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Devise a call centre employee value chain
Chapter 3 of the Call Centre Motivation Workbook
We have found that call centre motivation can be maintained at a high level through longer term planning, where a structure is created that allows telephone staff to enjoy a sense of development.
We have developed a structure called "the employee value chain," and it is a management tool specifically devised to keep telephone agents fresh. Our research suggests that the motivational impact of the employee value chain may extend average agent length of service by up to 55%.
By delivering added value to the call centre employee's work experience, we can sometimes avoid, and certainly delay demotivating dips. The employee value chain seeks to develop the agent for other roles within the organisation, even though there may not presently be a career move available to them.
In this way, we keep the agent focused on developing his or her skills for some future benefit. Reinforced with a personal education plan, with training delivered at strategically allocated times, we are reducing the risk of demotivation.
The methodology is based on the system used at McDonald's, where store staff earn stars on their name badges for the achievement of various levels of competence.
It works by progressing staff through various stages of empowerment. Let's take outbound telemarketing as our first example.
Our telemarketing business comprises 7 separate types of offerings requiring progressively higher levels of skill or confidence:
- Database cleaning at switchboard level
- Database building at departmental or decision-maker level
- Seminar invitations
- Sales lead generation
- Market research
- Sales appointment setting
- Telesales
Our goal is to migrate our telephone marketing staff from easier tasks to the more difficult tasks through training, testing, on-the-job coaching and availability of projects.
It is important to remember that each time telephone staff receive training, it should be tougher and different from their earlier training to reflect the higher levels to which they aspire.
We encourage our staff to think in terms of working through the various levels to be in a state of readiness for the next challenge they will face.
Once a telesales agent has worked through all the levels, he or she may apply for the next vacant supervisor's position.
We rely on an acceptable level of staff turnover and business growth to provide opportunities for advancement.
Another example of the employee value chain would be in a telesales team.
You might join at level 1, empowered to sell a limited product range at fixed prices.
You are required to contact n prospects per day and close y sales.
Having achieved your targets for 8 weeks, you will be invited to attend the stage of your education - a training workshop for level 2 telesales staff.
Provided you pass the tests at the end of that workshop, you will be escalated to level 2 telesales. Now you will be able to sell a wider range of products and may offer quantity discounts.
After 12 weeks of continuous success, you will be invited to join the next expert telesales master class.
When you pass the exam for this, you will be entitled to negotiate deals on the full range of products.
Following a period of success, you will be invited to choose whether to become a telesales coach or whether to become a technical telesales representative.
Again, training and testing will take place before you enjoy the status conferred by your new knowledge.
Clearly, considerable effort is required on the part of the agent to work through the various levels, and as a sense of linear progression is achieved, the agent begins to see their job as a stepping stone to a higher plane, and motivation remains high.
