Highlights:
- Contact center agent productivity levels are directly related to how happy agents are at work.
- Management can take steps to ensure their employees are happy on the job, and therefore more productive.
- RingCentral offers innovative cloud-based solutions that can make the job of agents easier, which can improve their experience and productivity levels.
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Happy employees are more productive employees. The question is, are your contact center agents happy? If not, what can you do to improve their experience at work, drive productivity, and in turn, boost your bottom line?
Contact center agents should look forward to logging into work and feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment with their jobs. This will enhance their engagement in the workplace and ensure their productivity levels are as high as they can be.
- 69% of workers say they would work harder if they felt more appreciated at work.
- 50% of workers say being thanked by their superiors improved their relationships and trust.
- 12% of workers are more productive when they’re happy on the job.
- 52% of employees say they are unhappy at work.
- Unhappy workers are 10% less productive at work.
- 81% of employees prefer working for a company with an open communication environment rather than one with other perks, such as excellent health care plans or freebies.
Offer the right tools
Leveraging modern tools in the contact center should be the first step toward boosting happiness among agents.The appropriate communications platform can simplify, streamline, and focus agents’ jobs. This will cut down on manual work and increase productivity.
- Agents currently have to toggle between 8 apps a day. Give them a 360 degree, unified view of the customer with integrated tools and applications, so they can see the customer profile, history and context all in one easy-to-access place.
- Real time agent assistance and guidance is critical to improving FCR and keeping agents happy. Invest in AI-driven tools the tell the agent what to say based on customer intent, and how to say it effectively
- Effective company-wide collaboration tools allow agents to get answers quickly from experts across the organization and also instill a sense of belonging. Ultimately, agents should be able to access all required data from a centralized place with minimal effort.
Set specific goals
Every agent should understand the bigger picture in terms of a common goal for the company. In addition, each agent should have a clear understanding of their own specific roles and goals.
When establishing these objectives, it’s important that they’re realistic, achievable, manageable, and measurable. Grand pursuits may seem impressive, but if they’re not easily reached, they need to be broken down into smaller objectives that are more attainable for each employee.
With a specific goal in mind and a clear path to achieve it, agents will be in a better position to visualize what they need to do to achieve these goals. Going into work every day with a purpose can boost motivation and increase happiness in the workplace.
Make the work environment fun
While every person in the workplace has a specific job to do, there’s no reason the workplace can’t be an enjoyable environment at the same time. Agents who look forward to going to work every day are happier and more motivated to perform at their best, and a fun work environment can be an effective way to promote this.
One way to make work more fun is to introduce gamification, such as contests, badges, and leaderboards, on the job. This concept involves applying the elements of games in the workplace and is being increasingly used by organizations to boost employee engagement. Businesses have the potential to improve employee satisfaction by 50% by using better QM and adopting gamification. (Metrigy WEM Benchmark 2021)
According to Zippia, a workplace that includes gamification increases happiness among workers by 89%. In turn, this makes agents more productive and also helps reduce agent turnover rates. Over two-thirds of workers say they would remain at their place of work for at least three years if gamification was used at work.
Making a contact center an enjoyable place to work will make employees feel more inspired to be a loyal part of the company.
Remove barriers to growth
Contact center agents are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs when there’s opportunity for growth. Without room to grow, contact center jobs can seem stagnant and mundane. Doing the same thing day in and day out without learning a new skill or taking on a new task can quickly lead to dissatisfied workers who may be more likely to search for something else rather than stick around for the long haul.
Management should regularly offer learning opportunities for agents to update their skills through training sessions. Agents should also be provided with clear career paths to give them something to look forward to and work more diligently to attain.
Encourage open communication
Communication between workers and management is essential in every business and in all industries, including contact centers. Without it, workers can quickly lose motivation and become unhappy at work.
Instead, promoting open communication and real-time feedback can foster positive business relationships and build trust. To develop transparency and communication in the contact center, management can encourage two-way communication, regularly ask for agent feedback, deal with issues right away, and interact with agents on a personal level. All these measures combined can ensure an open workplace and increase the odds of a happier workforce.
RingCentral’s cloud-based solutions make the job of contact center agents easier
Providing your agents with the tools they need to perform better at work can promote higher levels of satisfaction on the job, and therefore increase happiness among employees. RingCentral’s cloud-based software can simplify agents’ jobs. Speak with a representative from RingCentral and request your free demo today.
Originally published May 11, 2022, updated Jun 28, 2022