Tips to Engaging Remote Call Center Agents

When call centers transition to remote work from home environments one challenge they may face are keeping their remote agents engaged. While there are many benefits that working from home offers, one aspect that agents may miss about not being in the office each day is the social aspect. It may be an adjustment at first learning how to best keep your employees engaged in the remote environment.

The following tips include ideas to keep your remote call center agents engaged:

 1. Regular Communication.

One thing that agents may miss about not being in the office each day is the social aspect. There are a variety of ways you can still communicate virtually, both work-related and socially.

• Schedule daily, weekly, or monthly video or call chats with your team.
• Offer optional virtual social gatherings as a way for employees to get to know each other better outside of work.
• Utilize a secure chat platform and set up different topics (both work-related and non-work related) to allow employees to ask questions, communicate information, and also engage in social conversation.

2. Agent Recognition.

Receiving recognition can be very motivating and does not always need to be an item of high cost or value.

• Something as simple as a virtual “thank you” or “great job” can go a long way and makes agents feel appreciated.
• Recognize and congratulate agents on achieving goals, work anniversaries, and birthdays.
• Encourage agents to give kudos to each other to promote teamwork and a positive environment.

 3. Offer and Encourage Feedback.

It’s important to give feedback to your agents in addition to asking for their feedback.

• Assess and score agent calls regularly so they know how they can improve and what further training opportunities are needed.
• Utilizing surveys is a great and easy way to get agent feedback. Share the results when applicable and communicateany changes to be implemented as a result of the feedback. Agents are encouraged to give more feedback if they feel their feedback is taken seriously and results in positive changes.

 4. Utilize Gamification.

Incentives are always a nice way to engage employees, encourage friendly competition, and promote teamwork. A survey from TalentLMS found that 89% of employees say gamification makes them feel more productive at work.

• Set individual and team performance goals and post the stats publicly to hold agents accountable. Offer virtual or physical rewards when goals are met.

5. Set Clear Expectations.

Transparency from the start hold agents accountable and honest. Set clear expectations for agents so they know what is expected and there are no surprises.

• Provide written policies and enforce issues with verbal or written warnings such as call avoidance and excessive time off or break time.
• Share performance metrics and set individual goals.

Making employee engagement a focus has many benefits for your call center. Engaged employees are more likely to stay with your organization, decreasing turnover and costs of hiring and onboarding new employees. According to Hubspot, 69% of employees say they would work harder if they felt their efforts were being better recognized. Engaged employees are more productive and want to help the business succeed.