CONTROL & MOTIVATION

Control and motivation in a call centre Environment



Control and motivation in a call centre Environment

Control and motivation is not only a hot topic in the field of call centre (i.e., Buffalo Insurance in this case) but it plays a significant role in each and every field which requires success. If Buffalo Insurance wants effective control, they need to set up a human resource management system where feedback will be given on key aspects of performance or production. The basic control process consists of measuring, monitoring, and modifying. Let's look at each of these in turn.

Measuring

Organizations like Buffalo Insurance have established elaborate measurement systems that are ineffective or outdated. They may still be measuring a key factor from the past, or they may be measuring only part of a key factor, thus getting skewed results. If you want to increase customer satisfaction at a call centre, measuring the time operators are on the phone may not be an effective measure. But, what is a good measure? In order to measure, you need information. This can be obtained by personal observation, interviews with key staff, oral and written reports, and statistical analysis. Be clear about what you are controlling and why you are controlling it. Establish effective measurement systems and understand what you will do with the information. What you measure will drive the way employees approach a job. For instance, measuring sales will produce different behaviours from measuring customer comments.

Monitoring

Monitoring involves a comparison of the actual results to your objectives. The gap between what was done and what was expected contains valuable information. In a sense, we are taking the data and finding the story behind it. At this point, we will be asking ourselves questions such as: Are we on time and within budget? Are we focused on our objectives? If not, why not? Is the deviation caused by the system? Is it something within our control (better staff training) or was it something beyond our control (transit strike)? Both positive and negative deviations need to be explored. What actions can we take to remedy or capitalize on the deviations?

Modifying

Using the feedback, it is now time to revise the plan or get it back on track. Managers in Buffalo Insurance makes the mistake of thinking that making revisions is a poor reflection on their ability to manage. In fact, making adjustments and revisions are essential parts of the manager's role! What types of managerial action can be taken? There are two options: correct the performance or revise the plan. If you choose to correct the performance, you may think about systems, strategies, resources, and people skills. If you feel that the performance isn't the problem, you may need to revise the actual objective. Perhaps it was set too high or too low.

Types of Control Issues

In Buffalo Insurance, cross cultural differences - measurements and corrective action steps for control processes are different in individual countries. Industrial countries generally need standardized rules and supervision and use indirect devices such as ...