Observations on Operations material is derived from the CallCenterOps articles published in the newsletter. You can subscribe below. Special Report: Call Centers: Retention - Motivation, Reward and Recognition The following is a summary of a survey conducted by Kim Vey from Right on Queue

Turnover is one of the biggest issues facing call centers these days and with the growth in the call center industry, both on the telephone and over the web ? it?s not going to get any better any time soon.

The skills required for customer service representatives or tele-sales representatives are even greater now that we are doing so much business over the web. Not only do they need terrific customer service telephone skills, now they need to have great writing skills ? complete with grammar, punctuation ? and netiquette.

Call centers must redefine their selection processes, using evaluation tools and behavioral interviewing techniques to ensure they are getting the best possible candidates for the positions. They also need to ensure that the reps they are hiring are going to stay for a while. The money spent on recruitment, the time to interview, and training time can cost upwards of $10,000 by the time you?re done. You can?t afford to waste that investment by not paying close attention to the retention strategy in your call center.

Motivation, reward, and recognition are the key elements required to achieve a good retention rate in your center. You need to focus on each one and ensure that you are constantly reviewing your strategy to ensure it is still effective.

In July, a ?call for survey participants? was posted on several call center related web sites including CallCenterOps.com. Over 100 people, from around the world, responded to survey. The responses came from all sizes and types of call centers. The results of the survey are summarized below. Reward, Recognition and Motivation ? Ideas for Your Call Center Survey Results

Number of respondents
108

Average number of Representatives
99

Number of Centers with corporate programs
67 (or 72%)

Number of Centers with separate call Center programs
65 (or 68%) How Were the Programs Developed?

Surveyed their representatives
30

Developed in their area
24

Developed in another area
2

Developed on their own using resource materials
6

Was in place before they got there
3 Respondents Who Base Rewards on Annual Amount Per Rep:

Respondents
Annual Budget Range
(per rep. per year)

14
no defined budget

16
$7 - $101

4
$101 - $200

4
$201 - $300

0
$301 - $400

7
$401 - $500

1
$501 - $600

5
Over $1000 Respondents Who Use Other Reward Investment Strategies:

2 used 1.5 annual salary

1 used 1.0 annual salary

1 used .07 total labour cost

3 were related to sales income results

1 was a specific % per employee Who Maintains the Program?

Call Center by the Director/Manager
39

Call Center by an Admin. Person
5

Committee (Reps included)
12

HR department
1

Other
8 How Long Has the Program Been in Place?

On average ? 2 years or less Do You Have Call Center Social Activities?

Christmas events (dances, parties)
12

Celebrate Halloween ? costumes, etc.
4

Family picnics
17

Celebrate with fun days, food, theme days, etc.
57

Have social activities after work only, not funded in any way by the company
2

Do not have any social events at all
35

15 Centers celebrate National Customer Service Week

(Note: This was not specifically asked, so it is only indicative of those Centers who
included it as a form of recognition.) Additional Survey Results

Information from the surveys outlined many terrific incentive programs, based on a variety of performance measurements such as:

Quality monitoring

Calls handled

Schedule adherence

Attendance

Many respondents shared details of social activities they have in the Centers, as well as corporately sponsored events.

Here is a sampling of some of the ideas for reward and recognition:

Personal thank you notes from supervisors

Coupons for tea/coffee shop for random ?good things? like outstanding customer service on a call, attendance, assisting a peer, working on a special project

Create a monthly newsletter that mentions what people are accomplishing ? who?s doing what and why

Employee of the month ? nominated by employees. Winners receive a plaque and a $50.00 gift certificate

Attendance awards ? 4 consecutive months with no absenteeism or lateness earns paid time off

Monthly attendance awards

Summer Thank-You barbecues ? this was mentioned by many centers. Some did it on weekends and invited families as well

All promotions are from within the company

Thank you notes, letters and emails from customers are all posted on a bulletin board

Prizes awarded for top quality monitoring scores

Monthly awards based on perfect attendance, highest call accuracy and highest call management ? gifts such as caps, mugs, and notepads

STAR program where reps can earn Gold and Silver Stars. They are awarded by customers and other employees

Quarterly recognition breakfasts ? new employees, training completed, courses attended, service anniversary milestones

Recognition events where customer letters are read aloud and recipients are rewarded

Team recognition based on ? the highest line items entered by a team, most phone calls answered, 0 errors, most improved team, etc.

Wheel of Fortune ? spin the wheel and you can win various prizes worth different amounts

Recognizing reps that have been in the Center for 5 years ? this helps with retention

Call of Fame ? calls are taped and ones that are deemed excellent are played at breakfast meetings and the rep is awarded with a plaque

Weekly incentives based on ?on-line? time, attendance and call center statistics

Referral programs ? monetary rewards are given for bringing new reps into the center

Playing cards are handed out each week to reps that have met their targets. After 5 weeks, the best poker hands are determined and prizes are given out

The individual who achieves the highest quality monitoring score for the month is awarded $50.00

Seasonal contests with appropriate prizes

Supervisor of the month awards ? nominated by reps

Going the extra mile award ? given coupons for car washes, gas, bus tokens, parking vouchers

Cash bonus for highest productivity

Cash bonus for highest quality

Awards for people who make the place more fun to be at

A designated ?humor? room where cartoons, sitcoms, and comedy tapes are available to be watched. Comics, books on humor and reducing stress are left out for reps to read. Full Survey Results Now Available in Print Version

Reward, Recognition and Motivation ? Ideas for Your Call Center is full of practical ideas that you can begin to use immediately such as:

How to develop your own recognition program in your Call Center

How to rejuvenate the one recognition program you may already have in place

How to reward your reps so that it motivates them

Sample forms and certificates you can easily use

The booklet also contains many ideas on how you can celebrate National Customer Service Week! Don?t know anything about National Customer Service Week ? there is information in the booklet about that as well!

The booklet is available for only US$20.00. Make your cheque or money order payable to Kim Vey and send it to the following address.

Kim Vey
Right On Queue
793 Trinity Street
Innsifil, Ontario, Canada
L9S 2G8