Workforce Management Featured Article
Agent Performance: Why Cultural Change is a Must
In a recent conversation about unnecessary phrases, a friend pointed out how annoyed she gets when companies tout they have made a positive change. Her reasoning is that companies should only ever make positive changes – why would anyone in their right mind willingly make a negative change? Therefore, the word 'positive' is unnecessary.
In the contact center environment, the same argument could be made – only positive change is ever implemented on the calling floor. We know from experience, however, that not all change results in positive outcomes for the organization making the change. And those who make the change for no other reason than change rarely produces anything positive.
This was the sentiment recently expressed in a blog post by workforce management solutions provider, Monet Software (News - Alert). Adjustments are needed in environments with performance management procedures, according to a recent survey. For one-third of the respondents in this survey, change is coming in a big way. The focus is moving away from ranking employee performance and instead focusing on a shift in management and company culture.
The contact center that puts workforce management in place has the opportunity to make a big splash. To do so, they’re boosting employee feedback, ensuring that management is more engaged in the daily activities of the center and driving greater transparency across the board. This transparency is particularly important as 60 percent of employees believe that the ratings they receive as a result of performance management are not accurate.
If the goal is to eliminate conflicts that lead to poor performance and negative outcomes, contact centers should focus on ensuring employees receive feedback, coaching and encouragement throughout the course of the year, instead of in a single, annual assessment. Plus, the more involved management is on the contact center floor activity, the more nurturing the environment. Such an approach contributes to a more positive culture throughout the organization.
As contact centers continue to adopt more and more technology, the temptation exists to rely on software to deliver results and spur communication. To drive the positive environment, however, there is no replacement for face-to-face connections. The “positive” change in the contact center will be focused on this type of communications, as well as workforce management and performance objectives that are a shared challenge among the entire team. When the change is focused on collaboration and great outcomes, everyone wins.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi