Improving Morale in Your Call Center
by Citrix Online

Call-center studies are beginning to focus on morale with recent findings indicating that high morale is directly linked to increased employee loyalty and punctuality as well as reduced absenteeism and turnover – all of which positively impact a support organization’s productivity and bottom line. That being the case, improving morale should be on every call-center manager’s to-do list. If you haven’t begun evaluating the morale levels in your call-center environment, you might start with the findings of a recent study conducted by LIMRA International which identifies the following contributors to high morale:

• Teamwork
  
• Supportive management
  
• Project variety
  
• Desire to satisfy customers
  
• Appealing work environment

Start your own evaluation by asking yourself these important questions: Does your organization promote teamwork or do employees feel alienated? Do employees view management as supportive or uninvolved in the call center’s daily operations? Do employees work on the same projects over and over or is there variety in the workflow? Are employees motivated by the desire to satisfy customers or have they grown apathetic? Is the call-center environment a positive, creative workspace that promotes productivity or is it a negative and uncomfortable space? Answering these questions will be enlightening if you haven’t asked them before, and your responses will pinpoint areas that need improvement.

The LIMRA study suggests that in some cases, it may be necessary to reorganize work operations from an environment focused on individuals to a team-oriented one. You might also decide to alter management practices to promote a more supportive environment.

The study also points out that antiquated methods of improving morale such as increasing salaries and decreasing workloads without closely examining call-center operations are quick fixes and won’t improve morale in the long run. Use this study’s findings and your responses to the questions inspired by the study to evaluate your call-center operations. You’ll find that improved morale won’t be the sole reward of your efforts.

Source: LIMRA International

About Citrix Online
Citrix Online, a division of Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS), offers the leading Web-based access, support and collaboration software and services. The division offers Citrix GoToMyPC®, the easiest-to-use solution for remote, secure and managed desktop PC access over the Web; and Citrix GoToAssist™, the most secure, reliable and powerful solution for Web-based technical support and customer collaboration. Citrix Online products are used by more than 4,000 companies worldwide, including Cisco Systems, Siemens, Intuit, Cablevision and Microsoft Business Solutions. The division is based in Santa Barbara, California, and is on the Web at www.gotomypc.com, www.gotoassist.com and www.citrix.com.