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Creating Consistency in Educational Finance: A Training Curriculum
Module 2: Call Center Management
Cultivating a productive work environment
An organization's call center is a vital part of establishing and maintaining customer relationships. Not only are call center managers challenged to ensure that the necessary technology and training be in place, but they must also keep employees motivated and productive. They must provide a safe working environment, maintain customer service levels, and also attain company goals. Fortunately, there are a number of techniques that managers can apply in order to meet those challenges.
Get to know your employees
Employees may respond better to managers who take the time to get to know them on a professional level. Let employees know that you see them as individuals. Getting to know your employees individually allows you to gain an understanding of what their strengths are, what motivates them, what type of work they find interesting, and what talents they can offer to the call center.
The daily routine in a call center — constantly resolving problems and complaints over the telephone — can take a toll on employees' performance and disposition. One way that you can prevent your employees from growing tired is by assessing their strengths and accordingly assigning them to other duties that extend beyond answering phones. This may help keep the job interesting and help avoid burn-out. Also, try using an employee survey to find out what gives your employees a feeling of value and what motivates them to want to come to work and perform well.
Lead by example
Showing respect to your employees is essential for promoting good employee morale. Also, exercising honesty and integrity with your employees can lead to mutual respect by demonstrating that you value them. Let employees know that you support them by being an advocate for them. Show employees that you are there to defend them. Also, remember to provide them with positive reinforcement when appropriate and in a timely manner.
Managers should always give credit where credit is due and recognize employees' accomplishments. More importantly, managers should never reprimand employees in public. Disciplining employees in front of their peers will cause embarrassment and most likely result in anger and loss of productivity. It can also be uncomfortable for the rest of the staff.
Employees also need to see that you have respect for your customers. The level of customer service you provide to your customers will be mirrored by your employees. Show employees that you expect a high level of customer service from them by providing the same level yourself. When you lead by example, employees will be more apt to apply the same principles when dealing with customers and fellow employees.
Set goals
When setting goals for a call center, managers must be cognizant of the organization's overall goals. In establishing goals for the department, managers must ensure that goals are realistic, specific, measurable, and challenging for employees. Also, goals should be communicated regularly to staff members so that there is a clear understanding of expectations. In order to keep employees motivated, it is critically important that employees be kept informed about the organization's and department's progress in reaching established goals. Keeping employees abreast of their progress will help them stay focused on attaining their individual goals.
Ideally, involving employees in goal setting can prove beneficial not only to meeting an organization's goals but also to cultivating a productive work environment. Allow employees to be creative and offer ideas on how the department can obtain its overall goals. Be receptive to their ideas. Try meeting as a group to exchange ideas that will allow employees to take ownership of the goals established. Employees will know that their input is valuable to you and the department if they are included in the goal setting process.
Give rewards and recognition
Most organizations have some type of recognition program for their employees. It may be an employee-of-the-month award, VIP parking, or other benefits that employees may enjoy. Other programs may include a system where employees can earn points for redeeming rewards like a day off, casual dress days, lunch with the boss, or brown bag luncheons for team accomplishments.
If you are looking to incorporate a recognition program for your employees, you should remember to be creative and select a variety of rewards that appeal to a variety of individuals. Also, keep in mind that rewards should be meaningful and tied to specific goals. Recognize employees for the job they do and how their efforts impact the organization. It's also important not to show favoritism when recognizing employees. Being fair and recognizing employees who truly deserve the award will keep the program credible with your staff.
Want to know more about the Council? Contact Maria Luna-Torres at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4632, or send an e-mail at maria.luna-torres@tgslc.org.
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