The contact centre industry is one of the UK’s commercial success stories, employing more people than the traditional industries such as steel and shipbuilding at the height of their success! Initially adapting the ‘one approach fits all’ American style of communication; we have fine-tuned the concept to service our preference for more sophisticated interactions.

The UK market is a place where customers don’t like complaining and so have to be angry to do so; where natural cynicism meets every outbound sales call with indignation and sometimes even the need to fence verbally with the caller; and where our infamous British humour underlies every single conversation. God forbid your tone is ‘wrong’ for a Scotsman or your resourcing patterns don’t reflect the Spring Bank Holiday season; and if your average call durations don’t allow for pensioners or non-English speakers calling your technical helpdesk then frankly you’re just a novice!

The sheer diversity of this fair land, combined with the idiosyncrasies of generations of invasions and in-fighting have helped us to develop one of the most sophisticated and technologically advanced industries in the world. For those on the frontline, the skills required to survive the working experience let alone thrive are vast.

For those with a remit for Learning and Development in these diverse and fast-paced environments the fundamental challenges are a complex matrix of issues:

• How to identify the ‘right’ kind of people
• How to bring them up to productive contribution as soon as possible; and,
• How to maintain their motivation and interest over time?

Combine the above with some pressing internal issues:

• Challenging attrition rates
• Commercial pressures on budgets – trying to deliver more for less
• Commercial pressures on the operation resulting in learning taking a back seat just when it needs to come to the fore;

And then factor in the commercial needs of the business:

• Differentiation through customer service
• Service into sales conversion; and a
• Consistent brand experience across all touch-points

Factor some compliance and technology issues in the mix and you’re only then left to worry about your carbon footprint!

While I have seen some wonderfully innovative classroom training and been directly involved with some truly creative e-learning solutions; I can’t help wonder whether it’s time to take a whole different approach in order to make the process more nimble and engaging.

Imagine that you are a graduate with a 2.2 in Media Studies that has finally realised that their degree is no use in getting the job they always dreamed of and were led to believe was theirs but for that degree. The big reality check is a depressing moment in one’s life, but one that comes to most of us in time. A career – yes I meant to use that word career in a contact centre can be a rewarding and ultimately fulfilling choice – yes I meant to use that one as well; and yet the approach to enter and develop an identity in this challenging and fast-paced industry will, more often than not, leave you feeling like you’re drowning in a sea of headsets!

It is worth taking a moment here to understand what we really mean by the term ‘contact centre environment’ – bear in mind that stock brokers; police; journalists; health professionals; advertising executives and TV producers all work in contact centre environments; although there is a healthy argument to support the fact that these vocations are not as challenging as the everyday consumer sales/service operation!

The big difference between people applying for one of the above roles versus the ‘average contact centre agent’s role’ is that the applicant has already built a positive mental picture albeit a perceived picture of the role and the money/excitement associated with it. If you ask the average person on the street about their perceived picture of a contact centre agent you are likely to receive a variety of responses including factory worker, lackey on a phone, low paid, unskilled and annoying! With this kind of associated reputation, is it any wonder that the challenges of attraction and attrition remain both endemic and paramount?

So how can we address these negative perceptions while trying to juggle all of the other challenges? Obviously, there is attraction and recruitment strategies to be addressed but Learning & Development can play a key role from the outset with our 10 top tips for developing an engaged workforce:

1. Make it personal

Developing some people interest stories on your company’s website is an engaging way to change perceptions. Telling stories of where people came from, why they joined and how they’ve progressed makes compelling reading and can be an encouraging, sometimes inspirational approach to changing perceptions. In addition, having your story featured can be a motivational way of acknowledging the individual. 

2. Provide an opportunity to be involved

Skills based materials on your company’s website including video clips, interviews and simple interactions will serve to de-mystify and expel myths about the role and working environment. Choosing call situations that have meaningful context work best here, for example a customer service call to British Gas might be about an account query but might also mention – in passing, the smell of gas; allowing you to demonstrate the human safety aspect of the role and its associated contribution to society. 

3. Build a vision of the future

Develop a clear career progression, not just in terms of skills and remuneration but in achievements, experiences and aspirations. The ‘perceived picture’ is actually built on TV shows, books and newspaper stories. Consider the stockbroker – Wall Street, money, sex, fast cars and intrigue; versus the reality – cramped offices, 18 hour days, junk food, no social life, failed relationships, the weekly threat of being fired and a heart condition! It’s the emotion that you are trying to appeal to, so it’s important to paint a picture. Top executives that started life on the calling floor can be a real asset here.

4. Encourage the social element

Interestingly, when asked why they stay in the job that they have, most people will state ‘the people’ as the key reason over remuneration, working environment, career prospects and location. Encouraging positive social interactions is therefore a real trick to maintaining an engaged workforce. Important to note that Friday lunchtimes in the local pub where we can collectively moan about the management is not what I’m talking about here. Positive social interactions are group activities taking place alongside the working day that focus people towards a common end i.e. raising money for Comic Relief.

5. Give me a voice

Allowing people to be involved in the development of the business gives them an enhanced sense of purpose and can turn the most cynical employee into a positive advocate. Piloting new processes, technology or learning programmes, requesting daily feedback on productivity as well as the ‘experience’ will ensure that commercial focus is maintained.

6. Celebrate the individual

Every individual has something special to bring to a team and identifying their role and celebrating their contribution can have a real impact to engagement levels. Think wider than coaches and subject matter experts – the most challenging cynic can be used to great effect developing targets and commission structures that are bullet proof.

7.People believe people

In this context I want you to consider the role of TripAdvisor – millions of pounds spent each year on glossy brochures and interactive websites, and yet increasingly consumers are turning to other consumers for their views and experiences before making their purchasing decisions. In the workplace, anything handed down from ‘management’ is likely to be viewed with scepticism, whereas YouTube style videos, and ‘Ted’s top tips’ (assuming Ted is a respected member of the team) embedded into learning programmes provide credibility to materials and you may well be surprised by the value-add you receive!

8. What I want, when I want it

The daily pressures of being on the frontline of a contact centre are varied and numerous – is it any wonder therefore that the process of learning is often met with a huge sigh. There are a dozen interesting and engaging ways to develop an effective calling style and yet I guarantee that the very first time anyone is put into a live situation – the mouth goes dry, the palms sweat and the mind goes blank. While this initial stress point diminishes quickly it happens and should happen every time a new situation/product arises. When that reaction stops happening, it is a sure sign that people stop caring – unable to maintain a constant state of stress they revert to making it up, hanging up, cynicism or resigning! Providing EduComs or educational communication pieces as preparation, reinforcement or crisis

9. A safe point of reference

I am a big advocate of the internet because it satisfies an immediate need for information that libraries just don’t! A learning portal that has a familiar and friendly look and feel and that incorporates common interest groups, news updates and a really effective search engine combined with videos, top tips and learning materials already discussed make it a ‘destination site’ that is to say: if everything is in one place, is easy to find and provides reliable information IT WILL GET USED – think Google.

10. Help me

Number 10 and perhaps the most important for encouraging an engaged, learning culture is to encourage the stupid questions. If your answer to such a question is ‘Weren’t you paying attention when…  How many times do you need to be told…  Page 58, paragraph 37b of the learning manual clearly states…’ Making people feel stupid for asking a question takes them back to their childhood classroom experiences and all that goes with it. It is a guaranteed way to disengage them for ever more! The most effective way I’ve seen this work adopted the ‘stump the scientist’ approach. The L&D director laid down a challenge to the workforce that if they had a question that the search engine of the learning portal couldn’t find a reasonable answer to the questioner won a day off!

 In essence, an engaged learning environment is one that encourages involvement, supports the individual as an individual and provides a vision of their future within the company. Our contact centre industry is envied and emulated across the world – perhaps it’s time that it was recognised as a genuine career option in its own right.