For example, my client hosted a ' 24 / 7 games '. What we did was create teams that had members on each“ shift;” we then sent out daily an accessible online game to play and get a score.
The players posted their results on a Slack channel page every day along with screenshots; the collective scores were then tabulated on behalf of that entire team.
At the end of the week, we emailed gold, silver, and bronze valued gift cards to the winning teams and hosted a“ news cast” to talk about the games and posted a video.
SET RULES / EXPECTATIONS
Set policies and standards early on. Create the expectation and positively reinforce it. Build a system of championing accountability and responsibility.
This point came as a result of a client having a shared 24 / 7 office. There is nothing more frustrating than cleaning up someone else ' s mess from the shift before. It was a rub if one shift left the shared desk spaces in a mess.
In an attempt to change behavior, the arriving staff would vote on the best left workstation. The previous shift manager then awarded a ' Desk Fairy ' award to the person who left the station in exemplary condition.
With the advent and popularity of hybrid work, with different employees coming in at various times and days, you can expect messy desks to happen more often. So, plan for more“ visits” from the Desk Fairy to encourage positive staff behavior.
CHANGE MEDIA FOR MEETINGS
Provide different ways of delivering messages. Just because your team isn’ t in the same place at the same time doesn ' t mean in today ' s day and age they shouldn’ t be able to share in the same experience.
One of the tools we used for that was building and hosting a private You- Tube-styled channel on the company’ s intranet. What was cool about this was the president could leave messages, you could shoot and share learning videos, and even have“ commercials” that provide learning or announcements.
Another“ change of media” for meetings was one company hosted their annual corporate retreat as a“ family fun day.” They had age-appropriate activities for kids and adults: and support while the staff had their“ business meeting”( for one hour).
ENABLING FACE-TO-FACE( AND VIDEO)
A vital component to co-located teams is finding a bit of extra funding for face-to-face meetings. While software for virtual connection is good, nothing compares to the in-person collaboration and co-creation of ideas and solutions.
Bringing managers and agents together, where economically viable( and weather permitting), creates unparalleled opportunity for engagement and retention.
But when the business case for an investment of in-person connection is not possible you can consider remote video events. To help ensure the learning transfer consider investing in a skilled online facilitator.
Beyond that, is to make sure that each remote worker has equitable access to equipment. This is not always that easy, but a rigorous project plan to keep everyone on the same level helps to ensure standard customer service output.
PUBLICLY SUPPORT AND CHAMPION YOUR TEAMS
Be a public advocate of the great things your remote teams are doing. In the call center environment, it is difficult for managers and leaders to know the good work if the supervisors don’ t report it. There are amazing exemplars in the business, you need to build a way to highlight those success stories.
Identify your team ' s importance and passionately tell their story at management meetings, newsletters, and functions. Good news travels fast.
TEAM BUILDING
Also, be the first in the ring to lead the charge of other teams supporting the efforts of your remote team. Make sure to thank those parts of the business that are supporting your team ' s efforts.
TEAM BUILDING APPROACH AND TOOLS
Additionally, we looked at some easy to implement remote team building tools and activities. We classified them into three categories, we called them The 3 F’ s: Fun, Fast Forward, and Fix.
Here is a quick overview of each of them, and some ideas that can accomplish that learning outcome in remote team engagement in a call center.
Fun
This is what we have been programmed to believe is“ team building.” It is the traditional time when we get together and get involved in an event or activity that requires us to flex our interpersonal muscles and“ get to know each other” while engaging in some type of task.
This traditionally ranges from a golf trip or celebration dinner to nowadays an escape room or outdoor adventure.
No matter which way you slice it, these are amazing opportunities for teams to develop those interpersonal connections in a fun and recreational way( there is a broader discussion here around team learning: perhaps for another article).
These are totally vital to the development of a team and are totally recommended on an as often as possible basis( i. e., time and money budgets).
1. Virtual happy hour with management. To do this, mail out or have Uber Eats deliver a treat for that event, with the box only being open when the meeting starts. Invite senior management to the party.
2. Cell phone ring. Share yours and have others share theirs as a quick icebreaker at the start of a meeting and see if you can identify the tune; you can also do this like“ Name That Tune” by having each member play the last( appropriate lol) song on their phone’ s playlist. After that, ask people to turn their phones on silent for the rest of the meeting.
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