10 Powerful (and Low-Cost) Ways to Engage Your Contact Center Agents

"No, not pizza again!" said a disgruntled agent. My agents hated having the same clichéd "motivational" rewards in our contact center. If you still rely on donuts, pizza and movie tickets as the primary perks in your contact center, you need to think again...

There are many reasons why employees are disengaged and may be thinking about leaving you for another job. A study by The Call Center School showed that one of the main reasons employees leave is lack of recognition. And when employees were asked about their main reasons to stay, they reported a reward system. So how can you set up a reward or incentive system that will motivate your employees when you are on a budget?

Learn all about employee engagement. Read and download "The Ultimate Guide to Improve Employee Engagement in the Contact Center".

10 Low-Cost Rewards to Engage Your Agents

1. The ability to bid for a better shift time in the employee portal
2. Being allowed to leave 15 minutes early one day
3. Having a manager take an agent’s calls for one-hour
4. Getting a reserved parking spot close to the building entrance for one week
5. Being recognized at a team meeting for doing great work
6. Having a winning agent’s photo put on a wall of fame in the employee staff room
7. Being given time off to volunteer for a local charity
8. Access to skills development courses online
9. Job shadowing opportunities in a department where the agent wants to move next
10. Being allowed to attend a local industry event and then report back on key ideas from the meeting

No matter what kind of reward program you use, the key is to offer your contact center agents a choice of rewards. Better yet, make them a part of the reward design process by asking them what they want as perks. Then, use that information to craft the right program to motivate your team to improved results.