The Benefits of Team Briefing

This article outlines the structure and benefits of doing team briefs. You should do at least 1 brief per day (morning ones are essential).

At the bottom of this article there is a free template to download, which will help you to record notes and feedback effectively.

As a team manager, especially in the call centre environment, it is your responsibility to ensure that everyone is working from the same script and up to date with the latest information each day. It will allow you to organise the day ahead, deliver updates and perhaps most importantly – it can motivate your team and boost their energy for the day ahead.

Here are some other significant benefits of team briefing:

• Team briefing provides a channel for delivering clear messages and encouraging open communication


• Timely face-to-face communication prevents rumour and the grapevine from gaining credibility


• It is a great form of two-way communication – it’s not just about informing people, but listening and responding to questions and concerns


• It enables questions and suggestions to be fed back from staff to the top


• It develops greater awareness and involvement at all levels


• Briefing develops a shared sense of mission, vision, collective aims and reasons why we’re here


• Successful team briefing ensures that there is less misunderstanding within your team and other parts of the organisation


• It ensures that staff are kept up to date on performance, results, progress and policy changes

The following areas should be considered when doing briefs:

Discuss stats from the previous day

• Call times


• Revenue % to target


• Any other

Actions

• Tactical info


• Feedback


• Specific actions taking place


• Accounts to be called

Plan for the day

• Per Team Manager


• Team plan

Motivational element

• Incentives


• Quick game


• Pep talk

The local brief

The majority of your team brief should be made up of local information which is relevant to your team. Here are some pointers to get you thinking about the kind of things to include in your local brief.

A good way to think about your brief is to split it up into the four P’s:

Points about your presentation style:

Remember that you are not addressing the United Nations! This is your own team, so the briefing should be relaxed and reasonably informal.

Try to be:

Clear – avoid unfamiliar technicalities, acronyms, names.

Brief – don’t ramble. Sometimes you should repeat the message to make sure it sinks in, but do it concisely.

Interesting – be interested! Use examples that the group will recognise.

In control – arrange the group so that you are its focus. Watch the reaction you get as you go along.

Positive – watch out for the habit of excessive apologising. It makes you appear nervous and it can give you team the impression that you don’t really agree with the decisions which have been made at a higher level.

Remember that as a manager it is your responsibility to communicate decisions to your team regardless of your own personal views, so don’t try to distance yourself from the brief. Wherever possible, arm yourself with the reasons which lie behind the information you are giving out.

To download your free Briefing template, click the image below:

Please contact Bellcom Worldwide if your download does not work.

Source: B2C_Business

The Benefits of Team Briefing