Want To Keep Your Call Center Staff? Compensation Does Matter. Make Pay Work.

Instituting a new compensation agreement is one of the great emotional challenges for call center agents. Management must create a new compensation plan once, and it must be very good: one that can last for the short term, and for the long term. A compensation plan is not only a set of numbers that determine pay.?It is an emotional pact between management and agent that shape a culture, identify the values of a corporation, build relationships, and construct the foundation for the future success of the call center.

Lesson 1

Create A Plan That Works For The Agents.

Perhaps management forgets that they need to develop a compensation plan that works for the call center while also creating a plan that works for the agents. Management may understand they need to look out for their agents. But realistically, they are in management to incorporate the best plan as a whole, and agents can very often come out on the short end of the stick. Be real - all your performance can collapse if the agents feel that management got compensation wrong. Make sure the agent has some low-hanging fruit.

Lesson 2

Be Prepared For All Scenarios.

Management has a multitude of scenarios they must take into account. If the compensation plan does not motivate agents to do well, the company suffers and the plan becomes an albatross.?The entire environment becomes one of complaints, bickering, and attrition.?If the compensation plan compensates agents too well, the company can also suffer, and the plan becomes an “agent vs. management” issue, because the agents are making all the cash.?All of a sudden, management is paying above budget for performance, and bottom lines become affected, and management wants their piece, too. What a mess.

Lesson 3

Make Necessary Changes To Compensation.

The truth is that management almost never changes compensation plans to give their agents more money.?They may change a plan because goals have changed.?Or they may change a plan to reduce the level of income attainable.?But agents and management recognize that changing compensation plans always has some sort of “dent” involved to the agent.?It may be a change in policy or a change in payment, or a reduction in money or a change in payable terms, etc.?When management makes changes, it is nearly always not to the benefit of their agents. So, be ready to not let that happen. If management made an error, correct it.

Lesson 4

Change The Measurements, If Needed.

Find the right metrics and pay toward them. Total calls only matter if talk time or handle time is addressed. Agent satisfaction is sometimes as important as the results. If the agent did 100 percent, then, they did 100 percent, and should be rewarded. Don't always pay for the initial sale, pay for the cross-sell, that is where the profit usually lives.

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No more chaos and confusion in your contact center!? It is time to make your customer service or inside sales center amazing.? Call Center Today is a training and consulting group. We bring an innovative and fresh approach to the management of your people, the communication with your customers and prospects, and the technology that bring it all together.? We can help you build an amazing contact center! Contact us:? 888-835-5326. [email protected]