[one_half]A panel of experts sat down at this fall’s QATC conference to share ideas and tips for increasing employee engagement. The audience chimed in with additional thoughts and the result is a great list of ideas for getting the best performance from your frontline employees.

1. Implement a 360-degree feedback program. Have a feedback mechanism where frontline staff have an opportunity not just to have their performance reviewed, but to also provide feedback about the performance of their peers and their immediate supervisors. It is important to get feedback from all directions and not just “top down” reviews. Providing feedback to supervisors is a good mechanism to point out positive supervisory techniques, as well as opportunities for improvement. When supervisors listen and act on employee feedback, it is a powerful message that all opinions count, making frontline staff feel more a part of the process.
2. Train all staff on the meaning of metrics. Managing a contact center involves managing by the numbers and there are dozens of metrics associated with frontline performance. Agents may get feedback on their handle time, after-call work percentages, quality scores, adherence numbers, and so on. To avoid big brother, make sure all the staff understand what the numbers mean, how they are measured, and the relevance of each number to the bigger team picture and the overall performance of the center.
3. Create a personal profile board for each employee. Assemble a board or wall of information from employees that they feel best define them and that they are willing to share. Knowing backgrounds, interests, hobbies, talents, and awards will help staff get to know one another and more likely to reach out to make friends on the team. The stronger the ties among team members, the bigger the effort staff will make to contribute to the team’s performance.
4. Don’t assume you know what the best rewards are. What might be a great reward for one person might not be meaningful at all to another. Create a mechanism where each person can list what types of rewards they’d like to earn for good performance. This might be time off the phones, educational opportunities, company merchandise, event tickets, etc. Make sure the reward is matched to the employee for it to have maximum benefit.
5. Build a sense of belonging through service projects. One of the best ways to foster teamwork and a sense of attachment to a group is to do service projects together. When working towards a greater good, whether a company sponsored or community event, people build social bonds and feel more of a sense of belonging to the team.
6. Ask your agents the same satisfaction questions as you ask your customers. We regularly ask customers whether they would do business again with the company. Ask employees if they would recommend the company and the call center as a good place to work. Ask for their feedback about what is working well and what the opportunities for improvement are, keeping feedback anonymous so everyone feels free to share genuine opinions.
7. Keep your at-home staff involved in celebrations. If part of your team works remotely, take extra steps to make them feel part of the team. Include them when there are in-house parties, and if they cannot make it to the center, have a virtual birthday or anniversary party for them. Mail something often to at-home employees so there is a physical connection with the center.
8. Have a travel quality team to visit at-home agents. While much quality information and review points can be shared electronically with frontline staff, don’t miss out on the opportunity and different kind of feedback that can be shared in a side-by-side review. These in-person live reviews can provide an opportunity for the virtual agent to ask questions and a chance to get to know the quality team on a one-to-one basis.
9. Instill mission and values from the beginning. These should be communicated from the point of the first interview, through the hiring process, and through training and onboarding. For example, Southwest call center employees go through hospitality training where they learn the basics of how to welcome, engage, serve, and appreciate every customer, just like the gate agents and flight attendants too. This set of values and branding is ingrained in every single employee.
10. Encourage your best employees to share their best practices. Identify who is doing certain aspects of the job well and get their permission to video them to capture tips and techniques. Make this a part of your training library. It benefits new employees and is a great way to acknowledge good performers.

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11. Assess and know each employee’s preferred learning style.  From the early point of initial training, trainers should assess and determine each person’s preferred learning style.  While everyone has a mix of styles, everyone has a predominant style – visual, auditory, or kinesthetic.  It’s important to make sure initial training addresses all three styles. It’s also critical for each supervisor to know each team member’s profile so feedback can be given and supplemental training delivered in the most efficient way.
12. Use training time to determine best team and supervisor matchup.  The training team typically has several weeks of interacting with each new employee and time to form judgments about the best placement for the agent once it’s time to move to the floor.  Consider personalities, skill sets, and peer interactions to help supervisors determine the best fit for each person.
13. Train employees and supervisors for how to make the most of a coaching session.  Supervisors, especially new ones, should have specific training on defining expectations, diagnosing performance issues, and delivering feedback and coaching.  Hire a coaching expert to work with supervisors, including video feedback for each supervisor. Frontline staff should also be trained in how to approach a coaching session, what information to look for, and how to request support.
14. Use games to capitalize on people’s innate desire to play and compete.  There are many opportunities for frontline staff to earn rewards or “badges” for performance, giving them reinforcement for progression toward a goal.  These can be simple, homemade games or can be purchased from game catalogs with items like Plinko boards, game show software, etc.  Some centers even hire gaming trucks (just like food trucks) to come to the site for a day to allow staff to play.
15. Know what attrition costs so you can do a business plan for money.  It is important to know not just the rate of turnover in your center, but also what the cost is.  Include the obvious costs of advertising, recruitment, interviewing, and training costs, along with labor costs to cover calls while you fill seats.  Think about how to also incorporate more indirect costs like lost skills and knowledge.   Determine what changes (that might cost money) can be paid for by a decrease in attrition.
16. Create a challenge board for frontline agents and teams.  Implement a mechanism in which individual agents can challenge others on the team, or teams can challenge one another for a variety of performance metrics. You might include biggest improvement in quality score or closest to schedule adherence numbers as two items mostly under the control of staff.
17. Have a “Lead by Example” day.  As a way to provide leadership and to show appreciation for staff, have a day where the management team does the work of staff.  Have an executive talk about the path he or she had from the call center to the management team.  Assign supervisors to take calls, and let agents review their calls.  Make sure frontline staff see a path to move up the ladder through a defined career path.
18. Start a series of “skip meetings” in your center.  In this set-up, agents skip their supervisor or team leader to meet with the call center manager. Supervisors skip managers to meet with the director or VP level to share ideas and concerns.  Sometimes there can be a communications roadblock up and down the ladder and these meetings can encourage an open flow of communications throughout the organization.
19. Have a variety of relaxing activities in the break room.  Frontline staff need a physical and mental break from calls.  If you don’t have the space or budget for big items like a pool table or ice hockey, at least have a jigsaw puzzle for staff to stop by and add a piece.  Have some headphones with meditation recordings.   Put out some wooden puzzles or coloring books.  Brains need a break with a completely different activity.
20. Make performance reviews something special.  Instead of a boring review of metrics, put more effort into the review process.  Create special invitations to invite staff to a development meeting to ask how to use their talents and how they would like to be rewarded.  Invite them to share ideas for improvement and talk about where they see themselves a year down the road.

These were only about half of the ideas shared in this dynamic session.  Don’t miss next year’s QATC conference and become a part of the discussion![/one_half_last]