What factors in 2023 are important for the involvement and productive work in a call center

Business is not built around products, but people. And call center managers are like conductors – they control the impressions of customers about the company. Their training, but most importantly, empathy and willingness to help is the foundation for the success of the company. The engagement of call center operators counters the high levels of stress that often lead to burnout and the loss of strong professionals. We will analyze the factors that affect engagement in order to develop a strategy for how to keep the team productive.

How is the pandemic affecting engagement rates?

Not every happy employee is engaged. According to a LinkedIn survey, managers said they looking for “safe haven” in their current job. Engagement characterized as the fact that the employee shares the values of the company; he loves his job and focused on results. For customers, this felt in high-quality service, and for the company – in stable income growth. Some companies noted that employee engagement rates improved from 36% to 39% as of early 2021, according to Gallup. But there were also those entrepreneurs who noticed an increased problem of team burnout. Here are a few factors that contribute to better adaptation of employees to working conditions in quarantine:

• Getting more feedback from senior colleagues and management;
• Improvement of mutual understanding in the team, thanks to frequent cooperation and the ability to build a flexible work schedule;
• Less stress was experienced by employees where there was a strong leader. Then the manager, by his example, supported the involvement of the team, informed about the decisions of the management;
• The level of burnout is lower in those companies where programs have been prepared to take care of the psychological comfort and physical well-being of employees.

Ideas on how to increase the engagement of call center operators:

• The working day of a call center is stressful not only because of the active schedule of calls, but also emotionally. In order for operators to take care of quick resolution of customer problems, it is important to think about how to create favorable working conditions for increasing employee engagement.
• Trusting relationship between manager and employees
• The call center is a fairly authoritarian environment with measurable requirements for fulfilling a customer satisfaction plan. But it is worth remembering that not only customers want to be heard, but also team members. Instructions are easier to follow, achieving high levels of productivity when operators know that they can turn to the manager with their ideas and this initiative is supported.

Flexible employment

During the lockdown, when operators moved to a home office, many found that their productivity improved. Remote work is not suitable for everyone, but if you conduct a survey; allow employees to choose the desired form of employment, then the comfort of work will increase. And when a virtual PBX connected; it does not matter whether the operators will receive calls in the office or remotely. Flexible call forwarding system, call queue setting, access to voice mail is possible from anywhere. The leader will be able to track how operators fulfill the call plan according to statistics. Openness in communication between the leader and the team It is important for employees to receive feedback from the manager; as this brings clarity to the work and allows them to understand how they can build a career. If the company uses a mixed style of work, when some of the operators are at a remote office; it is easy to organize a team discussion of tasks using the conference call service available for virtual PBXs. Educational trainings also refer to feedback, because young employees can join the experience of older colleagues and learn their opinion. The call recording service, which commonly used to evaluate the communication of call center administrators with customers; will be useful for training. During trainings, the manager includes notes to demonstrate which communication model is more prioritized for good service; and how to respond to dissatisfied customers.

Offer interesting tasks outside the department

When a person first comes to work in a call center; he does not fully understand whether this position will allow him to show his best qualities. Surely there are employees who have talents in different areas and they are not fully disclosed as an operator. One of the reasons for leaving work is the lack of career advancement and the same type of tasks. Therefore, if one of the agents shows interest in working in other departments; you can provide the opportunity to learn all the processes better. Even if the employee later asks for a transfer from the call center; this option more favorable than firing him when he not satisfied with his current position. Loyalty to the company and involvement are higher where growth is possible.

Focus on creating a healthy work environment

Lack of discomfort in the workplace affects engagement. If the call center not well ventilated, employees will be more concerned about their health, distracting from work. Attention to the physical and psychological state of the operators is an important factor; because everyone wants to feel protected from external threats, such as coronavirus. According to Optum, companies that have begun to think through options for wellness programs for the collective have more cohesive teams. Most of these methods do not require funding in any way, therefore they are available to every call center who sets the task of taking care of employees so that they can bring good service to customers. Automation of calls using VoIP telephony has a positive effect on the productivity of operators; – then the client is their priority, and not small tasks. Freezvon support specialists are ready to join the conversation at any time to set up a virtual PBX for your call center. There is also a huge selection of virtual telephony – virtual numbers for USA, Europe, Asia. Large selection of virtual numbers for business and quick connection of IVR menu; voicemail and other important VoIP services that will help you provide quality service to your customers.