How to Motivate Call Center Agents

Call centers in the Philippines should try to avoid the fate that has befallen a lot of call center agents around the world: tired, stressed and demotivated. They should understand that call center work is not just about financial rewards and a luxurious Westernized lifestyle. More than anything, call centers are the seat of customer service and high quality performance. If you don’t do well, then you might as well quit the business. A call center QA in the United States is not just another organization you can use as a temporary sanctuary from bankruptcy. With the right motivational strategies, they can harness long-term commitments and enthusiasm from employees.

So what constitutes correct motivational strategies?

Perhaps this generally refers to any method or approach of cultivating agents’ self-worth and reawakening their passion for working. Understand that the job of an agent is static. From the beginning to the end of shift, the agent remains seated. They must also stick with and memorize given scripts, reducing the chances of striking creative conversations with customers. If as an agent you do not have the stamina for such goings-on then call center work will eventually become boring and lackluster for you. This may lead to frequent absences. Worse, you succumb to the perennial call center hopping curse. So unless managers and other key personnel do something about agents’ motivational issues, call centers in the Philippines will, like many other call centers in the world, suffer from high turn-over rates. The best route to motivating agents is the promise of a glittering career and the chance to lead.

A glittering career may, on the surface, a little too single-minded.

The end goal is still fulfillment, but as to actually have it is highly dependent on the agents themselves. So glittering career and the chance to lead – these are not just shallow temptations, but ladders to a fulfilling and successful life in a call center in the Philippines. Motivational activities in any call center in the Philippines would do well to consider the following: clearly outlined strategic goals, bottom-up approach, and a strong support system.Strategic goals are very effective if your company already lives by a fixed, authoritative vision-mission. That is why you have to make sure that you emphasize to your agents during orientation what sets you apart from any other call center in the Philippines and what principles you live by. This will help agents gauge whether their own principles are compatible with the company’s. If they aren’t and none of the agents voiced this, you should give them a heads-up so they could mull things over and take the best course of action. Agents working for call centers in the Philippines should feel motivated particularly if there are established vision-mission principles. And depending on how these were presented to them, the good thing about clearly outlined strategic goals is that agents get to know the thrusts of the organization and where its agents might go in the future.

As opposed to top down approach where management or the board makes all the decisions, a bottom-up approach is less bureaucratic and it gives employees a chance to pour out their sentiments or opinions. Bottom approach tries to groom agents and it provides enough mechanism to hone agents’ respective skills and capabilities. It gives more freedom to teams, fosters more collaboration between agents and management, and certainly provides enough source of motivation. The approach attempts to induce participation from agents so that they too can have a stake in the decision-making process. Being able to do so, unbeknownst to managers in call centers in the Philippines is a motivating factor. You can encourage unions certainly. But if you fear agents might spark a rebellion, then something must be wrong with your system and your company policies. A good call center is never afraid of unions; they empower their employees while simultaneously benevolently leading the company to success.

Finally, to motivate requires an already motivated management.

The best call center in the Philippines has a large reservoir of motivations through a strong support system, which otherwise would not have functioned if managers themselves are not highly motivated. A strong support system encourages employees regardless of their disposition and position. Support system also includes all other departments like the Human Resource and the Administrative Department. If they could find ways to ease the stress and break off the monotony of call center life, either through inspirational activities or through a reward system, then the number agents who suffer burn out and extreme boredom to the point of having bad customer relationships will be reduced greatly.

There are more than ways for call centers in the Philippines to motivate their workforce. However, having clearly outlined strategic goals, instigating a bottom-up approach, and fostering a strong support system are on top of our list. These three are able to cover much of the cause for agent demotivation. So as much as possible, if you are to propagate motivational strategies in your own company, regardless of whether yours is a call center in the Philippines or not, it is important to take note of these three.