In our last blog, we revisited the ever-important concept of increasing productivity in your call centre. If you notice, our tips had everything to do with empowering your employees and making them feel valued. If we’ve said it once, we’ve said hundreds of times: happy employees are productive employees!
Here are three keys to getting the most out of your call centre employees:
1. Let your agents be themselves.
Yes, it’s wise to have sales scripts. Naturally, you want there to be some consistency across the board. However, it’s counterproductive to ask your agents to act like robots. Undoubtedly, your call centre is made up of various personality types. Allow your team members to be themselves so that they can come across as naturally as possible on the phone. Your customers will notice…and appreciate it.
“Giving your agents a certain degree of autonomy when it comes to how they approach customer service and some leeway to make decisions themselves can have a major impact on their productivity,” insists Dixa.com, “They get to hone their skills, genuinely feel like they’re helping more often than not, learn to relate better to customers and become more adept at thinking on their feet.”
2. Encourage your phone agents to be leaders.
Each of your employees deserves to feel that he/she is more than just a cog in a wheel. Your team members should all feel empowered to make decisions for the company, knowing that each of their contributions matter. When phone agents feel like valued members of a team, they work harder for the betterment of the company overall, instead of just for their own personal gains.
According to Shauna Geraghty on Talkdesk.com, “Many call centre managers have observed that agents that feel as if they are a valuable member of the team are more motivated, engaged with their work and effective – and as a result more productive. A recent study confirms this. This study found that increasing employee involvement in company decision making enhances workplace productivity.”
3. Recognize jobs well done.
Your team members deserve recognition for their great performances. Be sure to give it to them. Few things make an employee feel more devalued than doing a great job and having it go unnoticed. A little public acknowledgement during a meeting would be nice. Perhaps, a gift card or a monetary bonus would be fitting. Whatever you decide, be sure your agent knows how much you appreciate his/her excellent work.
“Incentives can also be an effective way to spur motivation, whether you are offering major bonuses or free lunches,” says Dixa.com, “Incentives can give agents an extra push to continually strive to be their best. However, if you decide to provide incentives, make sure they encourage behaviour that won’t ultimately cause your business harm.”
One of the easiest ways to recognize jobs well done is to monitor calls. MeloTel’s Monitor/Whisper Control Panel helps you to do just that in ways that were once unheard of. Learn all about it by calling us at 1-888-MELOTEL. You may also use the Live Chat feature on our website!
