How to keep your Call Centre Agents Motivated

There are quite a few call centres that are suffering from exhaustion and demotivation. We’ve all seen and shared funny blogs mocking Call Centre workers. I must admit, having worked in the Call Centre industry myself I usually find them hilarious because I can actually relate to some of them. However, with the right management and dedication there are loads of things that Managers and Team Leaders can do to motivate their staff!

Lead by example

First things first, the management needs to lead by example. Leaders need to become a person that others want to follow. A Gallup poll showed that ‘89% of employers believe that workers leave their company for more money’ while in fact ‘75% of workers who voluntarily left their jobs did so because of their bosses and not the position itself.’ If the management wants their influence to be positive and productive, then one must be clear on what they want and make sure that their actions support that. Remember that happier call center agents create better customer experiences and a workplace environment that everyone enjoys being part of. Let’s put it this way, no one wants to be sat next to the grumpy cat in the office now do we?

Unleash the power of your team strengths

Helping and guiding your team to find out what their strengths are can benefit the team to provide a sense of group identity, purpose and meaning. Rather than having all your agents dealing with each and every issue, finding out their strengths will allow them to focus their time and energy on what they are individually best at, this is where the real test lies. People always like to learn new things especially about themselves and by establishing and sharing clear growth plans with goals and development according to their strengths can be helpful to encourage them and motivate them to strive for excellence.

Promote from within

This is not always possible, however when it is try to promote from within the contact center. First you need to establish career development plans for agents and help them acquire the skills they need to be ready for a promotion. As explained above, knowing their strengths will help this process go smoother. Promoting from within will definitely help motivate the agents and is a great way of showing that the management appreciates and respects the expertise of the staff.

 Suggestion Box

Agents appreciate the fact that the big bosses ask them for their input and suggestions. It’s like they gain a sense of pride when they’re given opportunities to participate directly, after all they know first-hand what does and does not work for customers. Try to implement your agent’s suggestions and if in any case it does not work, communicate why and explain the situation. It can easily damage motivation if the suggestion box isn’t taken seriously so make sure that the suggestions don’t go unnoticed or else…

Acknowledge your agents

Nothing motivates agents more than being acknowledged! Acknowledgment helps people feel appreciated and also shows that the company cares about their future success. It’s also a tool you can use to highlight skills and behavior so make a special effort to reward your staff especially those making an effort to improve in their work. This will help to keep the whole contact center motivated and not just those people rewarded. There are various different ways to acknowledge your agents without spending a fortune! You can do ‘Shout outs’ on your social media pages or maybe have their picture and skill featured on a board for everyone in the call centre to see, offer an ‘early finish’ to the employee of the month or maybe randomly reward spot prizes for agents going beyond their job role by handing out a voucher!

Fun and Games!

Host a breakfast, hand out ice creams on Friday, let your team play the DJ and choose the music, play pass the parcel, have dress up theme days! There’s a lot of stuff you can do to keep your agents happy and not get bored during their shifts. Call center work can be quite monotonous so having these activates will definitely lighten up the mood of your agents! Taking your team out for a drink will also be appreciated. It’s nice to mingle with your workmates and get to know them a bit more outside of work. There will definitely be a friendlier atmosphere the next day!

Managing a call centre is a lot of work and an ever-changing project, so you need to make sure that your managers and team leaders are ready and up for a very challenging role!

‘People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – That’s why we recommend it daily.’ – Zig Ziglar