Paint a big picture - make the call centre feel involved

Chapter 1 of the Call Centre Motivation Workbook

From the call centre team member's point of view, it can be hard to see the point of what they do. A common complaint from telephone staff is that they are kept in the dark and often learn about market or company changes much later than other employees.

When times are tough, call centres are hotbeds of gossip which is very damaging to morale. And if it's anything dramatic, callers should not be able to surprise them. So communication is critical. Call centre managers need to explain what part telephone staff play in the overall scheme of things. For example, what is the impact of their work on customer satisfaction, and why is customer satisfaction important?

By painting a big picture, but explaining it on a personal level, we can create a sense of belonging which is very important in maintaining motivation. It gives a purpose to answering the phone. It is important for call centre team leaders to communicate regularly, clearly and honestly with the telephone staff, even if this is on a "need to know basis." It is also important for telephone staff to hear on a regular basis from senior management, field sales, marketing and accounts. Management should talk about the strategic plans for the business - and especially how they will affect call centre operations - so that staff feel they are part of an organisation that is going places.

This should happen about twice a year. Someone from the field sales division should speak to the call centre team on a quarterly basis to give them a roadmap of the future - what deals are in the pipeline and what work is going on behind the scenes. The speaker should also talk about what he or she is seeing out in the market place and about the reasons your organisation is more successful than its rivals. From the telephone staff's point of view it can be difficult to see their impact on the business of their activities. By involving them in the big picture of what the company is doing, we can increase call centre motivation and sense of belonging. It is motivational for the staff to understand the market they are operating in and an overview of the company's success.

A workable action plan for this is to invite the marketing department to speak to the team to tell them how the company is performing in terms of market share, innovation and so on. This is also a good opportunity for marketing to talk about forthcoming promotions, advertising activity and so on. The accounts department should speak to the team on occasion to explain about share prices and market positioning. The important thing about having all these people from different disciplines talk to the call centre staff is that they feel integrated into the big picture. This is important as a motivational tool when things are going well and even more so during tough times.

Example

Event Diary Planner

Department	Speaker	Date	Topic
Board	MD		Overall performance
Accounts	Credit Control		Money chasing
Marketing	Marketing Director		Market position
Sales	Sales Manager		Market challenges
Marketing	Brand Manager		Product performance
Production	Factory Manager		Competitive advantage

Your Turn!

Event Diary Planner

Department	Speaker	Date	Topic

 

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