Which Games Actually Work While Agents Are Taking Live Calls?

As simple as it sounds, the idea of agents playing games – especially during live calls – often sparks strong and conflicting opinions.

Mostly because there’s such a fine line to tread between injecting some fun into the working day and maintaining high levels of professionalism.

So, what actually works? And where should leaders draw the line? We spoke to customer contact leaders about their first-hand experience of trying to find the right games to play on the floor – for clear examples of what works and what doesn’t.

Personal Games Like Crosswords or Colouring-in Should Be Avoided at All Costs

To shape a successful approach towards games on the contact centre floor, there should always be a clear distinction between structured, performance-enhancing activities and personal distractions.

“I’m really against personal games because it quickly turns the job into “oh, it’s just this thing that I do that interrupts me doing my crossword” and it really devalues the work of the contact centre.

It also opens the door to abuse and time being misspent, resulting in frustrating conversations such as, “Sarah, you’ve just given the customer the wrong information because you were too focused on your colouring-in.” or “Dan, you’ve not read the brief this morning because you were trying to finish your crossword”. – Alex McConville, Contact Centre Consultant and author of ‘Diary of a Call Centre Manager’

Quite simply, allowing colouring books or crosswords during quiet periods might seem harmless – but it can blur the boundaries of accountability and what’s acceptable on the contact centre floor.

It’s also best to avoid games where agents are encouraged to incorporate song titles and buzzwords into their live customer conversations, as, quite frankly, it will almost always interfere and just isn’t worth the risk of compromising the call.

Add a Bit of Fun and Competitiveness – Without Compromising the Quality of the Conversation

Finding games and activities that work therefore is not about removing all enjoyment from the workplace, but about maintaining the integrity of the role and agent engagement.

This is because anything that encourages agents to disengage – however briefly – can have a direct impact on their performance.

Practical alternatives include:

“Postcode” Bingo

This is a simple game where you put postcodes on bingo cards, then if a caller comes in with that postcode, the agent stamps it off. You could also try a version with customer names.

This adds a bit of fun and competitiveness at the very start of the interaction, without compromising the quality of the conversation.

“Key Features” Bingo

You could also try taking this one step further by linking bingo to your latest coaching session. For example, if you’re trying to encourage agents to practise certain behaviours in every call, they could stamp off “thanking the customer for their time” or “explaining to the customer why they are putting them on hold”.

These same principles could be applied to features and benefits for upselling, tying into key phrases such as, “Don’t forget, when you’re abroad, you get your minutes included.”

Again, this is a game that combines minimal distraction and a bit of fun – with the added bonus of reinforcing the key behaviours that drive up C-SAT scores.

For an alternative call centre bingo option or ideas on how to start, we have a free download you can access: Contact Centre Bingo

Pass the Parcel

Adapting traditional games like “pass the parcel” for the contact centre floor also offers a great opportunity to liven things up a bit.

This could be as simple as giving the agent the parcel to open when a customer completes a satisfaction survey, instead of offering a spot prize.

“Pod Wars” Pitch Teams Against Each Other for an Energy Boost 

That being said, not all games need to be performance-driven. Some are simply about bringing people together for a quick energy boost, and a good way to do this is by introducing team-based competition.

“We used to do Pod Wars where each pod would start with a set number of lives and then you’d set a framework of rules.

For example, if you got a customer through with alliteration in their name, such as Sophie Smith, you could take a life from another team.

Or you allocated areas of the country (e.g. Manchester vs. Liverpool), so if a pod got a call in from Manchester they could take a life from another team, and vice versa if another team got a call in from Liverpool.” – Martin Teasdale, Founder of the Team Leader Community

These types of games work because they are easy to understand and inclusive across the contact centre – creating energy without requiring agents to split their attention.

“Wacky Races” Encourage Teams to Compete on Performance

However, if you did want to add in more of a performance element, why not create your own “Wacky Races” challenge?

Just like we saw at Citizens Advice Gateshead, teams compete against each other to get to 100% on a race board, encouraging a push towards that week’s focus such as quality or quantity of calls handled.

To find out what else we learned at Citizens Advice Gateshead, read our article: Award-Winning Tips From Citizens Advice

Never Force Your Agents to Get Involved if They Don’t Want To

Of course, these are all great examples – but you must be mindful that what motivates one person may not work for another, and so it’s best never to force your agents to get involved if they’d prefer not to. And also, don’t to let your personal preferences get in the way of what might boost morale for your colleagues.

“Personally, I’m not a big fan of playing games at work, but I know we’re not all the same and – as a leader – I have seen first-hand how a bit of fun in the workplace can boost morale.

It’s equally important to make sure you’re always flexible in your approach and that games are optional – and not an obligation – so agents never feel forced to join in, as this can undo what you’re ultimately trying to achieve.” – Jamie Storer, Sr Manager, Workforce Optimization at Columbia Sportswear Company

It’s also worth being mindful of the risks around multitasking, as even experienced agents can struggle to balance multiple demands on their attention.

“Multitasking is not a strong point for most people! I’ve found that games tend to get in the way of agents concentrating on what the customer is saying.

It’s just not as simple as it sounds and you need to be aware that you could actually be expecting too much from your teams to give them a game to play on top of everything else.” – Clare Santos, Director, Knowledge & Quality, Customer Experience at Aviso

It’s All About Finding the Right Balance

Ultimately, deciding when and where to play games in the contact centre will always be a challenge, but those that succeed typically do so by implementing games that balance a bit of fun with limited distractions. Have you found something that works yet?

Which Games Do You Let Your Agents Play During Live Calls?

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With thanks to the following people for sharing their thoughts for this article:

• Alex McConville, Contact Centre Consultant and author of ‘Diary of a Call Centre Manager’
• Clare Santos, Director, Knowledge & Quality, Customer Experience at Aviso
• Jamie Storer, Sr Manager, Workforce Optimization at Columbia Sportswear Company
• Martin Teasdale, Founder of the Team Leader Community

If you are looking for more information on making the contact centre more fun, read these articles next:

• Make Fridays More Fun in Your Contact Centre
• Kick-Start Your Next Team Engagement Day
• Ways to Make Working in a Contact Centre Fun

Author: Megan Jones
Reviewed by: Xander Freeman