Call Recording Featured Article

Many companies today – if not most – are looking to improve employee engagement, at least on paper. There’s good reason for this. Engaged employees are more passionate, more productive and more likely to stay. They earn companies money and customer goodwill. They use minimal sick time. In short, they simply cost less to employee than disengaged employees.

Unfortunately for most companies, employee engagement isn’t something that can be ordered from Office Depot. It’s not even something that can be installed on the company’s network. It requires human effort – and a great deal of it – and a cohesive plan. It can’t be run on manager’s egos, executives’ whims or chance. It probably even requires spending some money.

So how do you motivate employees to become more engaged? There is no one simple answer. Boosting engagement and motivation is going to be a multi-phased program that will require everyone’s best efforts and probably some technological changes as well.

Fairness. Nothing discourages employees quicker than perceptions of favoritism, arbitrary management decisions and unfair treatment. Managers are human, and will always have preferences for certain employees who make their lives easier. But in a place like a contact center, where employee engagement and motivation translate directly to improved customer experiences, managers must be sure they are offering fair assessments to employees. Workforce management solutions can go a long way toward establishing a fair baseline, ensuring that workers’ schedules are created without favoritism. Solutions that allow automated schedule swapping and vacation bidding based on pre-set parameters can improve the perception of fairness among employees.

Appreciation.  Few things motivate workers better than real, tangible feedback that their hard work and efforts are appreciated. Rewarding employees for work well done, even if it’s just a few kind words, can go far toward helping employees engage with their jobs better. It need not even cost much money (although having an effective workforce management solution in place is critical as a baseline for this endeavor). Employee-of-the-month recognition, monthly pizza parties and theme days can induce employees to want to spend more time excelling at their jobs.

Providing a purpose. While of course most employees work to support themselves and their families, there is evidence that being able to work AND do good helps employees engage better with their jobs. According to a recent study by the University of Southampton in England, when employees work to benefit a good cause, productivity can climb dramatically – by up to 30 percent, according to Forbes.  

“When workers are given a social incentive such as a charitable donation linked to their job, performance increases by an average of 13 percent, rising to 30 percent amongst those who are initially the least productive,” wrote Forbes’ Ryan Scott.

These charitable efforts could come in the form of voluntary cash donations from their pay by employees, but call centers are in a unique position to help in other ways. Workers can be asked to volunteer their time – and extra hour or so a week – making or taking calls to raise money on behalf of a charitable organization. This costs contact centers very little but makes a huge difference in employee cohesion and pride in their jobs.

If your employee engagement levels are low, it’s time to get creative and try some new ideas. Planned properly, these programs could cost very little while reaping huge rewards.