Motivating employees is one of the biggest headaches of management. Especially in larger organizations, it’s easy for new hires to feel detached from their workplace.
It’s an easy mistake to view this problem as striking a balance between being “too soft” and “too hard”. Motivated employees care about the success of the wider business because they understand how a successful company benefits them. Here’s how to achieve that.
1. Improve Your QA Measures.
Your employees want to do a good job. It’s a simple fact of life that doing something well feels good. It’s your job to help them achieve that.
Implementing call center QA software is a superb way to start understanding issues your employees may face. For example, you can easily identify common parts of the call where customer engagement seems to drop. You can also identify key issues that individual employees might face and give them appropriate training.
This saves time because you’re not just repeatedly teaching your entire workforce the entire training program. You can isolate issues and give one-to-one feedback. It also helps you identify areas where your employees are performing well and let them know that they’re doing a great job there. Constructive advice should always be mixed with positive feedback.
People like to know how they’re performing. They like to know why and how their role makes a difference. Implementing QA software is a great way of achieving this.
2. Implement Lean Management.
Lean management derives from the manufacturing methodology used by Toyota in 1950s Japan. It relies on a few key tenets:
- The workplace should be tidy, with everything in its correct and easily identifiable place.
- Employees should have constant recourse to the right order to do things in.
- Objectives of work should be clearly defined and understood by employees.
- Employees should be able to report issues to management easily and expect an effective and immediate response.
Although it was developed in manufacturing plants, it applies to almost every workplace. Workers enjoy a clean workplace. Nobody likes confusion. Everything should be streamlined to constantly move forward.
“Lean” refers to the fact that employees become effectively self-governing when proper procedures are in place. Management provides a reliable executive answer to unforeseen problems and commands respect in this way.
Lean management is still revolutionizing workplaces today. It could transform yours.
3. Remember Important Details.
A “faceless” relationship between staff and management is deadly. You can’t be expected to remember everything about every person you meet, but you can make your life easier and show you care by learning about who they are.
If someone needs the day off to take their partner to the hospital, note that they’re married. Remember to ask after their partner’s health next time you meet. Perhaps you learn that it’s due to a chronic condition – provide assurances that they can speak to you at any time.
There’s a world of difference between being a “pushover” manager who doesn’t know how to say no, and a compassionate leader who treats employees as people. Just as you hold transgressions to account, show understanding when your staff needs support.
When workers re-assess their current job, the key question is “is this job making my life more or less happy?” Realizing that they’re in a role where they’re supported and given a sense of direction motivates them to work harder.
The bottom line is that if the company is good to its workers, the workers will be good for the company.
Quality Management, Quality Staff, Quality Service.
Motivation comes from within. Your role as an owner or manager is to create the ideal conditions for your staff to feel motivated. Implement effective quality control and build an environment where your workers feel confident and comfortable. Your business will reap the rewards for years to come.
