Forgive me for quoting Mary Poppins, but it’s true! What kind of real-time messaging are you using? Make sure you are taking time to insert a positive ad-hoc message or two, especially if your team is having a tough day.
Sometimes a message that says “You guys are the best!” to a roomful of agents goes a long way, especially when they’ve been told to take more calls or wrap up more quickly. Don’t be afraid to show your personality in your messaging. If you just found out that the local team won a key game, put it up on the board. If the rain is going to stop soon, let everyone know.
Make sure you are also using your instant messaging to its best advantage. IM can help you communicate with agents without interrupting their work-flow. So if you’re looking at an agent’s performance on your performance dashboard, send a quick message to that agent, “Keep it up, you’re doing great!”
These small words of encouragement will pay high returns. You might also try putting an alert metric ribbon with the goals of an agent’s personal best alongside their current ribbon to encourage them to compete with their own goals. If they are ahead consistently for a given period of time, automate a message to tell them “You’re on top of your goals! Great!” Or tie a bonus to the goal. Either way, using performance messaging in a positive way will encourage positive, profitable actions from the team.
Now, get out on the floor! You already have your real time performance system doing the grunt work, so what are you doing sitting in front of your computer? Have your system send a message to your Blackberry or cell phone when something needs attention. There should be little reason to be cooped up in your office.
Get out on the floor and coach! It shows the team that you are all connected to the same goals.
Next post: Effective Reporting (Part 5)
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