Workforce Management Featured Article
Don't Let Contact Center Rules Squash the Initiative of High Performing Employees
While every organization and industry is different, when it comes to high-performing employees, there are shared characteristics. High performing employees are generally classified as those who have their own systems for staying organized and knowledgeable; those who can take the initiative themselves to do a better job; those who listen to others for feedback; and those who are good at setting their own goals.
When it comes to workforce management, managers’ jobs become easier when they have a pool of engaged employees who are well trained and feel valued. Unfortunately for some organizations, the very things that make for great employees – using their own initiative, for example – are discouraged in daily business processes. This is particularly true for the contact center. Some of the ways contact center “business as usual” discourages high-performing employees include:
Heavy scripting. If contact center agents are too beholden to a script, they will find it impossible to go above and beyond to solve a customer’s problem, which should be the goal of their employment. Many companies craft overly rigid policies – they believe it will make the work easier for agents – and in doing so, they take all the power away from high performing agents who could otherwise be delighting customers.
Infrequent performance reviews. High-performing employees have goals for themselves, and part of their success is that they align their personal goals with the goals of their employer. That said, contact centers have a habit of reviewing employees too seldom, and using too few recorded calls to do so. (Everyone has a bad call now and then.) By reviewing workers more often, companies can actually take advantage of employees’ personal goals and help them benefit the organization, as well.
Too little collaboration. Great workers learn from others, and aren’t afraid to ask for help to improve their performance. Contact center agents, however, are often isolated during the day. In a rush to answer as many calls as possible, they may be less likely to reach out to others who have solved similar problems. In this way, they may keep calls short, but they won’t be handing customers great resolutions, and they may actually be wasting time replicating the work of others. Ensure that contact center agents have an easy way to collaborate when serving customers.
Not allowing them to manage their own time. Great employees are good at managing their time and their workload. Also, since they are real people with lives, they’re more likely to remain high-performing employees when they feel that their employer is flexible. Contact centers, unfortunately, are sometimes the opposite of flexible. Companies that wish to retain great employees should look for a workforce management solution that allows agents the flexibility they need to do their jobs well.
Their loyalty isn’t rewarded. Nothing turns an engaged employee into a disengaged employee faster than a lack of recognition for hard work and loyalty. While of course it’s impossible to hand cash to workers each time they succeed, there are other ways to show appreciation: employee of the month awards, for example, or first pick of vacation time and schedules, which is easy with a good workforce management solution.
If your contact center performance isn’t up to where you’d like it to be, consider whether you’re actively preventing your agents from offering a good customer experience. Chances are, a lot of the rules implemented in your organization are for the benefit of the company…not the customer.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi