It is no longer enough for businesses to provide their customers with mediocre and generic service. Modern customers expect service that is personalized and efficient, and they want to feel that the businesses they are buying from value them as individuals, not just as profits. To provide this kind of service, your call center team need to take pride in their work and should want to deliver only their best. This is why it not wise to push your call center customer service team to speak to as many customers as possible, regardless of the quality of the interactions. Here are four ways to motivate your call center team to perform at their best.
- Stop using call volumes as a success metric
It was not so long ago that companies would judge the productivity of their call center by how many customers staff spoke to during their shift. Success was measured in numbers of calls and numbers of complaints. This puts call center staff under pressure to complete a certain number of calls but does not encourage them to focus on the quality of the service they offer during those calls. When your employees know that they have the time to give a customer their full attention and to resolve the query to the best of their ability, they are putting the customer first. This has a direct impact on staff motivation levels as they will be able to help people, use their own initiative to reach a resolution, and will have more pride in their work.
- Recognize and reward employee achievements
Rather than rewarding employees for hitting call volume targets, set clear and measurable objectives that they can work towards and reward those who meet their objectives. For example, by asking customers to complete quick surveys or satisfaction ratings after an interaction, you can gauge how effective the employee is at their job. When you recognize the employees that perform to a high standard, you encourage others to reach the same level and boost general motivation in the team. You could reward staff with extra holidays, cash bonuses, gift cards, or merchandise.
- Listen to your call center team
This does not mean listening in on their calls (other than for quality control and training purposes). Your call center staff are speaking to customers all day, every day, and, as such, are a goldmine of insights in terms of what your customer wants and what frustrates them. Put your call center team at the center of your strategy by asking them for their feedback and ideas as to how you can improve the service you offer. Nothing is more motivating than feeling like you are valued by your employer and that you have something unique to offer. When your call center staff can contribute and take pride in their work, you are more likely to reduce employee turnover, which means you will retain experienced and loyal staff.
- Provide staff with varied tasks
There is no denying that working in a call center can be a repetitive job as it takes place at the same desk and involves responding the similar queries with often scripted responses. If not managed well, this can lead to bored and demotivated staff. You can minimize boredom by trying to alternate the scripts that you use and letting people change where they sit, but you should also consider varying their tasks throughout the day. There are now multiple communication channels open to customers, including phone, email, instant web chat, and social media, so why not give staff the opportunity to vary how they interact with customers?
