The performance of my agents is very poor

I am a supervisor managing 30 agents. My job is being threatened because the performance of my agents is very poor.

The reasons for this poor performance, just to name a few, include; –

  • Their complains are not solved on time or not solved at all.
  • Their commissions are not regularly paid
  • They don’t feel motivated

As well as these problems faced by my agents, which has led to their poor performance and also to some abandoning the job, the company is blaming me as a supervisor for not doing my job. As a result of that, they want to replace me.

My questions are;

  1. What should I do to remain in that position?
  2. What can I do to motivate these agents?
  3. what should I do to let the company understand that they have greatly contributed to my agent’s poor performance?
  4. How can I change their mentality towards the company?

I look forward for your kind response

Answer

To work your way through these problems and turn things around will take some time, and it sounds as though you may not have much of that unless you can persuade your manager that you will produce results given time.


So the first thing you need to do is formulate a plan and discuss it with your manager to buy yourself the extra time you need.

This sounds like a downward spiral, and it is up to you to find a way of stopping the downturn and improve matters. I would start with communication, both upwards to your manager, and downwards to your team. You are the bridge between them, it is your job to represent each group to the other

The plan you develop needs to encompass addressing all your agents concerns, so you need to get a complete list of them and find a way of solving them one by one.

It may help you to read this section of the site

Role Of The Supervisor

For example, their complaints must be addressed, by you at least. They may not all be solved, we can’t all have everything we want. It is your job to present their complaints, get the best resolution you can for them and then “sell “that solution to your agents.

I assume their commissions are paid eventually, if not regularly. You need to make sure they do get paid as soon as possible, and You also need to encourage the agents to trust they will eventually be paid the due amount, and assure them the amount they are owed is known and will be paid eventually.

It is your job to motivate them. I have covered this many times on the site. You may get some ideas from this module

Motivating Others

So, turning to your questions, formulate your plan and speak to your manager to secure your position in the first instance.

Motivate your agents by showing them you can produce results for them, but ensure they understand that they must produce results for you, to enable you to represent them and improve their lot.

When talking to your manager you can mention that the agents’ poor performance has been influenced by issues such as late payment of commissions, but be careful not to attempt to shift the blame for everything to management. You are part of management, and it is your role to be the bridge between the senior management and your team of agents.

Changing your agents’ mentality will not be a quick win, but will happen as a result of you being able to gradually turn things around.

Good Luck