Good leaders must communicate a vision clearly, creatively, and continually. However, the vision doesn't come alive until the leader models it.

John C. Maxwell

Optimising productivity in contact centres

Call centre chaos

 

In today’s blog post, I planned to talk about how tools, processes, systems and contact centre software can help create a productive call centre. I was going to call the blog post “Smooth Operators.” But guess what? There’s already a computer game called “Smooth Operators: Call Center Chaos!” Apparently it’s so tricky to run a good call centre that there’s a game about it.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has worked in a call centre. Contact centres can be challenging places due to the constant change and the various moving parts that need management.

In the game, employees quit because their wellbeing isn’t being considered, or because the elevators are too crowded, or because they’re overwhelmed. And sometimes, even happy workers quit for no apparent reason. This probably all sounds familiar.

And that brings us to the added threat contact centres face today – the Great Resignation. Leaders are juggling recruitment of new team members with the need to keep existing employees engaged and to reward them for their loyalty. Without the right tools, processes and systems in place, working in or managing a contact centre can be one of the most difficult roles one could undertake.

The Great Retention

 

At YakTrak, we prefer to talk about the Great Retention rather than the Great Resignation. Better to focus on what you want to achieve rather than what you don’t. One of the most important factors to improve retention and drive employee engagement is a positive workplace. Creating a calm workplace with the tools, processes and systems in place to ensure operations run smoothly will help to create a positive environment.

See if YakTrak is right for you

Get in touch and we'll give you a tour around YakTrak

Building a positive workplace

 

In addition to the right tools, processes and systems, some of the other elements that can help create a positive workplace include providing people with development and coaching that boosts relevant skills and capabilities, giving people motivation to do the job, creating an open environment that engages employees, along with contact centre solutions such as contact centre software that assist in keeping it all together.

Skills and capabilities

Watercooler conversations at work often revolve around frustrations (e.g., “what I’m not getting…”) and gossip. In contact centres, these frustrations can be amplified because the contact centre solutions that drive skill and capability development often focus on compliance. It’s not engaging at all.

Adding to this, contact centre training software is usually eLearning related and isn’t designed to fit into the very busy schedules of call centres. Most team members don’t have time these days to take 30-60 minutes away from their desk for training.

YakTrak, by comparison, is a contact centre software provider actively working on contact centre training solutions that help users learn in the flow of work in one-to-five-minute learning bites. Coupled with nudges and assessments, YakTrak aims to revolutionise the way we learn on the job.

Motivation

Personal motivation and satisfaction is a big part of a positive workplace. Team members want to believe in the work they’re doing, and to know how it links into their individual career aspirations. The reality of their daily work should align closely to the role they signed up for. As a leader, it is part of your job to ensure this happens. YakTrak’s contact centre software can help to drive the daily conversations that keep team members motivated on the job at hand.

The right environment

Creating a workplace culture that provides the right environment for a positive workplace is crucial. This can include how team members and customers are treated by the organisation – do they feel appreciated or just like a number? Team members will draw parallels between how customers are treated and how they feel they’re treated. When an issue arises, is action taken or is it swept under the carpet? Do team members have access to their leaders when they need them, or are leaders too busy focussing on administrative tasks?

Processes play a role too. Often systems and processes have been in place for many years and have not been changed or reviewed. Outdated processes can be full of red tape and inhibit team members’ ability to do their role effectively. On the flipside, an organisation that asks why a process exists and then removes any red tape to make it easier to do a job more productively will create the right environment for a positive workplace.

The right systems

Putting the right systems in place will complement the right processes and culture to create a positive workplace. But contact centre software suffers from a range of problems. Often it is old and out of date, but also too expensive or too deeply integrated to easily update. It might be a legacy system that no one uses anymore, or perhaps it doesn’t talk to any of the other systems in the organisation. All of these issues create inefficiencies.

When we consider that frontline workers use an average of 22 different systems to do their job, the potential for inefficiencies are alarming.

Questions to ask when evaluating contact centre software solutions include:

  • Is it up to date?
  • Does it suit my needs now and into the future?
  • Are integrations available?
  • Is it there to just tick a box or does it add value to my role?
  • How easy or expensive is it to update?

YakTrak is reshaping the way large organisations think about contact centre software. Unlike legacy systems, YakTrak is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that is cost effective to build. It can be customised to your needs and doesn’t incur ongoing expensive costs to keep it updated and relevant. In fact, it is constantly being updated and improved based on client feedback.

YakTrak's tips to optimise productivity

 

Consider the following YakTrak tips to optimise team member productivity and focus on the ‘Great Retention’:

  • Develop team members so they have the right skills and capabilities. Time poor? You can do this in one minute check-ins daily. 
  • Regularly check in with team members to keep them motivated and engaged through daily check-ins and micro coaching.
  • Create a positive workplace culture, start by spending time with your people and creating the environment for feedback.
  • Implement training and coaching programs that offer short learning bites in the flow of work
  • Ensure systems and processes are up to date and designed to help (not hinder) productivity

If you would like to learn more about how YakTrak can help optimise productivity in your contact centre, get in touch today.

Want to see if YakTrak is right for you?

Get in touch and we'll give you a tour around YakTrak