Today’s agents won’t always be working in the same office or building as each other. The rise of the cloud and distance workers has led to an influx of new working opportunities. Most experts believe that the future contact centre and business model will be “hybrid.”
Hybrid work is defined by a combination of in-office and remote employees working together. The result of a successful hybrid strategy is often better productivity, improved team relationships, and even reduced business spending. However, before companies can fully discover all the benefits of hybrid work, they need to ensure they’re equipping their teams to stay productive.
So, how can you ensure employees remain engaged and effective in a new work model?
Guaranteeing Agent Productivity in Hybrid Work
Preserving productivity in your team when you’re working with employees located all around the world can seem tough. You can’t simply check in on staff members from time to time to ensure they’re performing at their best. However, there are ways to boost productivity quickly and efficiently:
- Provide the right tools: Providing the right technology ensures your team can do their best work, with minimal confusion and disruption. Staff who have access to the same contact centre and customer service tools regardless of whether they’re in the office or at home can continue to provide the best possible results in any environment
- Ensure great collaboration: Teams in the office and working remotely need to maintain a consistent flow of information to be productive. Your staff should be able to connect with each other by sharing files, video conferencing, and sending messages in a streamlined online environment. Bridge the gap between employees, wherever they are
- Build a better company culture: Keeping your internal and remote employees connected doesn’t just drive better collaboration, it can also support stronger company culture. When all of your staff members feel like one big team, this sense of unity can often drive higher levels of engagement and satisfaction, which affect productivity
- Provide feedback: Make sure your employees know when you’re happy or unhappy with the work they’re doing. Regular feedback provides useful guidance, regardless of whether your staff is in-office or working remotely. Anything from an acknowledgement of a good job to a quick meeting about a missed deadline can make a difference
- Collect insights: Your employees know better than anyone which tools and strategies make them more productive. Ask for feedback from your team members on what they need to complete their jobs and implement changes as your business evolves. You can also collect helpful insights from analytics and reporting tools connected to your contact centre
Maintaining a Productive Team
Hybrid and remote working models can be just as effective (if not more so) than having your staff members on-site. However, just like any business transformation, the right planning is necessary. Knowing how to boost agent productivity through regular feedback, access to the right tools, and a culture built on communication and collaboration is essential.
