7 Ways to Motivate Call Center Agents

Did you know that employee disengagement costs the US economy a staggering $550 billion annually? Only about 36% of employees are engaged, making employee engagement and motivation major concerns for most businesses. With front-line customer service jobs being so demanding, call center employees need constant motivation. Call Centers in the Philippines, for example, see to it that their employees are well-taken care of by providing monthly meetings and regular team events.

When you look around in your call center, do you see tired, frustrated, and burned-out call agents? This poor working culture ultimately has a direct impact on your customer experience. Technically, if your call center agents are unhappy, then so are your customers.

It’s up to you to cultivate a positive working environment and motivate your agents so they can perform their best. So how do you motivate them? We have compiled a list of the most effective strategies that will help you keep your employees engaged, active, and motivated.

1. Start By Understanding How Motivation Works

There are two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Your employees won’t be fully engaged with the promise of only extrinsic motivators, which are monetary rewards. According to studies, extrinsic motivators tend to remind employees of their obligations. It strips them of their creativity and love for their job.

With extrinsic rewards, your call center agents may feel less motivated since their paycheck never changes. They may feel whether they work hard or not, they will still get the same monetary rewards, resulting in complacency.

Motivation requires to be psychological and meet three human needs. Competence, relatedness, and autonomy. Employees need to feel cared for, and they need to care in order to grow and flourish.

2. Build a Positive Working Environment

One of the most important motivators for call center agents is a positive working environment. Stop looking at your call center as a cost center, and include it in your company culture. Always encourage your teams, regardless of where they are working from, and create a flexible work environment.

Your employees should be able to work flexible hours, swap shifts when they need to, and take their PTO. It’s important for you to foster psychological safety, which will motivate your employees and make them enjoy their jobs.

3. Set SMART Goals

For your employees to stay motivated in a call center, it’s vital that you set SMART goals. Establishing clear goals that your call center agents can reasonably achieve is important. Measurable and attainable goals will lift the pressure off your agents.

They won’t have to rush through their calls because they need to meet a certain quota. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. Encourage call center feedback to learn whether your agents can comfortably achieve the goals you set for them.

4. Provide Your Call Center Agents With Proper Tools

One of the most important aspects of managing an engaged workforce is the coaching and training phase. Create training strategies that are bound to set them up for success. Coach them to strive for improvements when it comes to reaching their personal goals.

Pair in-line training with automation, then make sure you give them actionable feedback so they can learn as they go. Train them on the best phrases to use when talking to customers at different points of a conversation. Show them how to receive upset and angry customers and how to take complaints without losing face.

Even more important than that, provide them with the best tools. It’ll be easier for your employees to be productive and engaged when they have a single operating system that connects them. With the same software or application, it’ll be easier to create an employee schedule.

You can boost their engagement, enhance their call center experience, and enhance internal communication. You also need to get the right software for detailed and accurate call center reports.

5. Treat Your Agents Like You Treat Your Customers

Truth be told, your employees are much more valuable than your customers. How would your business function without your call center agents? Employees are an asset, and this is something a lot of businesses fail to consider.

One of the most important things you should keep in mind is treating your employees the same way you treat your customers. Build lasting relationships with them, and give them the same level of attention and service that you extend to your customers. This will ultimately make them feel important to your business

6. Your Feedback Matter

Giving your call center agents constructive feedback is a critical part of maintaining a motivated team. Take time to listen to their call recording or read their chat messages with customers. Find out where they excelled and what areas they struggled with.

With this information, give relevant and actionable feedback and improvement tips so they can do better. You should also encourage them to give you feedback about the management.

They may have a few things frustrating them without your knowledge. Invite them to speak up and share how they feel they can grow.

7. Offer Rewards and Incentives

While extrinsic rewards shouldn’t be the only motivators, they are just as important as intrinsic rewards. When employees feel appreciated for doing a good job, their self-esteem and self-worth are lifted. Always let your call center agents know when they make a difference.

Celebrate their achievements and congratulate them when they do a good job. Recognition is quite easy to implement because you can share news on company social media channels. You can also send messages through your employee app or give positive reviews during your morning meetings.

Offer them good rewards and incentives to keep them satisfied, Holster, and productive. Understand that rewards don’t necessarily have to be expensive or grand.

You can do something as simple as operating lunch, letting them work from home, or even giving them notes that say thank you. Giving rewards and incentives will leave you with happier employees.

It’ll show their efforts are acknowledged and appreciated. It’ll build trust and appreciation and leave you with that team that works cohesively and together productively.

When you create trust between you and your employees, they will give you better morale, less turnover, and less workplace anxiety. This will, in turn, result in a better return on investment. You’ll gain a higher reputation from customer satisfaction, and overall stability for the business.

Call Center Motivation: How to Promote Call Center Motivation

Keeping your call center agents motivated doesn’t need to be a complicated task. This is something you can incorporate into your company culture from the start.

Make it known that everyone in your business shares the same ultimate goal. These are your front-line employees, and they’re quite vital because they interact directly with customers.

It’s essential that you keep them motivated, productive, engaged, and happy, so they can extend that to your customers. Beyond this, if you would like more content, please head to our blog today.