How to Keep Your Employees Engaged in a Call Center

A call center is a place where phone calls are answered, voice and data communications are processed and messages are relayed to the appropriate person. It's important to keep your employees engaged for them to be on top of their game while they're working. If they're bored, they might lose interest in their jobs. If this happens, efficiency will suffer and it could ultimately lead to callers getting put on hold or having their calls dropped. Not only is that inconvenient for your customers, but it's costly financially as well! To ensure the success of your business and high-quality customer service, follow this easy guide on how to engage employees.

What Is Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement is essential for any company. It's important to have your employees engaged because they are less likely to quit, perform better, and are more loyal when they feel engaged. When you build an employee engagement program, you will see an increase in positive attitudes toward work and the organization at large.

A call center can be a chaotic place. You will have some employees that do their job, while others try to find ways out of doing them. It's your role as a supervisor or manager to get them involved and always keep them on task.

When you are running a call center, it is important to keep the employees engaged so they can give their best at all times. Employees that are engaged with the company and their work can show more productivity. According to an article from Harvard Business Review, "Research shows that employees, who feel a sense of autonomy support the business, make good decisions, take initiative, and even innovate. They actively protect the business and its reputation.

How can you keep your call center team engaged? Here are some tips to help:

Employees Need to Feel Supported

If you want an engaged workforce, you'll need to make sure they know that all the support they may need is readily available. This means, making sure there are no obstacles in place if someone needs time off, or if there's a problem arising, they can easily reach their manager, or that the necessary training is provided.

Keep Employees Updated

If a call center has multiple locations, you'll need to make sure your employees are kept informed of any changes that could affect them. For example, if one location gets upgraded with new equipment and there's no lag in the system, does this mean there will be overcrowding in another location? This could affect the morale and satisfaction of your employees, so it's important to keep them feeling like they're valued.

Offer Opportunities for Growth and Development

When employees feel like their jobs are limiting them from moving forward with their career goals, they're likely to get bored or distracted in the workplace. You can avoid this problem by making sure your program offers opportunities for growth and development. This could take the form of "train-the-trainer" programs, where employees teach their peers or co-workers how to do their jobs. It also includes encouraging employees to volunteer for new positions and extracurricular activities.

Offer Advancement Opportunities

It's important to offer advancement opportunities at every level of your call center employee program. It should be easy for call center agents to move up in the company when they've demonstrated an eagerness to learn new skills and take on new responsibilities. These advancement opportunities can come with promotions, increased pay or bonuses, and opportunities for specialized education courses.

Make Working Remotely Efficient

If working from home is a possibility, work to make it an efficient option. You can set up a virtual phone system so they aren't limited by the length of their phone cord, and you can use cloud-based or online call center software to easily communicate with agents when they are working remotely.

Have Fun

If you have a not-for-profit company or one that is part of a larger corporation, you may feel as though you can't let loose and have fun. But call center employees are also people, and they're all different. Make sure you show on your face that you're having a good time when you work with them; this can help keep your employees from getting bored or unmotivated when they don't think the company's mission is important.

Be Friendly

Call centers are often staffed by a younger crowd, so you may want to be extra friendly and create an atmosphere that feels like your home. You can do this by playing games during breaks or even during lulls in the calls themselves. This will make the time go faster for them and also help them feel at home in the workplace.

Remember Birthdays

It's amazing how small things can sometimes go a long way in employee appreciation. You might be surprised at how appreciative employees will feel when you remember their birthday and acknowledge it as a special day for them throughout the year. This is especially true if your company has more than one location, with some people working far away from home; even though they're at work, they might be feeling homesick.

Ensure Training is Ongoing

Research has shown that ongoing training helps retain and engage call center employees. This is especially true for Millennials who want their skills developed and knowledge broadened. If they feel their position is stale or that their opportunities are limited, they'll be unhappy and unproductive at work—and it could cost your company a lot.

Train New Employees Well

When new employees come on board, make sure they know the ins and outs of your call center. This means not only knowing the products they will be selling but also knowing proper customer service and etiquette. They should know what to do in an emergency, how to handle angry or upset customers, and how to deal with difficult situations.

Conclusion

We've provided a few tips to keep your employees engaged. It's important for the health of both you and your team that they stay invested in their work, so make sure to implement these suggestions into your call center management strategy! If you need help figuring out how all these pieces fit together, we're here for you! Let us know what questions or concerns come up and we'll do our best to help you.