Call center employees have the demanding job of representing the human face of a brand while delivering excellent customer service. Given the intense rhythm of a call center and the sometimes isolated nature of an agent’s work (especially for those working remotely), call center team building is essential to motivating employees, enhancing their sense of camaraderie and shared learning, and ultimately driving their productivity. Here are five ideas for bringing out the team spirit in a call center through call center team building.
Many companies are embracing internal social networking tools for fostering greater communication, productivity, and enhanced community among colleagues. Networks such as Chatter, Yammer, and Zyncro allow employees to communicate about work progress and company updates. Such networking sites are ideal for regular communication among employees as well as periodic scheduled breaks for chats, communication of employee social events, and announcements such as employee achievement awards and birthdays that colleagues may wish to acknowledge and celebrate. Such a tool is especially important for employees working remotely who may otherwise feel excluded from the daily activities of their call center.
Sometimes, leaving the work premises is key to a refreshed spirit and chance for connecting with colleagues away from the intensity of a call center. Activities may include lighthearted company picnics with team games, offsite professional seminars for enhanced learning, or even company-wide fundraising or charity days to foster a team spirit and allow employees to share a common goal for a greater social purpose through meaningful call center team building strategies.
Gamification is a popular trend in call centers as it poses varied benefits such as healthy competition, optimized agent training, and employee motivation to succeed. Agents may compete to reach specified goals such as achieving first call resolution or signing new accounts, and gamification may likewise be used to train and assess agents in a fun yet meaningful way. Agents may further share best practices with their peers while being motivated to achieve their personal best.
Call center employees may be trained to handle multiple tasks and capable of leading a team, but some may not get the chance. Allowing for rotational leadership roles enables all team members to feel empowered, embrace and display other skills that are not always used, and actively engage with the rest of the team. Leadership may entail everything from organizing a team’s work and meeting schedule to planning offsite events.
Agents will feel more like a team when their ideas are heard and exchanged. In addition to meeting to discuss a professional seminar or best practices, call centers can take a step further and encourage employees to read a book together in a book club format, attend a webinar, or take online classes with either continuous or post-activity discussion on internal social networks for exchanging ideas and key takeaways.Call center employees are typically the driving force behind a brand’s success in customer service and sales, so it’s critical to foster a team spirit through call center team building that recognizes everyone’s individual potential while establishing common goals and practices. With team building strategies, employees will feel motivated to do their best while learning and meeting their professional goals. Learn about Vocalcom contact center solutions for delivering excellent customer service.
