Four Ways to Make Your Call Center a Happier Place

Written by KOVA Corp

Like all business, call centers function best when its agents are happy. Call center agents are typically the first line of defense when a customer is unhappy with your organization and they must come to work prepared to resolve issue after issue -- and be able to do it with purpose, intention , and enthusiasm. But after awhile being immersed in a sea of conflict can take its toll on anyone, so it's important that call center leadership go to great lengths to ensure that their team is happy and equipped to deliver the best customer service possible. Here are four opportunities to help make your call center a happier place.

Streamline work processes

When agents are impeded by clunky or inefficient systems and processes they are less likely to experience a sense of accomplishment at the end of their day. Feeling productive and accomplished is a key to motivated, happy employees. By implementing well-operating, integrated or unified workflow solutions  it becomes easy for agents to do their best work, instead of being bogged down by poor-functioning processes that negatively impact work output.

Conduct a focus group of randomly selected employees to identify issues with current systems. Is it too confusing to use? Is it a new system that employees are having trouble learning? Are certain features unavailable that would make their work easier and/or more accurate? Once this information is collected, benchmark new systems or solutions to see if they have the functionalities that your employees desire. You want your system to work with your employees, not against them.

Focus on team building

Fostering a sense of common goals and common reward is also effective in creating a happy workplace. Team building and group exercises can help create a fun, trusting environment that, in turn, motivates agents in their work. Team building exercises can be done on a daily or weekly basis, or at quarterly retreats over several days. Ultimately, the goal is to develop a sense of unity and deliver the message that each agents' contribution is valuable and needed to reach the common goal. To avoid your employees having a negative view regarding team building activities, avoid those that feel forced or make your employees awkward or uncomfortable. Instead, Entrepreneur reports, try the following activities:

  • Volunteering
  • Team sports (bowling)
  • Field trips (museums, sports game)
  • Off-site workshops
  • Casual lunch or dinner

These activities help encourage employees to bond with their coworkers and learn more about each other as individuals. Knowing an individual on a more personal level fosters a better work environment as you begin to learn more about their frame of reference.

Employee recognition and incentives

Showcasing an employees individual strengths and outstanding work is another effective way to boost morale. Personally thanking an employee for a specific job well done is a workforce-motivating tactic that resonates with the entire team. There are several ways to show employees that you recognize their hard work, including:

  • Providing updated technology (communicates that their work is important and critical to success)
  • Monthly catered lunch
  • Card with note and/or gift card.
  • Recognition in front of peers
  • Certificate with small bonus

One organization put this idea into practice by sharing daily profitability statements with their agents that showed their performance in dollars. The report broke down each employee's contribution to the company's daily gross income minus their daily pay and benefits. Employees were able to see for themselves how they impact the success or failure of a business.  They were also able to leverage this information to negotiate salary increases.

Comfortable workspaces

A comfortable, well-designed office environment also goes a long way in making employees happy. The basics are a necessity: Comfortable seating that is safe for the body and ergonomic as well as natural lighting (as much as possible). If the space lacks natural lighting, use lights that are not harsh on the eyes and add filters to diffuse the lights if necessary. If no desk lamp is available, the recommended lighting range falls between 300 and 500 lux.

Other considerations include the smells (even pleasant smells can be overpowering!), temperature, space, lounges, and entertainment (such as a TV during break). Each of these will factor into an employee’s overall happiness.

KOVA Corporation offers a variety of workforce management solutions that can help boost morale in your contact center. From simplifying processes to integrating state-of-the-art training programs, we can help. Learn more by contacting Kova today.

Is Your Organization Ready to Optimize their Public Safety Systems?

eyeusers