Most contact center agents are initially motivated by the need to pay their bills and put food on the table, but that need can usually be met elsewhere if they don’t discover more purpose. So, how can you keep agents motivated to not just clock in, but to thrive and be fully present?

Here’s how to keep your contact center agents motivated every day:

1. Establish Clearly Defined Expectations to Track Performance

 One of the foundational elements of employee engagement is clear expectations. Without clear expectations, agents can feel anxious and confused. According to Gallup analytics, workers who strongly agree that their supervisor helps them determine performance goals are nearly eight times more likely to be engaged than those whose supervisors don’t help them set performance goals. Tools like CxEngage Scoreboard are designed to help supervisors set precise KPI expectations with their agents. Supervisors and agents can watch performance in real-time with simple gauges that show if agents are meeting expectations, exceeding expectations or not reaching expectations.

2. Harness the Power of Small Wins

A study done by The Harvard Business School found that within seven different companies, 28% of incidents that had a minor impact on a project had a major impact on people’s feelings about it. Celebrating small wins can release dopamine in the brain to help people feel great. It also reinforces positive behavior and is motivating. You can celebrate small wins by making time for team recognition, ringing a gong, giving out food, or displaying the win on a wallboard for everyone to see.

3. Create Variety throughout the Day

Boredom can be dangerous to an agent’s motivation and longevity at a contact center. According to a study done by The University of Johannesburg, “All agents stressed the importance of variety in their day-to day-actions. One agent mentioned that if there is no variety, then the work becomes tedious and frustrating.” A great way to shift agents’ work from tedious and frustrating to engaging and exciting is to offer gamification.

CxEngage Scoreboard gamification offers challenges for agents to compete against each other or by themselves. The games also can be played in teams. Agents can customize avatars, acquire coins and earn rewards in a marketplace. The games are designed to align with KPIs and metrics that are important to a company.

4. Help Agents Feel a Sense of Ownership over Their Work

Everyone can’t own the company they work for, but everyone can feel a sense of ownership over their work at the company. According to Forbes, a study by Qualtrics found that companies can benefit from lower turnover and higher employee engagement by increasing the feeling of ownership employees experience. You can help agents feel a sense of ownership over their work when you help them understand how their work aligns with the company vision; involve them in goal setting and planning activities; and delegate authority, not just tasks.

5. Ask for Feedback

There is a gap between what supervisors think motivates employees and what actually motivates employees. In order to bridge that gap, supervisors must ask for feedback. Feedback can come in the form of one-on-one or team meetings, suggestion boxes or surveys. CxEngage Scoreboard Surveys allow you to discover the voice of your agents to assess their knowledge, competency and satisfaction.

Combining these smart motivational techniques with Serenova’s CxEngage Scoreboard can help boost agent productivity, improve contact center metrics and increase agent engagement and morale.