5 Keys To Renew The Mentality Of Call Center Agents In 2021

For months, we’ve seen countless memes poking fun at 2020, all in an effort to downplay the year that has passed. And while the news of a viable vaccine provides much-needed light at the end of the tunnel, it will take time to achieve widespread access and immunity.

This means that at least the first few months of 2021 will look a lot like 2020 with lockdowns, social distancing, and remote work. But ringing in a new year provides an opportunity to create a fresh start for your agents and your call center.

So while the start of 2021 might not bring the overnight “new year, new you” solution we’ve all been hoping for, here are some workforce motivation ideas to help refresh your agent mindset and thus start the year on the right foot.

5 Keys To Renew The Mentality Of Call Center Agents In 2021

1) Keep Agents Focused on a 2021 Vision Board

While it may sound cliché, the notion that the energy you put into the universe is the energy you attract is true. So why not help the contact center collectively start the New Year off with positive vibes? One way to do this is through a vision board exercise. Creating a vision board is about engaging your agents by keeping them focused on the future.

For example, it helps to schedule 30 minutes for agents to create a vision board, cropping out pictures that represent the things they want to accomplish in 2021, encouraging them to think both personally and professionally. Some indications can be considered, such as:

• A special place they want to go on their first vacation after COVID-19.
• A hobby they would like to start or resume once things get back to normal.
• A new role or responsibility that they would like to take on at work.
• A simple activity normalized before the pandemic that has been lost due to social distancing (for example: movies, dinners, concerts, dance clubs, etc.).

The exercise will make them forget the negative of 2020 and think about the positive possibilities that are presented to them in 2021, both inside and outside the call center. Also, cropping pictures or flipping through a magazine or newspaper can be therapeutic in itself. Afterward, part of the next staff meeting can be devoted to each sharing their vision board.

While this may seem childish, the exercise will help clear the minds of the agents, focus them on the future, and provide a way for the team to increase their connection. It is important to remember, depending on how many agents have been hired in the last 9 months, that many of them may know very little about each other and, in some cases, may not even have met. Viewing your peers’ vision boards can uncover similar interests.

2) Encourage Agents To Plan Their 2021 Vacation

Most of those vision boards probably have photos of tropical beaches, European cities, or other exotic locations. Like most of us, agents are probably looking forward to a “real” vacation. The real reason for doing this task is to keep them focused on the future and all the possibilities that 2021 offers. It also sends the message that they deserve a good rest and relaxation. Using workforce management software will make it easy for agents to respond immediately to their requests, keep track of free time, and automatically update schedules.

3) Create Long-Term Gamification Challenges

For most contact centers, December was a sprint. A sprint to process all holiday orders, to get the latest sales for the fiscal year, to prepare and plan for the New Year. As such, most of the gamification challenges were probably short-term as well.

But as we enter the New Year, try to shift the mindset from short-term profit agent to long-term success. Performance management software can help agents take the challenge and their goals into account each day, week, month, or even quarter. And since what is really wanted from agents is consistent and sustained performance, longer-term gamification challenges will lead to a more comprehensive and predictable call center.

4) Change The Roles And Responsibilities Of Agents And Offer New Challenges

With all that has happened in 2020, most of us still feel quite fatigued. And since each day seems a bit repetitive right now for agents (waking up, making coffee, going downstairs, starting work, stopping work, repeating), we also feel pretty bored. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, boredom is defined as “the state of tiredness and restlessness due to lack of interest.” And with boredom usually comes apathy, disconnection, and a slip in performance.

No contact center leader wants to start a new year with boring, underperforming agents. This is why February could be a great time to assign them some new roles and responsibilities, and even a new project or challenge, as a way to refresh your mindset. If agent performance has stalled and is due to boredom, a new role or challenge can reinvigorate them to do their best. Some examples include:

• Reassign agents between teams, such as a billing agent to the service queue.
• Assign an agent a process improvement project.
• Assign an agent to organize and run the virtual meeting of team staff.
• Ask an agent to train in quality or workforce management activities.

5) Give Officers Time To Breathe Deeply And Organize

Depending on your industry, and / or the time of your fiscal year, agents can reach 2021 exhausted. Whether they helped customers get that “must have” gift for their child in time for Christmas, answered a thousand questions about end-of-year insurance, or closed a difficult quarter with record sales, January 1st may be the first time. I have been able to breathe deeply in three months.

In conclusion, first, it is necessary to start the New Year recognizing the enormous effort that they have made. Second, schedule additional time off the phone whenever possible to catch up on management items that might have been missed in the year-end sprint. Third, work on personal goals that you have been neglecting, organizing the office, or even just catching up on email. There is nothing worse than starting the New Year with a cluttered and exhausted mind (or inbox), so helping them start from scratch is key.