Contact Center Pipeline Magazine, November 2023 November 2023 | Page 42

Some succeed in creating a deeply enriching work culture , investing in every employee from the ground up to make the agent experience a rewarding one . Others are doing it right by focusing on enhancing employee well-being , providing support and training , and recognizing and rewarding exceptional performance .

While gamifying the experience with prizes increases morale , the big opportunity is in celebrating wins . Recognizing employees for hitting performance metrics , honoring milestones like work anniversaries , a great customer call , or improved call times in front of their peers results in associates feeling valued and engaged , better performance and lower turnover .

Employers also need to show up by thinking through employee initiatives and prioritizing holistic wellness and empathy for their employees .

While all of these strategies contribute to EX , the heart of a well-run contact center is a strong sense of community , shared purpose and trust . To succeed , companies need to invest in building an EX that reinforces the organization ’ s culture and makes employees feel heard and motivated to perform .

WHY THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY MATTERS

In contact centers time is money . And most agents are paid hourly wages . Meaning they are paid when they are logged in and working .

And for many organizations , work does not include connecting , digesting communications , and engaging . Therefore , most employees won ’ t spend any time on a company intranet as they are constantly being told not to do anything they ’ re not getting paid for .

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Often , when agents are asked to participate in a lengthy survey , tune in to a company town hall , or participate in a culture activity , they aren ’ t able to : even if they want to .

These events and activities may also be scheduled when they are off-shift , like during the day when they work evenings , nights , and / or weekends and holidays , and off the clock . You can ’ t ask them to participate unless you pay them and only if they are available ; they too have lives .

With every minute on the job accounted for - including scheduled lunch and breaks - the responsibility of the agent ’ s holistic experience lies with the organization .

Valuing the contact center experience as much as any other employee experience must be a priority . Including finding ways to pay agents for engaging , connecting and digesting information , and company communication .

Excellence is naturally buoyant . There is no doubt that some employees have more influence over others . The influencer impact doesn ’ t just happen on social media . And finding those influencers — who embody the company culture , attributes and values — and fostering relationships with them , can be a huge advantage .

Once contact centers identify behaviors that exemplify top performing employees , leaders can build a program around them that inspires their peers to perform in a high energy environment .

At GoDaddy , where I worked , the team has done a brilliant job of finding the “ GoDaddy Guides ” ( the catchy phrase they use for agents ) who exemplify the culture and can bring others along on a journey . Leaning into recognition and understanding through both simple and complex programs has made their culture one that is unique and celebrates their agents .

Another company that gets it is Zappos . Their EX team understands the difference between knowledge workers and contact centers and what makes agents tick . They understand that employees are fully scheduled , they have quotas to fill , and a certain number of calls to make .

This is why Zappos would send a newsletter out at the same time every day , so employees started to expect it daily and check-in consistently .

Given that agents only have 5-10 minutes to spare , the same newsletter in the same consistent sections succeeded in keeping employees well-informed . Leaders then have to explain why it matters and ensure agents know these communications are tailored specifically to their needs and schedules .

Ultimately , organizations need to connect with contact center employees where they are . How accessible and easy is it for agents to access critical information ? The right tools and communications channels can enhance the EX by creating a seamless work experience from start to finish .

This is why it ’ s vital to design a digital EX with a modern intranet that meets the needs of today ’ s remote and distributed workforce .

--Carolyn Clark