Mentors and managers all over the country have recognized that in the present-day job climate, compensating high performers, and enticing lower ones, is more valuable than ever, especially in the customer service and telephone sales work environment. When executed well, incentive programs can inspire customer service and/or telephone sales representatives to increase their productivity and to feel confident about the service they provide and the contribution they make to the company. They can also bring excitement and enthusiasm into the environment, help keep spirits high, and increase loyalty and company pride.
When not handled well, however, incentive programs can mean trouble for both call center agents and their supervisors. In this article, you'll acquire several ideas for getting the most out of your reward practices. Dozens of tips can be found in Managing & Motivating Contact Center Employees (McGraw-Hill, December 2002), authored by the Impact Learning Systems staff.
Tip #1: Don't count on incentives to coach your employees for you.
Tangible rewards are a great way to positively reinforce representatives for their efforts, but you shouldn't depend on them to do your coaching for you. Incentives should be offered every once in a while, but consistent feedback on performance (in the form of praising and correcting) is essential.
Tip #2: Don't reward employees for doing what's expected.
Don't reward call center agents simply for doing what is expected of them. For example, if employees are supposed to arrive to work at 8:30 AM and only a few of them show up at that time, you might think that you can change the behavior of the latecomers by rewarding those who show up on time. Possibly-but it's a dangerous gamble. Those who get to work on time will most likely be embarrassed and those who are late will ultimately learn that the only drawback to being late is that they don't get a reward. Better to correct the undesirable actions with effective feedback.
Tip #3: Don't be cheap.
If people work hard to achieve some company-mandated goal and are then given a mousepad, they might feel less than thanked. Rewarding is not only about giving some tangible award; it's also about praising employees and treating them with dignity. Don't let cheap rewards devalue their hard work.
Tip #4: Avoid extravagance.
Just as rewards can be too cheap, they can also be too expensive, flashy, or otherwise extravagant. Although people enjoy receiving big rewards, there's a possibility they will send the wrong message. Employees may come to resent the fact that the organization is "wasting" money on unnecessary rewards if they feel they're working day in and day out for relatively low pay.
Tip #5: Reward more than just performance.
Rewards don't always have to be performance-related. They can also be given to employees as positive reinforcement for their creativity or for actions or ideas that they initiate.
Tip #6: Make sure the reward is valuable to the recipient.
Think about how people feel when, after working hard to reach a particular goal, they're given a reward that they can't enjoy-for instance, tickets to a country music concert for someone who has no interest in country music, or dinner for two at a steak house for a vegetarian. The consequences of this kind of error can be even worse than giving no reward because the employee recognizes that in your pursuit to show how valuable she is to the company, you've actually shown that the organization doesn't know or appreciate her at all.
Tip #7: Reward employees who complain.
What? We aren't kidding-this is a great idea! Employees who make you aware what's not working in your work environment are giving you important information about how you can improve workplace conditions and customer service levels. We do recommend, however, that you teach employees how to complain in a constructive, solution-oriented way.
In conclusion, incentive programs can encourage your call center agents to work the way you want them to; however, the programs have to be used properly. The seven best practices from above will get you started on the right foot.
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