Have you forgotten how to have fun? Have laughter, happy faces, and a positive atmosphere become extinct in your workplace? Here are a few tips on how to bring back a little fun to your office while still getting the work done.
First, before we can execute a strategy for fun, we must lay out the goals. I encourage you to have realistic goals as well as stretch goals clearly defined for your team. Once this is done, then we can start having fun achieving — and exceeding — these goals.
Second, break up the day-to-day monotony of your call center. Bring something new to the table. Do you need to make outbound calls? Great! Break up that big list into smaller lists, ring a bell or shoot a nerf gun whenever someone books an outbound call on tough days. Or, assign 30-minute intervals to announce in your best voice: “Next up in the outbound ring we have John Doe, John approaches the ring with the following stats,” or booked call rates, his great objection handling, ability to get techs to run calls after 5 p.m., etc. I find that all too often we forget to “play.”
Offer contests that don’t involve money. Yes, they exist. I once valet parked my CSRs’ cars for a week when they sold a large number of service partner plans (dressed in chauffer suit and all). Give them your parking spot for meeting the goal. Let them wear jeans on Friday if goals were surpassed. The list goes on.
We also played modified “Wheel of Fortune,” “Family Feud,” and lots of games when training. Those were fun, and engaged the employees all while getting the job done, making customers happy, and increasing the bottom line. We often included our customers in the fun too; they wanted to be part of our company. They sensed the energy!
Last but not least, create a positive culture with yourself. Check your attitude daily; are you negative? Do you believe in the goal? Are you training or helping with the things your people are struggling with? The bottom line comes down to creating an atmosphere and culture that supports growth, productivity, and happiness. Happy employees equal happy customers.
