Most call center managers have heard "praise in public, criticize in private." Fewer actually run their floor that way. I've run contact centers for 30 years, and when I look back at my 25-year-old manager self, this is the one I'd fix first.
"Probably didn't do enough was coaching in private and celebrating in public."
(Advice from a Call Center Geek, Dec 29, 2021, 09:00)
What "praise in public, coach in private" means on a call center floor
Two halves, two different rooms:
- Praise goes to the group. When a rep nails a tough call, say it out loud on the floor or in the team chat.
- Correction goes one-on-one. Coaching on a missed step, a compliance slip or a bad call happens off the floor, every time.
"Any time that we're correcting, that can never be done publicly. It always has to be done privately. No matter what, even if it's the rep's third time that they've made the mistake, you will lose respect from everyone if you're just kind of outing people in public."
(13 Questions that Need Answers in Your Contact Center, Sep 9, 2021, 13:34)
The "third time" part matters. That's when managers get frustrated and slip. It's also when the whole team is watching how you handle it.
Why correcting reps in public backfires
Calling someone out in front of peers doesn't fix the behavior faster. It teaches everyone else that mistakes get punished in public, so they hide them. And constant negativity has a cost you'll see in your attrition numbers:
"If you are consistently negative to your associates, that's going to really wear on them and your turnover is going to be higher."
(7 Effective Call Center Training Tips You Can Implement Easily, Mar 1, 2022, 17:49)
How to celebrate in public without making it awkward
Public praise doesn't need a stage. On a 2021 holiday episode, I talked about picking a rep whose effort stood out and quietly sending a $50 or $100 Amazon gift card, often without a speech at all. In a call center, word gets around the floor on its own. (Engaging Associates During the Holidays, Nov 18, 2021, 04:16)
A few simple ways to do it:
- Shout out the specific call, not just "great job."
- Use the team chat so remote and hybrid reps see it too.
- Close the loop on good ideas. "The most frustrating thing is when a team member gives a good suggestion and there's no response back. There's no email back. It just kind of goes and dies." (Dec 29, 2021, 09:44)
How to coach call center agents in private
Private coaching works when it's specific and regular:
- Bring the call. Play the actual moment, not a summary of it.
- Focus on soft skills. "90% of the time we're talking about soft skills, we're talking about empathy." (Mar 1, 2022, 16:55)
- Practice it. "The number one tool... is role play, role play, role play." (Mar 1, 2022, 17:25)
- Keep it constructive. Give the rep something they can use on the next call.
For a deeper walkthrough, see how supervisors should coach agents after a QA review and how to turn QA scores into coaching that changes behavior.
Where QA data fits
You can only praise and coach what you actually hear. If QA reviews a handful of calls per rep each month, most of your best moments and most of your coaching moments go unseen. That's the case we make in how many calls QA should score and in the common call center QA mistakes we see most.
OttoQA scores calls against your own QA form, so supervisors get far more coaching moments to bring to one-on-ones and far more wins to call out in public. Setup is a one-time $1,000 that covers a proof of concept on 200-500 of your own calls. Book a 30-minute demo.
Frequently asked questions
What does "praise in public, criticize in private" mean?
Recognize good work in front of the team, and handle correction and coaching one-on-one where the person isn't embarrassed in front of peers.
Is it "praise in public, correct in private" or "criticize in private"?
Both versions are common. In a call center, "coach in private" is the more useful framing, because the goal of the private conversation is better calls, not criticism.
Should you ever correct a call center agent in public?
No. Even on a repeat mistake, public correction costs you respect with the whole team.
How do you recognize agents without making it awkward?
Be specific about the call, use the team chat so everyone sees it, and follow up on good suggestions so reps know their ideas land.
About the author
Tom Laird is the founder of OttoQA and CEO of Expivia, with about 30 years in contact centers. He hosts the Advice from a Call Center Geek podcast. Connect with Tom on LinkedIn.