Discover what motivates your Agents by asking them. You do this with a career development conversation. The key is to find out what motivates your team members. Just like in sales, do not assume the answer. ASK to find out.

 

Position this structured conversation by letting the Agent know you want them to be as fulfilled and productive as possible. You are there to support them in being the best they can be.

 

Schedule a meeting with your Agent rather than just spontaneously taking them aside. Let your Agent know you want to find out more about what motivates them. This conversation is like a sales inquiry. Your goal is to ask open-ended questions to discover what motivates your Agent and how you can help them stay motivated.

 

Possible questions to ask your Agents:

 

1. What motivates you in your current role? What do you enjoy most about this job? (Convenient location, steady shifts, opportunities for advancement, compensation, spiff campaigns for extra income, interaction with people, etc.)

 

2. What do you wish you could change about your current job?

 

3. Where do you see yourself in your career over the two years?

 

4. What will you have to do to achieve your career goal over the next two years?

 

5. How can I help you in reaching your goals?

 

Take notes in your monthly coaching journal so you can keep track of each Agent’s comments. Position the notes by explaining to the Agent that the notes are meant to help you keep track of their needs and assist them in staying fulfilled. Also, to lower resistance, offer to let the Agents read the notes or even take a photocopy.

 

Let the Agent know they can change their mind as they learn and grow. Even though a Agent said “having a great shift” was important to them, they can still change their mind and list “opportunities for advancement” as their prime motivator next month.

 

Be patient. The first time you have this conversation, you may feel some resistance from your Agents. They may not feel comfortable divulging their career goals. So, they may give you motherhood statements like “maintaining a great working environment.” You can gently ask for more specific information like “what specifically do you enjoy about your working environment?”

 

Refer to their goals. As you meet with them on a regular basis for coaching, refer back to their stated goals and motivators to reinforce their behavior.

 

Thank them for having this conversation with you.

 

This career development conversation should be done with every team member at least once a quarter. You need to know what currently motivates each member of your team. If your Director walked up to you and asked “What motivates your Agents and keeps them productive?” could you answer that question?

 

Once you find out what motivates your team members, use that information to decide how to reward them for positive performance and motivate them to improve their performance.

 

Source: http://www.callcentercafe.com/2009/04/25/how-to-motivate-your-call-center-agents/