The daily grind for call center workers can be tedious, and sitting in a cubicle for hours on end can be isolating. It is of utmost importance for call center managers to give feedback to their employees, letting them know how well they are doing, and what needs to be done to be done better, in order for employees to feel a sense of accomplishment. The way feedback is delivered can have a major impact on employee efficiency and the operations of a call center.
In most call centers, managers send email feedback forms. These forms are often dry and leave little in personal touch, and can fail to inspire employees. Xerox, a worldwide provider of document management services, has become aware of this, and wants to change the way it runs the over 150 call centers it has spread throughout the world. Xerox hired social scientists at the Xerox Research Centre Europe (XRCE) in France to look into the work dynamics of call centers, and to develop a system that will increase customer and employee satisfaction, and workplace efficiency.
Their solution? Use gaming techniques to motivate employees. The researchers over at XRCE found, as research Ben Hanrahan stated, that “embedding game dynamics in the workplace helps agents and their managers set priorities and provides agents with a common challenge that they can collaborate on and talk about." Using these findings, the researchers built the new Xerox Performance Indicator Software. (Xerox API)
Xerox API implements software that will provide call center agents with constant feedback throughout the day. The software incorporates colors, and is supposed to be a fun and interactive way for them to receive feedback continuously, rather than once or twice a day. It is also reported to increase collaboration between employees and managers, while creating a healthy atmosphere of competition.
The new employee performance software has been received positively, earning an Innovation Award from the National Contact Center Association in the Netherlands.
Xerox API has been tested with 1,500 employees throughout Europe, first being launched in the Netherlands. The tests have shown that these gaming techniques have been a successful way of motivating employees. The test runs have shown that agents using the software have had significant improvement in performance. Because of this success, the company intends on spreading usage of Xerox API to all of their call centers throughout the world.