Working in a call center can be challenging work — and it can be even more challenging when working remotely.
Overall, employee engagement in the U.S. is trending downward. In 2023, only 33 percent of employees said they were engaged at work, according to a Gallup poll — that’s one out of every three employees. That translates to about $1.9 trillion in lost productivity.
While those stats relate to the workforce as a whole, anyone who operates or manages a call center knows that employee motivation has long been a challenge in the industry. Indeed, call centers have one of the highest turnover rates in the U.S., at 30 to 45 percent, according to the Quality Assurance and Training Connection (QATC).
Inspiring your team
While there are certain perks to remote work, like not having to deal with the hassle of commuting, agents are also more likely to feel isolated — it’s possible they’ve never met their manager or team members in person. If they need advice or just want to chat, there’s no proverbial water cooler where they can have casual conversations with colleagues.
Tracking agents remotely with time clocks and other ‘productivity’ tools often demotivates them. So how can you inspire your teams, especially when they’re working remotely?
Virtual meet-ups: A video call is much more compelling than a text or email. By having virtual ‘meet-ups’ with team members, you can create a stronger sense of community and find out if agents are facing any particular issues or challenges. You could also provide virtual mentorship, networking opportunities, and training for newer team members.
Feedback and coaching: Providing constructive feedback and coaching can help agents develop the right skills for the job, but it can also help to boost morale. After all, you’re less likely to feel isolated when there’s a team of people supporting you to do your best work.
A positive corporate culture: It’s important to create an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas — and feel listened to. You can also make a point of recognizing notable achievements, possibly even offering rewards for employees who meet a specific goal or target.
Give employees the tools they need: Arming agents with the right tools for the job is another way to boost motivation. Find out which tools are working for them — and which ones aren’t. If agents are frustrated with outdated systems or legacy technology, it’s time to make some changes.
How all-in-one dialers can help
An auto dialer that integrates with a customer relationship management (CRM) system can help agents avoid unproductive downtime and boring, manual tasks. An advanced auto dialer, such as a predictive dialer, can automatically dial multiple numbers at the same time, only connecting agents with live prospects — so they don’t have to waste time on unanswered calls.
Readymode, for example, prioritizes agents and dialing lists based on skill level and lead importance, and allows agents to intercept inbound calls from leads they initially contacted to cultivate those relationships. Leads can also be posted automatically into Readymode from your lead-generation database or third-party lead vendors, with built-in analytics to help agents stay on top of the latest trends.
It’s possible to inspire your team members, even from a distance. Ultimately, happy employees means happy customers. And that’s good for the bottom line.
