The Top 3 Things to Thank Your Contact Center Agents for in 2019

It’s a foundational concept that all effective contact center leaders know to be true—when you take care of your agents, they take care of your business.

Cultivating a culture of appreciation will keep agents inspired to perform in their job roles all year long. So, just before what is likely the busiest season of the year for your contact center, it’s important to look back on 2019 and reflect on the hard work your agents have put in.

Your contact center staff often provide the most personal, human touchpoint any of your customers will ever have with your brand. It’s for this reason that more business leaders and C-suite executives are starting to consider the contact center as a revenue generator vs. a cost source, as they typically have in the past. In today’s market, your agents’ personal touch and their commitment to your customers are more invaluable than ever to your organization. 

There’s no doubt that, as part of your performance management strategy, you show your appreciation for agents all year as they reach the goals set by the business. But due to the changing nature of customer demands in the market and the digital transformation that’s taking place in contact centers across the world, there are a few focus areas to consider when you thank your agents for all they’ve done in 2019.

• Proactive Customer Service

To meet the digital demands of customers seeking instant information, fast answers, and one-click ordering, your agents are equipped with more customer insight than ever before. It’s what they choose to do with it, and how they use it that makes a huge difference in the proactive customer service your business is able to offer.

Thanks to CRM integrations, predictive AI, and powerful analytics, agents have a better understanding of your customers: Not just who the customers are, but what the nature of their relationship to your business is like. And how they truly feel about their customer journeys so far.

Using this customer knowledge and powerful technology to their advantage, contact center agents can anticipate customer needs and resolve issues in a much more effective, efficient way. It’s time to acknowledge agents for this proactive customer service and the impact it has on your organization’s bottom line.

• Attention to (Data) Detail

As a contact center leader or supervisor keeping a close eye on quality management, monitoring and maintaining PCI, TCPA, or GDPR compliance is not one of the most thrilling aspects of your job. But advancements in technology continue to make compliance one of your contact center’s biggest challenges.

Massive amounts of customer and business data are handled, collected, and stored by businesses every day. Shifting government and industry regulations around these activities continue to change as well. GDPR has added a whole new dimension to your data management considerations.

It’s important to acknowledge your contact center agents for their attention to detail in dealing with sensitive customer and business data. Make it one of your workforce management priorities this year.

• Flexibility

We’re not just talking flexibility with fluctuating hours or work schedules. We’re talking flexibility to adapt to rapidly developing technology and trends within the contact center.

It’s not doubt that technology has been central to most everything we’ve discussed here already. Digital transformation within the contact center shows no signs of slowing down. And successful contact center agents are keeping up through training that enhances their speed, skills, and knowledge.

If contact center agents don’t adapt to today’s new customer experience trends or technology implementations, then the ‘digital transformation’ we all talk so much about will never be fully realized, and our businesses will suffer for it.

Take a second to let your agents know how essential they are in future-proofing your contact center for maximum success.

To learn more, check out our video on empowering your contact center agents.