29 Ways to Boost Contact Centre Morale

Our readers offer their tips for making sure your agents enjoy coming to work each day.

1. Project photos from social events on to the wall

We have a projector on our contact centre floor which projects photographs from our recent social events on to the wall.

It helps to add a bit of colour (without ruining the walls) and puts a smile on everyone’s faces as we remember the silly times we’ve shared together.

With thanks to James

2. Fundraise for charity

I work in a charity where we occasionally get involved in fundraising activities and try to make the advisors feel really connected to our cause.

This way they feel that they are saving lives every day – not just taking calls!

With thanks to Beth

3. Hold a ‘knowledge sharing’ breakfast

We host the occasional breakfast for all employees, where the focus is on sharing knowledge.

By regularly getting everyone together in a relaxed atmosphere, we find that we all get to know each other better.

With thanks to Mark

4. Give your agents the freedom to make a cup of tea during their shift

We allow our advisors to get up and make tea whenever they like, as long as they are mindful of the queues and their colleagues.

With thanks to Nicky

5. Don’t underestimate the value of a clean and quiet workspace

I think it is really important to get the basics right.

Don’t underestimate the value of maintaining a clean and quiet workspace.

With thanks to Fons

6. Run a table football league in your break-out room

We make extra use of the football table in our break-out room by running our own football league.

We even have a big blackboard on the wall to help us manage it.

With thanks to Gavin

7. An afternoon pick-me-up

We have vending machines on site to help with the afternoon pick me up.

With thanks to Robin

8. Encourage in-house face-to-face communication

If our agents need to have conversations with other members of staff, we encourage them to get up and walk over to have that conversation.

This helps our agents to feel more engaged with their environment as a whole – and less like they are chained to the phone!

With thanks to Nicky

9. Invest time in explaining the benefits of an engaged workforce

It is a lot easier to create a fun work environment when your senior managers understand the importance of having focused and engaged employees.

Spend some time with your senior managers to help them understand the benefits of what you are trying to achieve.

With thanks to Rebecca

10. Team leaders handing out tea and biscuits makes everyone smile

One trick that never fails, is having your team leaders and senior managers walk around the floor handing out free tea and biscuits.

Colleagues are still working at their desks so it doesn’t impact Average Handling Time, but it still boosts morale.

With thanks to James

11. Create variety so no two days are ever the same

I think the best thing is variety.

My team tries hard to make sure that no two days are ever the same.

With thanks to Kelly

12. Create a dedicated team for making things fun

We have a dedicated team of colleagues who work hard to organise regular events which engage our agents and help to make our contact centre a great place to work.

The role of this team can also extend to handling staff feedback and creating action plans.

With thanks to Rebecca and James

13. Use your own personality with customers

We try and keep things light-hearted by empowering our teams to use their own personality with customers.

With thanks to Nicky

14. Give away prizes that make the winner feel special

The next time you run a competition, offer a prize that has some sentimental meaning and makes the winner feel special.

For example, having the agent’s team leader cover the last hour of their shift, or allowing them to use the manager’s car parking space for a day.

This should help to boost involvement and keep that good feeling going for longer.

With thanks to Mark and Rebecca

15. Have regular themed days such as “crazy hair day”

We have a themed day each month to help spice things up a bit.

Past themes have included “crazy hair” day, “bad tie” day and “wear your worst shirt” day.

With thanks to Cathy

16. Get your agents to organise their own events

We have seen a marked difference in uptake when the advisors plan and run events themselves.

With thanks to Rebecca

17. Your planning team should understand the importance of offline time

It’s important that your planning team are engaged and understand the importance of building in offline time to the schedules.

With thanks to James

18. Internal surveys can help management understand agents’ needs

Internal surveys are a great resource for the management team, as they can help identify niggling problems, as well as give agents the fun experiences they really want.

With thanks to Josee

19. Run regular competitions that everyone can take part in for fun

We tend to run competitions for fun that can be done by anyone, at any time.

For example, we just had one for the best poem.

With thanks to Rebecca

20. Have a casual dress day once a week

We have a casual dress-down day once a week, with the option to donate to our chosen charity if they wish.

With thanks to one of Call Centre Helper’s readers

21. Organise a group walk during lunchtime

A great way to encourage everyone to get some fresh air during their lunch breaks is to organise a group walk.

Depending on the level of fitness in the group, you could also take some exercise equipment to the local park.

With thanks to Fons

22. Organise celebrations during the working day

All of our celebrations are organised during the working day, so that the company is not infringing on agents’ personal time with their family.

With thanks to Robin

23. Arm your agents with knowledge rather than scripts

We don’t script our advisors.

We just ensure that their knowledge is kept up to date, so the messages we deliver to our customers are consistent.

With thanks to Nicky

24. Organise weekly fruit deliveries

We have weekly fruit deliveries.

Two large baskets are delivered on a Tuesday morning, and then the members of staff go and help themselves. They’re always really popular.

With thanks to Mark

25. Give out “surprise” treats from time to time

Every so often we surprise our agents by handing out fruit and treats.

With thanks to Josee

26. Make your break-out room a fun place to be

We really wanted our break-out room to be a place where agents wanted to spend time.

In line with this vision, our break-out room contains a TV, a pool table, sofas, tables and chairs, and Wi-Fi for personal use.

With thanks to Shona

27. Create visible career paths for your agents

We’ve recently launched a ‘career path’ which allows agents to try out different areas within the contact centre, so they can become multi-skilled and support other areas when needed.

A fun twist is to give agents “passports” – and stamp them for each new skill they learn.

With thanks to James