In the contact center industry, we have been talking about Customer Experience and its importance for the success of a company. But now, companies are starting to focus on Employee Experience.
It is evident that by improving your Employee Experience you can increase performance, motivation, and profit. Then why don’t we talk more about this?
First, what is Employee Experience? Globoforce Workhuman Research Institute and IBM Smarter Workforce Institute define the Employee Experience as “a set of perceptions that employees have about their experiences at work in response to their interactions with the organization.” Basically, is how the employees think, feel, and relate with the company and this experience is built with each interaction they have with it.
So, what do we need to do?
There is a lot to do. But just like with Customer Experience, when need to consider every stage of their journey and every touch point they have, from a recruitment post to a job promotion and further.
But for now, you need to understand the elements that make a winning Employee Experience. Several experts group them in 3: Culture, Physical Environment, and Technology. Let’s learn more about each of these elements.
Culture
This involves the values, traditions, and leadership of the company. The purpose they find in what they do, why they do it, and for who. It is not about theme days, free lunches, and ping pong tables (even though they help). It’s more about trust, flexibility, support, empowerment, recognition, respect, and diversity. That’s what makes their job meaningful. Make sure they understand the purpose of the company, and of their specific job and activities. Mention it during training and every time you have an opportunity. Make sure your leaders are prepared to support their teams and make them feel acknowledged. Consider making some changes in your policies and procedures or the way you manage certain things. Offer flexibility, a reasonable compensation, and give opportunities.
Physical Environment
This implies everything your employees can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. From how comfortable the chair is, the colors and graphics of the wall, the cleanness of the building, the air conditioning, the lighting, the cafeteria food. Are you taking care of all of this? Are you making your contact center agents comfortable enough to do their best? This can represent an investment, but you will notice on their performance how you employees value it.
Technology
This is what your employees need to do their job, and what lets them do it more easily. For example, an agent needs a computer, a phone, a headset, CRM software, internet network, and you’re probably providing these. But, is the computer slow? Is the software updated, or is it bugging and showing errors constantly? Does the CRM show the information the agent needs to provide an excellent Customer Experience? When employees don’t have the tools and technology they need, they can feel frustrated, their work becomes slower, and they end up having a lot of dead time. This results in bad experiences. Make sure your employees have the tools and technology they need and that those are working for them. That way, your employees will also do a great job and feel good about it.
Now you know what Employee Experience is and what elements shape it. But it’s important to keep learning about this topic and start implementing improvements. Remember that Employee Experience influences the way your contact center agents will feel and their motivation, and that happy agents make customers happy. This can be the best investment you can make this year.
At Call Center Services International we also care about our employees. They are the reason for our success. Their experience, their bilingual skills, their cultural alignment is what our clients look for. We know their importance and that’s why we care about EX, to make them feel motivated and happy. We are proud of saying that we have a very low turnover rate. Learn more about our talented agents.
Sources:
Staffbase
Delioite Insights