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As a customer service-oriented outbound call center, we give the best of what we can offer not just to our clients on the other side of the phone, but also to our hard-working agents as well.
We firmly believe that offering our employees amazing benefits, rewards, and bonus packages will allow their enthusiasm and zeal to extend beyond the four corners of our office and even impact our customers that call from across the globe.
If you’re in the process of putting together an incentive scheme to motivate your team, then you’re in the right place.
We’re going to talk about 4 tried and tested incentive schemes that you can use to encourage your team to perform better.
1. Paid Time-Off
Perhaps the best reward that agents in the call center industry could be given is to receive paid breaks and leaves.
According to CakeHR, the top incentive that employees wish to have the most are more vacation days. To be precise, 30% of company workers would like to have paid time-off.
Compensated leaves come with a good amount of benefits to both employers and employees. Improved work ethic in the call center would perhaps be on top of the list of direct consequences, as agents would less likely call-in unexpectedly due to their time-off flexibility.
The vacation leaves would also allow employees to have an improved level of work-life balance. Giving agents the opportunity to relax would inspired them to return feeling refreshed and motivated to tackle your client’s calls.
2. Peer Recognition
One of the best ways to not only to make your call center agents happy but also to boost their work performance and outputs is to utilize employee acknowledgment strategies in your incentive schemes.
An article in Forbes shows that 83% of organizations experience a deficit in recognizing their staff for their hard work. These companies were evaluated as “underperforming”, in comparison with their peers.
Recognizing agents for their hard work packs a punch in respects to motivational impact.
Giving due esteem to effective agents encourages friendly competition between co-workers who would like to obtain the same level of appreciation as well.
The prestige that comes with being acknowledged by company management drives underdogs and the “overlooked” to step up their game. At the same time, performers are forced to strive harder if they want to maintain their status.
3. Company Freebies
Free merchandise, gift certificates, tickets, coupons, and offers are the kinds of perks that are often well remembered by call center agents.
Jerod Foos mentions that more than 65% of employees believe that travel packages and company freebies linger in their memories longer than cash benefits do. This may have something to do with the sentimental value attached to these rewards.
It’s also worth mentioning that a merchandise that has the brand name and logo of your business plastered onto it may boost employee loyalty and retention rates.
Every time an agent would use a freebie that has your call center’s icon attached to it, they get to notice words and images related to your company. These employees can then associate these details with the good memories and values your organization carries.
4. Cash
Cash incentives are one of the most commonly used strategies for keeping employees happy.
What makes this incentive scheme remarkable is the fact that it is effortless to distribute. Employers can quickly add the money to their call center agents’ paychecks or even distribute the cash up front.
One of the downsides to cash investments, however, is the fact that it can cultivate the wrong mindset in your employees.
According to Wharton, giving your staff strong financial incentives may lead them to overlook ethical boundaries in their workplace. Employees tend to take the shortest route to obtaining these benefits, believing that the ends justify the means.
Your thoughts?
Employees are the bread and butter of your company. Their excellent customer care and service are core factors in generating revenue for your company. It’s exactly because of this that keeping your agents happy and motivated is of prime importance to maintaining optimum performance.
What kind of incentives have you offered your employees? Did the rewards resonate with them?
Please share your experiences in the comments section below!
Resource
https://cake.hr/blog/employee-retention-paid-time-off/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2012/06/13/new-research-unlocks-the-secret-of-employee-recognition/3/#47acfded2410
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/the-problem-with-financial-incentives-and-what-to-do-about-it/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/25-employee-incentive-statistics-blow-your-mind-jerod-foos
