It can be difficult to keep employee morale high in a call center. The nature of working in customer service involves dealing with a lot of complaints, frustrated customers, and solving varied, complex problems.
This is why Customer Elation feels it is important to take measures to boost agent morale, which in turn boosts productivity. Here are a few of the measures we take the ensure a positive call center work environment:
Great Management
Good managers are the cornerstones of any workplace. Our managers are models of productivity, integrity, and empathy to their agents. Our call center management also understands productivity and quality metrics and openly communicates them to our agents. Managers create realistic goals for agents to achieve, and provide agents with frequent and constructive feedback on their performance. Employees are happiest when they perceive their superiors as competent and empathetic, as well as when they have a tangible grasp of their responsibilities, and feel supported.
Mixing It Up
With agents repeating the same scripts over and over, call center work can easily become monotonous. Employees can become less productive when they feel bored at work, so we feel it’s important to take steps to keep agents engaged. Theme dress days, contests, and group activities help to break up the routine.
Realistic Expectations
Instead of setting goals for agents over a long period of time, we find it improves morale to break down tasks into smaller, easier-to-digest chunks. It can be more effective to set weekly goals rather than monthly goals. Managers also listen to employee feedback to determine if existing goals are increasing productivity or not.
Training
Well-trained agents feel more valued and motivated, so we put a lot of emphasis on well-designed, comprehensive training. During a taxing customer interaction, good training can equip employees with the skills to avoid becoming overwhelmed or frustrated.
We at Customer Elation believe that happy agents produce the best results, and are constantly striving to find ways to keep call center employees happy, valued, and efficient.