Module 1 - The most motivating job factors
for call center agents
The Call Center Learning Center is excited to announce
a new tutorial series focused on how to motivate call center agents. This tutorial series will pull from Prosci's research-based toolkits and best practices reports. This module
reveals the most motivating job factors for contact center agents.
Module 2 will dispel an agent motivation myth. Module 3 will focus
on the importance of both required and desired job factors for agents.
Revelations on agent motivation
What is the number one most motivating job
factor for call center agents?
The answer may surprise you. During the development of the
Motivating Call Center
Agents Toolkit, Prosci and the Call Center Learning Center conducted
hundreds of interviews with call center agents to find out what they
considered the top workplace motivators that directly influence job
performance and worker loyalty. The interviews provided valuable
insights and definitive data on what truly motivates them to do their
best work.
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Top motivating job factors
Agents cited "positive leadership skills of
supervisors" (one-on-one interactions) as the number one most
motivating job factor for them on the job. The second most
commonly identified motivating job factor for agents was "relationships
on the job with co-workers and peers." Both of the top
two motivating job factors are directly related to agents' relationship
with people on their jobs.
What does this mean? Agent loyalty and productivity are not
concepts that can be purchased with incentives or contests or prizes.
Many incentive programs have a scatter-shot effect as they manage to hit
a lot of people, but often the incentives are not what agents truly
value. True agent motivation needs to be earned through the
identified values of strong leadership and a
people-friendly culture.
So how can you develop these competencies in your call center?
The following sections will provide you with some guidelines and
resources for improving these motivating job factors in your center.
Leadership style and supervisor-agent interaction
Call center agents told us that great supervisors have the following
attributes:
- Good overall people skills:
approachable, friendly and positive; recognize contribution and
show appreciation for the job performed
- Competent communicators:
polished verbal and written skills and good listeners
- Organized and professional, with a strong work ethic
- Knowledgeable
regarding procedures, agents' duties and company
policies
- Consistently fair
(regarding feedback, scheduling, etc.)
- Patient and helpful with training
- Provide regular feedback
by praising publicly, but disciplining privately, using
discretion and direction
- Serve as mentors:
provide advocacy and opportunities
- Model the behavior they
expect from their agents
In other words, agents respect supervisors who are
great coaches. To learn more
about coaching best practices and techniques, both the
Call Center Best Practices Report - Operations Edition and the
Call
Center Quality Monitoring Toolkit provide valuable information and
direction on how to improve your coaching and leadership skills.
Building culture and teams
In the research study, when agents talked about "culture", they
described their relationships with co-workers in the call center, and
whether the overall environment fostered a
sense of family and mutual caring. However, when
managers discussed culture, they talked mostly about contests and
prizes.
This distinction has actually been studied in psychology. It's
called "autobiographical memory." What this means is that, as
human beings, we have a stronger memory for the
feelings of a particular event, more so
than for the facts and details of the event. True to this theory,
it mattered less to agents what a specific contest was or what kinds of
prizes were offered; what mattered to them was the
fun and sense of belonging they
experienced with their co-workers and supervisors during the event, and
how they felt about the process after it was over.
What agents were also clear about is that being part of a team helps
them work harder with their team members
toward a mutual goal. This concept is fundamentally different
from performing or competing solely as individuals, which generally
fosters a sense of competitiveness, as well as a reluctance to assist
their co-workers.
Call center managers and supervisors who encourage their agents'
participation and involvement in
various company and extra-curricular activities (such as team
competitions, volunteer events in the community, etc.) inspire attitudes
of mutual caring and responsibility among their agents.
More motivating job factors
Three more motivating job factors identified by call center agents
complete the top five list. You can read more about these factors
and how to develop them in your call center in the
Motivating Call Center
Agents Toolkit. The toolkit is designed to help you determine
how to create a workplace that motivates agents and optimizes
productivity in your call center.
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