Negative Energy / Attitudes Are 2x Stronger Than Positive In Contact Centers
David Filwood
CEO | TeleSoft Systems | People & Process Improvement For Contact Centers
The energy / attitude a Customer Service Representative (CSR) brings to the job makes a huge difference on their shift performance – on the coworkers sitting near them – on the Customer Experience (CX) & Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) of the callers they speak to – and on the overall performance of your Contact Center operation.
Humans Are Biologically Predisposed Toward Negative Thinking
It’s the ‘negative things’ in life that grab our attention – stick most vividly in our memories – and most influence the decisions we make.
Humans pay more attention to negative information than to positive due to the brain's ‘Negativity Bias’.
From the dawn of human history – our survival depended on our skill at dodging danger.
As a result of evolution and natural selection – our brains developed systems that make it unavoidable for us not to notice danger – to learn more from negative outcomes & experiences – and to make decisions based more on negative information than on positive.
Having brains built to be sensitive to negativity helps in survival situations – but ‘Negativity Bias’ is present in every other aspect of our lives as well.
The psychology of ‘Negativity Bias’ explains:
CSRs Generally Project 3 Types Of Energy / Attitudes On The Job
[1] Above Average Engaged CSRs Project Positive Energy & A Positive Attitude
These ‘Best Fit’ CSRs are stable and conscientious frontline workers – who achieve high training pass rates – ramp up to productive levels quicker – are naturally caring and compassionate – and possess an affinity to display Empathy to form relationships based on Rapport / Trust in a Customer Service & Support and/or TeleSales context.
They receive high Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores and achieve their Revenue Targets.
They’re highly engaged & enthusiastic ‘Team Players’ who contribute to driving coworker performance.
[2] Average Not Engaged CSRs Project Neutral Energy & A ‘Meh’ Attitude
Often they’re good people in the wrong job – only ‘Moderate’ job fits.
They put in their time in body – not in spirit – lacking some of the job fit for customer facing work.
They have lower training pass rates – require more attention & extra coaching from Supervisors just to achieve average results – have higher error rates – higher absenteeism – receive lower Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores and/or fail to meet Revenue Targets – become burned out / emotionally exhausted faster – prematurely quit or are fired for cause sooner – because they are a poorer job fit.
They’re more easily annoyed by callers – poorer at avoiding or diffusing conflict – and they don’t handle complaints or retain customers very well.
[3] Below Average Actively Disengaged CSRs Project Negative Energy & A Negative Attitude
Typically these are either ‘Poor’ fit new hires who should never have been offered the position to begin with – or burned out / emotionally exhausted too long in the job CSRs.
Generally these are demoralized / cynical / unhappy employees – displaying ‘I Don’t Care’ apathy & a ‘Slacker’ attitude.
They tend to hold hostile attitudes toward management – actively undermine supervisors & engaged coworkers – sabotage callers / damage brand – are the strongest and most powerful resistors of change – and exhibit high Absenteeism levels.
Their negative thoughts & feelings have a toxic effect on coworkers – infecting them with their poor work habits and attitudes.
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The negativity they trigger in customers & coworkers are far larger – and longer lasting – than the positive responses generated by ‘Best Fit’ top performers projecting positivity.
The Positive & Negative ‘Spillover Effect’ In Contact Center Workplaces
A recent study from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management – of 58,000 cubicle workers – highlighted a critical ‘Spillover Effect’ – found to occur in both positive & negative directions.
The average Contact Center cubicle is 5 ft wide / 3 ft deep.
Exposure To ‘Negative Spillover Effect’ CSRs Is Toxic – Infecting Cubicle Neighbors Very Quickly
Ignoring this ‘Negative Spillover Effect’ only sets the stage for even your most positive & motivated top performers to eventually fail – which in turn further damages the growth / profitability / brand reputation of your business.
Managers must make every effort to reform below average actively disengaged ‘Negative Spillover Effect’ CSRs – to generate a renewed sense of pride / ownership / positivity in their job – but if they’re impossible to salvage – to swiftly let them go.
The rest of your team will thank you for it.
If frontline management isn’t intentional about focusing their CSRs on the positive – the automatic default is to focus on the negative – and in Contact Centers negative energy is 2x stronger than positive.
Agree?
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