What metrics are dominating your dashboard right now? First Contact Resolution (FCR)? Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)? Or maybe Average Handle Time (AHT)? For many contact centre leaders, these numbers aren’t just data—they’re daily pressures, shaping every decision, conversation, and strategy.

But here’s the real question: are your team’s activities driving these metrics—or is the pressure to stay "green" driving your team?

At GRIST and YakTrak, we know that performance isn’t just about metrics. It’s about the rhythms behind them. A leadership operating rhythm—the structured, repeatable actions leaders take with their teams—is the difference between firefighting and building a high-performing, engaged, and resilient workforce.

Global research shows that highly engaged teams are 21% more profitable (Gallup, State of the Global Workplace Report, 2020). Through our proven methodologies and tools, GRIST and YakTrak help leaders move beyond reactive management to purposeful rhythms that transform teams and deliver results.

In the sections ahead, we share what we’ve learnt about operating rhythms—why they work, how they’re built, and the impact they can have in your contact centre.

Key takeaways

An operating rhythm drive results: Structured, repeatable leadership actions—like coaching and feedback—move beyond firefighting to create sustainable team performance.
Engagement starts with consistency: Regular, focused interactions build trust, alignment, and a culture of accountability, improving engagement and retention.
Metrics reflect outcomes; rhythms shape them: While metrics show where you stand, leadership rhythms define how you get there, linking daily behaviours to long-term success.
Small changes, big impact: Short, frequent activities like daily huddles or 15-minute coaching sessions can accelerate skill development and deliver measurable results.
Adaptability is key: Effective rhythms evolve with your team and environment, ensuring they remain impactful in a dynamic contact centre landscape.

What is an operating rhythm?

At GRIST and YakTrak, we define an operational rhythm or operating rhythm as the structured cadence of activities—such as team huddles, coaching sessions, and feedback loops—that leaders use to align their teams, build communication, and drive performance. Think of an operating rhythm as the heartbeat of your leadership practice: steady, consistent, and essential for keeping everything running smoothly.

Watch how YakTrak simplifies an operating rhythm and makes them actionable in this short video.

An operating rhythm ensures that daily actions optimise company resources, connect to long-term goals and maintain clear lines of communication across all employees. It provides a clear structure for effective communication, ensuring team members know what to expect and how their work contributes to broader company objectives, and how to access support when needed. In high-pressure environments like contact centres, this operating rhythm creates predictability, reducing stress, maintaining focus, and delivering results.

From a behavioural psychology perspective, consistency is key. GRIST’s research highlights that regular, repeatable actions—what we call micro-behaviours—create the foundation for long-term success. These observable and repeatable behaviours reinforce accountability and trust, building a culture where performance thrives.

Global leaders have long recognised the power of rhythm. McKinsey describes an operating rhythm as the backbone of organisational agility, enabling business operations to adapt quickly to change while staying aligned to their strategic objectives (McKinsey, Next-Generation Operating Model).

In contact centres, where speed and precision are non-negotiable, an operating rhythm bridges the gap between meeting KPIs and creating an engaged, high-performing workforce. Whether it’s a daily stand-up to tackle immediate challenges or a weekly coaching session to build skills, these rhythms provide the structure needed to navigate the fast-paced nature of the industry.

Core components of an effective operating rhythm

An operating rhythm thrive on simplicity, consistency, and purpose. They aren’t about adding more meetings—they’re about creating touchpoints that align teams, reinforce focus, and drive progress. Here are the core components that make up an effective operating rhythm, particularly in fast-paced environments like contact centres.

1. Daily huddles: aligning on immediate priorities

A daily huddle is a short, sharp meeting designed to set the tone for the day. It’s not about lengthy updates but about clarity: What are today’s priorities? Are there any immediate challenges?

Why It Works: These huddles encourage focus, communication, agility, and continuous improvement, ensuring different teams are on the same page and proactive in addressing both team and business issues.
Practical Tip: Limit daily huddles to 10-15 minutes to maintain energy and engagement.
Global Insight: Agile organisations, as highlighted by Harvard Business Review, rely on daily stand-ups to increase team alignment and responsiveness (HBR, The Agile Organization).

2. Weekly coaching: building skills and engagement

Weekly coaching sessions are the foundation of skill development and are critical for driving business growth. These aren’t performance reviews—they’re future-focused conversations designed to build confidence and capability.

Why It Works: GRIST’s research shows that short, frequent coaching conversations (e.g., 15 minutes weekly) accelerate skill development and build trust. Teams using YakTrak’s coaching tracking tools have seen measurable outcomes, such as a 15% improvement in First Contact Resolution (FCR) within six months. By consistently tracking coaching interactions, leaders align agent behaviours more closely with customer needs.
Practical Tip: Use micro-behaviours to guide coaching. For instance, instead of “Improve your empathy,” focus on observable actions like “Ask two clarifying questions in every customer interaction.”
Stat: Teams that receive weekly coaching are 25% more engaged (Achievers, The Impact of Engagement).

3. Feedback and recognition loops: encouraging continuous improvement

Regular feedback and recognition loops provide a structured opportunity for team members to share their thoughts and insights, helping to increase engagement across the team. This approach creates clarity on what’s working and where improvements are needed, creating a sense of ownership, alignment and improved communication across any business.

Why It Works: Feedback that is frequent, actionable, and specific drives individual and team performance. It also helps team members feel valued and connected to their goals.

As Seb Cox, Head of Customer Experience at YakTrak, explains: "When leaders coach solely to metrics, they create an experience where agents feel KPIs happen to them—out of their control. Purposeful rhythms turn those KPIs into results agents feel they own."

Practical Tip: Integrate recognition into your feedback rhythm. For example, acknowledge small wins during team huddles to maintain momentum and engagement.
Stat: Companies with structured feedback loops see a 12% increase in productivity (Deloitte Insights, Feedback in Teams).

4. Monthly reviews: reflecting and realigning

Monthly reviews provide the opportunity to step back and assess broader trends and their alignment with company strategies. Are team activities aligning with strategic goals? What adjustments are needed?

Why It Works: These sessions create space for reflection and future planning, ensuring day-to-day activities stay tied to long-term objectives.
Practical Tip: Use these reviews to involve the team in decision-making, promoting ownership and buy-in.

The strength of an operating rhythm lies in its consistency. By combining daily huddles, weekly coaching, regular feedback, and monthly reviews, leaders can create a cadence that not only meets KPIs but also strengthens team engagement and alignment.

Case study: how to maintain excellence with an effective operating rhythm

When faced with the dual pressures of increasing service demands and transitioning to remote work, a major health insurance provider relied on a disciplined operating rhythm to sustain performance, engagement, and alignment. Their experience demonstrates how structured leadership practices can drive results, even during times of significant disruption.

The challenge

Contact centre leaders needed to maintain operational efficiency while supporting their teams through a rapidly changing environment. The shift to virtual work added complexity, requiring new approaches to communication and coaching.

The approach

This health insurance provider implemented key changes to maintain rhythm and focus:

Virtual Coaching Sessions: Weekly coaching sessions adapted seamlessly to virtual formats, ensuring leaders could provide consistent, focused support.
Short, High-Impact Interactions: Side-by-side coaching evolved into shorter, targeted sessions that worked within the constraints of busy schedules.
Unified Priorities: Leaders aligned their teams on one clear focus, simplifying operations and maintaining clarity amid uncertainty.

These adjustments, supported by GRIST’s behavioural insights and YakTrak’s tracking tools, provided leaders with the framework and visibility needed to guide their teams effectively.

The results

Commitment to their operating rhythm delivered:

Faster Skill Development: Regular coaching sessions accelerated team readiness to adapt to new challenges.
Stronger Engagement: Employees reported feeling supported and aligned, even in a remote setup.
Consistent Performance Metrics: Clear priorities and structured rhythms helped sustain operational success during peak periods.

Key takeaway

This story shows that with purposeful rhythms, leaders can create stability and focus, even in unpredictable conditions. Frequent, meaningful interactions are the foundation for resilient, high-performing teams.Establishing an Operating Rhythm Framework

Regular feedback and recognition loops create a culture of accountability and motivation. These moments provide clarity on what’s working and what needs to improve.

Why It Works: Feedback that is frequent, actionable, and specific drives both individual and team performance.
Practical Tip: Incorporate recognition into your feedback rhythm. Acknowledging progress motivates teams to sustain momentum.
Stat: Companies with structured feedback loops see a 12% productivity increase (Deloitte Insights, Feedback in Teams).

Why an operating rhythm matters

In the dynamic world of contact centres, where engagement, retention, and performance can feel like moving targets, an operating rhythm framework offers a solution. An operating rhythm provides the structure leaders need to align daily actions with long-term goals while building trust and consistency within teams, creating a huge impact on engagement and performance.

The benefits of an operating rRhythm

Improved Engagement and Retention
Engaged employees are more likely to stay, perform, and contribute to a positive work environment. According to Gallup, highly engaged teams are 59% less likely to experience turnover (Gallup, State of the Global Workplace Report).

GRIST Insight: Micro-behaviours—small, repeatable actions like recognising team achievements—create a culture of connection and accountability that strengthens engagement.
YakTrak Application: Tools that track coaching sessions and feedback loops make these behaviours consistent and measurable.

Enhanced Team Performance
Teams thrive when they know what’s expected and how their efforts contribute to success. A structured operating rhythm provides clarity and alignment, ensuring everyone is moving in the same direction toward achieving overall business goals.

Global Best Practice: McKinsey highlights structured rhythms as critical for maintaining agility in industries like retail, where daily stand-ups reduced out-of-stock incidents by 20% through better alignment of inventory and customer demand (McKinsey, Next-Generation Operating Model).
GRIST/YakTrak Contribution: By integrating behavioural psychology with real-time tools, GRIST and YakTrak go beyond alignment, enabling leaders to translate rhythms into measurable performance improvements.

As Brad Thomas, Co-Founder of YakTrak, explains:

"Leaders who embrace a structured operating rhythm don’t just align their teams—they empower them to achieve outcomes with clarity and confidence."

Building a Culture of Trust
Consistency builds trust. When leaders regularly check in, provide feedback, and recognise achievements, it creates a psychologically safe environment where employees feel valued and supported.

Global Example: Bain emphasises the role of rhythms in building a company-wide culture of transparency and collaboration.
GRIST/YakTrak Unique Approach: GRIST’s behavioural lens ensures leaders know how to build trust, while YakTrak’s tracking capabilities keep these actions on track.

Why contact centres need operating rhythms

Contact centres are fast-paced environments where employees juggle high volumes of interactions, service expectations, and metrics like FCR and CSAT. An operating rhythm brings predictability to this complexity, ensuring different teams can collaborate effectively, focus on building skills, and improve business outcomes, not just keep metrics “green.”

Tailored Solutions: GRIST and YakTrak’s approach are designed specifically for contact centres, combining the discipline of global best practices with tools and insights that address unique industry challenges.
Real-World Impact: For example, weekly coaching sessions powered by YakTrak’s platform help leaders quickly address gaps while reinforcing behaviours that drive customer satisfaction and reduce handling times.

Operating rhythms are more than just a best practice—they’re a proven method to improve engagement, retention, and performance. By integrating GRIST’s behavioural insights and YakTrak’s practical tools, leaders can create rhythms that do more than align teams—they empower them to thrive.

Overcoming challenges in establishing an operating rhythm

While the benefits of an operating rhythm are clear, implementing them isn’t always straightforward. Leaders often face barriers that can derail even the best intentions, particularly in fast-moving business environments. Here are the most common challenges and how to overcome them.

Challenge 1: “We don’t have time for this.”

In fast-paced environments like contact centres, it’s easy to feel there’s no time for regular rhythms. However, skipping them often leads to more reactive management, wasted time, and missed opportunities for improvement.

Solution: Start small with high-impact activities. For example, a 10-minute daily huddle or a 15-minute coaching session each week can yield significant results.
GRIST Insight: Micro-behaviours—small, repeatable leadership actions—focus time where it matters most, ensuring maximum impact in minimal time.
YakTrak Application: Use YakTrak to track coaching frequency and identify gaps, ensuring even short sessions are consistent and effective.

Challenge 2: Resistance to change

Teams accustomed to unstructured workflows may resist the introduction of new routines, especially if they perceive them as added bureaucracy.

Solution: Communicate the “why.” Explain how an operating rhythm improves performance and make everyone’s job easier. Involve teams in shaping the rhythms to encourage ownership.
GRIST Insight: Behavioural change starts with trust. Regular, open communication builds confidence in new processes.
Real-World Example: During a high-pressure period, a major health insurance provider successfully transitioned to virtual coaching by framing it as a way to stay connected and aligned, not an additional task.

Challenge 3: balancing coaching with service metrics

Leaders often feel torn between spending time on coaching and meeting operational demands. It can seem like a choice between people and performance.

Solution: Integrate coaching into the rhythm of work. For instance, use downtime between calls or post-shift reviews for quick coaching conversations.
YakTrak Application: YakTrak’s real-time tracking ensures coaching activities are aligned with team goals, helping leaders balance development with operational priorities.
Stat: Teams that regularly balance coaching with operations report 12% higher engagement (Deloitte Insights, Feedback in Teams).

The challenges of establishing an operating rhythm are real, but they’re not insurmountable. By starting small, building trust, and leveraging tools like YakTrak, leaders can turn potential roadblocks into opportunities for alignment, engagement, and growth.

Building your operating rhythm

Establishing an effective operating rhythm doesn’t happen overnight, but with a clear plan, it’s achievable. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you start creating rhythms that align your team, improve engagement, and drive company results.

Step 1: Assess your current practices

Take stock of all the activities within your current leadership practice Are they consistent? Do they align with team goals? Identify what’s working and where gaps exist.

Practical Tip: Use YakTrak’s tracking features or a simple self-assessment to understand how often coaching, feedback, and team meetings occur.
Example: A contact centre manager might find that while coaching happens, it’s ad hoc and lacks focus, leaving agents without actionable guidance.

Step 2: Prioritise high-impact activities

Start with one or two high-impact activities that deliver quick wins. For many leaders, this might be a 15-minute weekly coaching session or a daily huddle to align priorities.

Practical Tip: Focus on activities that solve immediate challenges, such as addressing high turnover or improving FCR.
GRIST Insight: Short, frequent actions—like recognising achievements during huddles—can significantly boost team morale and alignment.

Step 3: Create a simple, scalable schedule

Consistency is key. A successful operating rhythm isn’t about complexity—it’s about establishing a cadence that’s easy to maintain, even during busy business periods. Start with simple routines that can be scaled as your team adapts.

Why It Works: Predictable rhythms give teams clarity and confidence, reducing the chaos of reactive management.
Practical Tip: Set recurring calendar invites for team huddles and coaching sessions to make these rhythms a non-negotiable part of your routine.
GRIST/YakTrak Perspective: "An effective operating rhythm isn’t built overnight—they’re cultivated through disciplined focus and continuous refinement," says Caitlin Ziegler, Head of Product and Design at YakTrak.

Step 4: Track progress and adapt

An effective rhythm evolves with your team. Regularly review what’s working and refine your approach based on feedback and results.

Practical Tip: Use YakTrak to monitor the frequency and quality of leadership activities, ensuring rhythms stay aligned with team needs.
Example: A manager might discover that weekly coaching sessions are effective but require more focus on goal-setting to achieve desired outcomes.

Building an operating rhythm is about creating consistency without complexity. Start small, prioritise impact, and adapt as you learn. With time, your rhythm will become a natural part of how your team works, driving engagement and performance in every interaction.

Conclusion

An operating rhythm is more than just a framework—it's a way of leading that connects daily actions to long-term business success. In contact centres, where the stakes are high and priorities shift quickly, a consistent rhythm can transform reactive management into purposeful leadership.

By integrating daily huddles, coaching conversations, and feedback loops into your team’s routine, you create not just structure but momentum. These rhythms improve engagement, strengthen alignment, and drive measurable results, all while fostering a culture of trust and accountability.

As Peter Grist, Managing Director of GRIST, explains:

"Leadership isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing what matters most, consistently and with purpose. An operating rhythm make that possible."

One of GRIST and YakTrak’s client organisations reported a 12% reduction in turnover within six months of implementing structured coaching rhythms, demonstrating the tangible impact of these methods.

Take a moment to reflect: What rhythms are shaping your team today? And what could change if you made them more purposeful?

Creating an effective operating rhythm: the best practices for success