Workforce Management Featured Article
How to Improve Agent Productivity
Businesses are always working to get more value out of their investments. And the biggest investment for call centers and contact centers are people. So, in these environments, driving agent productivity is key.
That said, it’s common practice for contact center managers to seek out agent productivity drivers. And there are a lot of things they can be doing on this front.
Training and coaching agents can obviously go a long way in helping them be more productive. Transaction recording and playback is a great tool to enable this. It shows managers what agents are doing. And it provides managers with a valuable tool to show agents what they’re doing right and where they can improve.
Some contact centers also show agents their actual performance scores. This is another way to engage agents in their own careers and success. In fact, it can even result in friendly competitions between agents to advance their scores.
Of course, providing agents with quick and easy access to customer data can enhance productivity. So can outfitting them with tools that expedite their efforts to fill out forms during and after calls.
But in looking at agent performance, remember that agent productivity isn’t necessary your key goal. The aim should really be about driving customer satisfaction, albeit in the most resource-efficient way possible. So take customer satisfaction into consideration when reviewing agent performance.
So much of the focus is around meeting KPIs and pushing agents to do more faster. But remember that agents are people too. And they should be treated with respect, recognized when they make valuable contributions, and offered choices when possible.
For example, contact centers may want to provide the option of flexible schedules and give agents the opportunity to swap shifts. Workforce management systems can help with that. This can go a long way in driving agent engagement and lowering agent churn.
Mixing it up so agents don’t have to do the same thing all the time can also make for happier and more engaged workers. So consider shifting them from the phones to chat or email when it makes sense. And give them regular breaks, suggest everyone stand up and stretch at regular intervals, and consider outfitting them with wireless headsets so they move around more freely.
Finally, work to create a culture of togetherness and success. Praise and reward a job well done. Offer raises and promotions to top performers.
Bring food and drinks to the office on occasion so managers can get to know agents, and agents can get to know each other. People who work with others they care about tend to be happier and stay longer.
Edited by Maurice Nagle