We want to see our contact center team happy. We know that happy agents equal happy customers and have more productivity. When we are happy we can give better service, be more positive and productive.
Happiness at work also creates a better work environment. A happy workplace has less turnover rate, less absences and tardy employees.
We know that making our call center agents happy is easier said than done. Call center jobs can be tough and monotonous sometimes. From time to time agents deal with difficult customers and reaching their performance goals can be stressful. But there are a lot of things you can do to make the work more enjoyable and positive for your agents, and you do not need to invest a lot of money or effort on it. You just have to know what really matters for your team.
Here are some ideas in 5 aspects that, when you take them into consideration, will help you to take actions that your call center agents will appreciate and feel happy about it.
Recognize Good Performance
Recognition is a human need, every one of us likes to be recognized for our work. It motivates us to continue doing what we do and do it even better because we know others will appreciate it. When work is not recognized, studies show that people do less and poor work because nobody cares about what we are doing and how we are doing it. There are many ways we can recognize our call center agents.
Some ideas:
• Put a leader board in the wall with their pictures and names
• Give awards regularly to top performers, perfect attendance, and for special achievements
• Send a congratulation e-mail coping upper management
• Mention their achievement in a meeting
• Highlight their success story in social media
Positive Immediate Responses
One way to make them happy and motivate them to continue doing a great job is to react in the moment. When we receive recognition right away, the sense of accomplishment is bigger. Imagine running a marathon, getting to the finish line and feeling tired, sweaty, with the adrenaline in your body, but people don’t congratulate you until days later. That is what your agents can feel in the operations floor when they just solved a problem in a difficult call, or when they finally reach a goal or a record, but you do nothing about it until the end of the mouth when awards are given to all employees. The best way to make them feel happy it is to congratulate them in the moment and to let other teammates know what they accomplished.
Some ideas:
• Give some incentives, small prizes they can win when they hit a goal
• Create a special ritual for every time someone accomplishes something, like ringing a bell
• Send a group e-mail
• A simple pat on their back and tell them they did a great job
Give them ownership
When you own something, you want to protect it, you want to invest time and effort on it. Because it’s yours and you want to see it grow, succeed, and when it finally shines you feel proud and happy. When an agent feels like a partner of the company, they want it to succeed and they will put more effort on their work, and when the team or the company grows or achieves something, they will feel happy that their effort generates something bigger. But how do you give ownership? Let them identify with the company.
Some ideas:
• Involve them in the work culture. From the start, show them the values and vision of the company
• Keep them updated about the situation of the company
• Let them be part of innovations
• Make them part of new projects
• Give them new responsibilities
• Let them contribute ideas and feedback. But most important, use them
Build Relationships
We are social individuals. We feel happier when we are with friends and family because we know they care about us. Relationships at work affect our mood. If you ever had a best friend at work, there’s no denying you were working happier. Let your agents have friends at work too or build better relationships. Contrary to what most people think, having friends at work makes us more productive. You will see less turnover rate, more motivated agents and happier clients.
Some ideas:
• Have icebreaker activities
• If possible, let them sit where they want to
• Host events for the team outside the call center
• Organize team lunches
• Create an environment of respect and trust
But here’s another important thing to not forget: you have to create a relationship with them too. Get to know them on a personal level, let them know you care about them as human beings, not only as workers.
Create a comfortable work environment
Wouldn’t you feel happier working in a clean, good-looking environment, with a nice smell, clear walls and AC? Take care of these small but essential aspects of your call center. Agents can perform better if they feel comfortable where they are working. They will feel less tired if they have ergonomic chairs, they will work faster if they have the right tools, to mention some examples. Our environment influences in our emotions.
Some ideas:
• Keep the operations area clean
• Put some plants and decoration
• Make sure the company buys ergonomic chairs
• Have tools and systems updated
• Let them bring a special object or photo to put in their work stations
These are just some of the thousands of things you can do. If you analyze these five aspects, you will also come up with more ideas and you will see how the environment in your call center will feel better and happier.
We leave you with this reflection from Dan Ariely in TEDx where he talks about What makes us feel good about our work.
Sources:
10 Best Ways to Keep Employees Happy, Engaged, and Motivated from Inc. by Marcel Schwantes
6 Ways to Motivate Call Center Staff and Boost Morale by Kevin McMahon
How to Motivate Staff in 25 Ways from Call Center Helper
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