Motivating Call Center Agents

Keep your team motivated! 

What Customer Service Representatives Really Need

to Stay Motivated and Productive

The I-40 Bridge in Webers Fall, OK re-opened 10 days ahead of schedule (after the May 2004 collapse). The construction company set a national record by completing the project 10 days ahead of an aggressive schedule and this accomplishment landed the company a 1.4 million dollar bonus ($144,000 per day for every day ahead of the mid-August deadline.) There’s no question, this handsome bonus motivated the construction company to make this unprecedented accomplishment. Money is a clear motivator of performance for any position, but how do you motivate when you don’t have a million dollars to fork over? Here are some proven and affordable ways to motivate CSRs…

1.    Reward perfect attendance. One of the biggest challenges facing call centers is attendance and punctuality. Many call centers use a “point” system to deter lackadaisical attitudes in attendance and to a large extent the point systems are effective. But have you thought about rewarding employees for good attendance. I worked with a small call center recently that eliminated the point system and instead offered bonuses for perfect attendance. At the end of a 30-day period, all employees who had perfect attendance (no late arrivals, no sick days, no late returns from break or lunch) were awarded a $50 bonus. Amazingly, employees who had habitual patterns of never showing up on time got it together to earn the bonus.

2.    Paint a picture of excellent, mediocre and poor performance. My friend Vicki Anderson of Anderson Resources suggests that management sit down with employees at the beginning of the year and describe what each level of performance looks like. For example, a manager could say to an employee: If you want to get a “5” in teamwork, here’s what it looks like; here’s what I expect. Here’s what it takes to get a “3” in this area, and here’s what you’ll have to do to get a “1” in this area. Of course, no one wants to be a “1” performer and most will aspire to be a “5”. Clearly describing what it takes to earn the “excellence” mark motivates employees to give you stellar performance – and makes it easier for them to achieve.

3.    Leave bureaucratic/inflexible management styles at the door. Recent research on the toll that some management styles take on customer contact employees has found that bureaucratic/inflexible management styles create higher turnover and increased stress levels among customer contact employees.

4.    Know what matters most to CSRs. A study by the US Chamber of Commerce found that the job factors that matter most to CSRs are (in order of importance): 1. Good wages, 2. Job security, 3. Promotion and growth in the company, 4. Good working conditions, 5. Work that keeps you interested, 6. Personal loyalty to employees, 7. Tactful disciplining, 8. Appreciation of work done, 9. Sympathetic help on personal problems, and 10. Feeling “in” on things. Try to create a work environment that supports their top needs and you’ll find that motivation and productivity will naturally outflow.

While money is the primary motivator for customer service professionals, it is not the only motivator. Look for creative ways to motivate your team by rewarding stellar performance and keeping them in the loop and make it easy for them to perform at the top of their game by setting clear performance expectations. They will reward you with hard work and loyalty.  

See also the response to: 

Looking for tips to motivate call center agents.  

How can I motivate call center agents without breaking the bank? 

and Motivating Employees article database.