Motivation is an internal factor that makes an individual want to take action. It’s an employee’s intrinsic enthusiasm which means that while you can create an environment that encourages motivation, the rest is up to them. So, what can you do to create that environment that inspires them?

Know who is in your team and what they want

People are motivated by different things because they have different priorities in life. For a person with four children, an all-expenses-paid holiday for two is not something they’ll be able to utilize so it won’t serve to motivate them. But a week’s paid leave and a shopping voucher could be far more useful to them. It’s all about knowing your team members and what’s important to them.

Remember that each person has 20% discretionary effort within them and this is what you are trying to unlock. In their mind they have a perception of what they’re entitled to at work. Things like a desk near a window, or a parking space, nice coffee or a break room where they can relax. It may not be part of their employment contract but it is part of their psychological contract, and if managers unexpectedly change these things people can become demotivated because they think they’re entitled to them.

Finally, know that motivation levels change constantly and it is how people feel right now that matters most.

How motivation affects business performance

There is a close relationship between how agents feel about an organization and customers that impacts the organizational performance. When employees feel positive they engage better with customers and their employers.

However, when they are feeling demotivated they tend to draw on this negativity, which affects both the customer experience and business in a negative way. “If no one is being nice to me, why should I bother trying to be nice in return?”

Creating a positive relationship circle by understanding what people want

Customers are generally looking for just three things: Knowledge, speed and ease. They want their questions answered quickly and efficiently. And these simple expectations are easier to deliver on when employees are motivated. So what do employees want?

Employees want to make a difference at work and feel connected to the values of the organization. They enjoy people and relationships and want to have a good quality of work life where there is opportunity, recognition and reward. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? So what can you do as a manager to ensure your agents are engaged and motivated?

Four tools for managers driving motivation:

1. Daily coaching focused by analytics

Without detailed analytics showing managers what to focus on, they tend to choose topics at random, like a single call that highlighted a specific problem. But often that one call was the agent’s worst call of the day and then they feel managers are just there to catch them out on the one occasion they do mess up. Analytics show a broader picture, not just isolated incidents, and are a truer reflection of where coaching might be needed.

2. Daily blended learning opportunities

Providing training only during onboarding isn’t sufficient. Agents need to be provided with ongoing learning opportunities. Fortunately through e-learning technology there are many ways to facilitate this that are both time and cost effective. In this way agents can keep their knowledge current and skills sharpened.

3. Attendance and KPI gamification

Gamification is for me a game changer in terms of employee engagement as it makes learning fun and interactive on an organizational level. It can be linked in to specific KPIs and has been shown to have a positive effect on employee motivation.

4. Structured career progression and variety

Managers can use our ‘Effi the Elephant’ system to determine if there are gaps in knowledge or skills. It highlights areas where managers may need to pay more attention to or provide specific coaching if an agent doesn’t feel competent or confident in what they are doing.

Having good coaching conversations, both formally and informally, using the data from analytics will also support career progression, whether upwards or sideways. Allowing agents to work on different customer service channels also provides variety. For example, doing part of a shift on the telephone and part on Live Chat is proving a very popular approach for engagement and motivation.

Finally

One of our predictions for customer service in 2017 is that the gap between good and bad customer service will get wider. Those who are good at it will get even better and you’ll be able to tell by how engaged your agents are.

Are they solving problems creatively and efficiently? Do they put forward ideas and take on targets? And is there a lower level of absenteeism and attrition? Get those things right and you’re on the right track to getting even better at what you do.

This blog post has been re-published by the kind permission of Carolyn Blunt – View the original post