Contact center culture

Culture’s Role in the Center

Corporate culture is the shared values, beliefs, actions, unstated rules, and informal leaders that guide the behavior of employees. Culture is part of an organization’s informal structure and has a strong influence over the effectiveness of the center’s day-to-day activities.

Contact centers need to be positive and full of energy. Contact center employees need to:

feel appreciated
have the right tools
be able to communicate openly with each other
have opportunities to communicate with other departments
contribute to making improvements
develop skills that are transferable to other positions

People Like to Fit In

When agents know and understand their contribution to the company’s success, they take pride in their work. When employees are proud of the work they do, they enjoy coming to work. When employees enjoy their work, their positive attitude is reflected in their customer interactions. In short: when employees are happy, customers are happy.

Ask Your Agents

To create a “communicative culture” that generates a tangible “energy buzz” and happy employees, ask your agents what is important to them. Then act on it! Put together an employee satisfaction survey to get their input and feelings about:

Day-to-day activities
Relationships with their boss(es) and other agents
The center’s physical resources and appearance
Adequacy of team, departmental, and organization communications
Adequacy of training and coaching
Their connectedness to the rest of the organization

Look Around

Walk through the center and look for physical signs of a “communicative culture”:

Does the workspace look uncluttered and comfortable?
Are the walls covered with achievement awards, employee pictures, and interesting artwork?
Do agents fill their cubicles with pictures and personal items?
Do the restrooms look sparkling and smell fresh?
Are agents sitting up straight in their chairs and smile at you when you walk by?
Are supervisors easily accessible and interacting with agents?
Is there a hum in the air?

Programs and Ideas to Shape Your Culture

Use employee committees to solve problems and organize events
Set-up recognition programs to generate spirit
Use games to make it fun
Use incentives to make it count
Hold town hall meetings for important communications
Learn your employees’ names and use them

VIDA’s Services

VIDA’s Contact Center Assessment & Audit services will evaluate the effectiveness of your center’s culture in relationship to:

Your culture’s fit with your strategy
Employee attitudes toward their jobs
Employee perspective of their role in the organization
Employee interest in becoming more involved and empowered
Employee willingness to participate in change initiatives

VIDA's Call Center Management Coaching service can also include a module specifically designed for developing a communication culture.

We include ideas and suggestions to develop a communicative culture. We can also help with the design, execution or analysis of an employee satisfaction survey.