make a report after to include observations from this session and supplement our recommendations

2 step

"Team session"

Typically, we conduct team sessions in the second stage of our work with clients—when we implement changes and address the identified issues. However, in this case, our task was different: we aimed to quickly initiate the change process to make it easier for the manager to implement our recommendations at the end of our work

Why teamwork will speed up the process of changes in this case:

The team will see its difficulties and negative patterns that prevent it from being independent
The manager will see the true reasons for the team's inactivity (and make these conclusions independently of us, since has not yet seen the report)

Additionally, as consultants, we always verify our hypothesis during the initial team sessions since it is "alive" and may require adjustments based on new insights and feedback from the team

Team composition

We have slightly changed the composition of the team to include all employees from the manager's team

THE TOTAL AT THE TEAM SESSION WAS
9 PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE HEAD

Work plan with the team

To avoid receiving "sterile results" and socially acceptable responses for the second time, we chose the drawing method. This approach will initiate a conversation about the emotional experiences of employees and aspects they may not even be aware of

We divided the team into 2 groups and gave them a task. Participants from one group had to draw a call center in the present. And the members of another group - a call center in the future. We will discuss these drawings at the team session

Why did we choose drawings?

They show the hidden

Participants express all their thoughts and feelings by creating drawings on assigned topics, allowing for the collection of information that was not captured during interviews
Simplifying discussion

Drawings are always easier and more interesting to discuss. And this is ideal for the first team session and to avoid "sterility"
Exploring Complexity

The themes for the drawings will help to further investigate the transition of the call center from a passive to an active role, uncovering new perspectives and aspects of team dynamics

How the work proceeded

Drawings of participants on the topic "Call center today"

What was said about the call center in the present

A large volume of current tasks and negative customer feedback is causing general fatigue within the team
The team is not allowed to express their emotions due to strict regulations.

Drawings of participants on the topic "Call center in the future"

What was said about the call center in the future

Many tasks are new, which causes discomfort. Employees tend to withdraw and wait for tools, clear processes, and new competencies.
The vision of the future call center is filled with fantasies, which confirms the hypothesis about the team’s misunderstanding of the strategy

Our notes on the results of the team session

Emotional tension

Discussion of the call center in the present evokes smiles and laughter, which may indicate high tension within the team and a defense against real discussions about the current situation
The future is alarming

Discussion of the call center's future brings sadness, despite the positive drawings, which may indicate anxiety about parting with the current state and moving into the unknown
Distance with the leader

There is a noticeable distance between the leader and the team — there is a sense that the team is in the same room and communicates with each other, but communication in the shared space with the leader and consultants is impossible

What the team noticed during the session:

1

Uncertainty of purpose

The manager and the team saw that the new role of the call center was unclear. It's on paper, but no one knows how to implement it, including the manager
2

Lack of experience

The team is in urgent need of a leader and tools, as they do not understand how to make the transition to a sales department
3

The team is overloaded

The team is overloaded with operational tasks and cannot process their emotions and fatigue in any way, as it is not customary to discuss it in the call center
4

Distance between the team and the manager

The manager and the team are at a distance from each other, this prevents the transfer of experience and trust

Thanks to this team session, we as consultants checked and confirmed our hypothesis

3 step

"Analytical report"

At the end of our work, we wrote a detailed analytical report that reflected everything we found during the diagnosis, the hypothesis regarding the team's lack of independence, the results of the team session, as well as a comprehensive list of recommendations that the manager can use to work on developing the team's independence and initiative, understanding its true causes

Analytical report, with recommendations and a checklist for the manager

Meeting with the manager

After the client reviews the results of our work, we schedule a meeting to gather feedback on the report and discuss the next steps

Discussion of the analytical report with the manager

Four months later, we had a call with the manager of the call center

We always stay in touch with our clients after completing our work. It is important for us to understand how our recommendations are implemented and what results the client achieves over time

What the manager implemented based on our recommendations over the course of four months

Hired a strong deputy

The manager decided to involve external expertise in building the team, so a successor with sales experience in the call center of a large company was found
Started an active search for operators

Now hiring new employees is easier, as the HR department has been involved in this task
Organized employee training

Employee training is now carried out not by call center employees, but by external providers
Built business processes

The manager hired specialists in business process development to streamline operations within the department and make them clearer for all employees
Applied a new approach to communication with the team

The manager began to organize constant meetings with the team, to exchange experience and discusse steps on new tasks
Delegated the main processes

Thanks to a strong successor and a team that began to take on more tasks, the manager managed to delegate the main processes

Result

Thanks to all these changes, the team became more independent and was able to handle some of the tasks related to the call center. This allowed the client to move on to their new project four months after our diagnosis

THE manager'S FEEDBACK ON OUR WORK

Why wouldn't other business tools help here?

In similar cases with an unindependent team, managers typically conduct training for employees or dismiss those who are underperforming. However, in this instance, this approach would not yield the desired effect, as the main objective was to change the communication style with the team and help them transition to a new task. It was crucial to create a space where the team could discuss their complex feelings about the new tasks and share experiences with more senior colleagues.

Additionally, in this case, it was critically important to involve external expertise for the new role of the call center, as the current resources were insufficient to handle the task.

That’s why we always conduct a check-up in our projects to identify the underlying cause of the issues within the team.