Workforce Management Featured Article
Keep Agent Engagement at the Heart of Operations
Engagement. It seems to be at the heart of everything we do these days, especially in the call center. Employee engagement is so important because it leads to customer engagement, which is essential to the success of any company.
The reason why is quite simple: engaged employees are happy employees that actually enjoy showing up to work every day. Happy employees then spread that joy to customers who call the contact center, thus providing a great customer experience and creating happy consumers. Happy consumers promote the brand, which benefits and can then put more effort into creating a better worklife for employees, creating even more engagement. The whole process in cyclical and benefits everyone in the end.
Therefore, it’s imperative for all call centers to focus on engaging their agents so that they can get that happy ball rolling. One of the most obvious places to begin is to make agents feel valued. No one wants to go to work and feel like their efforts aren’t appreciated, especially if they’ve dealt with some difficult situations recently and come out on top. Those difficult situations are common in call centers, where agents deal with angry, frustrating customers on a daily basis. So, things like rewards programs, longevity incentives and compliments are a great way to show agents they’re appreciated.
Allowing for flexible schedules is also a great way to keep agents engaged with their work. All agents really need to do their job is a computer with installed programs, an Internet connection and a phone. Those items can be used anywhere at any time of day, so why not encourage a remote workforce and flexible hours? Agents would be able to work from the comfort of their own homes during shifts of their choosing. This will not only ensure happiness, but even be better for call center operations because it could allow for the center to be open longer during the day. Some agents may opt to work early hours, while other prefer late at night, and remote work even opens up potential for hiring in different time zones.
Finally, make sure to empower agents with the latest workforce management programs. If agents don’t have the right tools at their disposal, it doesn’t matter how desperately they want to help callers. Certain workforce management solutions, like those from Monet Software (News - Alert), allow agents to store information about callers or even work with them through multiple channels. By giving them the best tools, you’re also giving them the best chances for success.