There is often a great divide between what call center managers believe motivates their employees and what the employees actually want. As a result, many incentives fall flat because managers don’t know the benefits that appeal the most to their employees. To illustrate this point, researchers asked call center managers and employees to rank benefits and incentives. Managers rated the following benefits as their top motivational techniques for call center agents:
- Rewards and recognition from supervisors or company leadership
- Gift cards, bonuses, extra days off, and other similar incentives
- Team social events and activities
- Remote work options
Employees had an almost exact reverse, listing the following as the greatest motivators:
- Remote work options
- Gift cards, bonuses, extra days off, and other similar incentives
- Rewards and recognition from supervisors or company leadership
Team social events and activities dropped to the sixth slot for call center agents, signaling a disconnect between call center managers and employees. Remote work remains a hugely popular benefit, and more than half of call center agents are extremely likely to look for new employment if they don’t have flexible work options.
Understanding what motivates call center employees is critical to providing superior customer service. However, aligning benefits with employees’ preferences is only part of cultivating a high-quality customer experience. Employees need to be able to empathize with customers’ problems, which requires cultural familiarity and language mastery. Contact Actec to learn more about the benefits of a nearshore call center.