Paying Agents for All of their Time
Author: Jim Mitchell
TMCNet recently published an article about disgruntled Dell contact center employees. The agents allege they have not been paid for all of the time they have worked, and point the finger at the inaccuracy of the company’s Kronos timekeeping system. I wanted to weigh in on the subject because Dell is an important and long-time Aspect Software customer and we know from experience that they care about both their contact center agents and their customers.
The truth is that it can be challenging for contact centers to ensure that their agents are being paid for every single minute they spend on the job – helping customers online or via telephone, attending meetings, or even participating in training activities. A few minutes that are inadvertently not captured here or there can add up to a full hour or two by the end of a week, several hours by the end of a month, and almost too many hours to count by the end of a year. Translate these hours into money, and you’ve got agents who have unintentionally missed out on a substantial amount of pay, and may be feeling a bit blue because of it.
And while we all know that it is important that employees are paid for all of the time they spend on the job. I think it is equally as important that they are given financial incentives that are tied to key performance indicators (KPIs), and are based on whether they are selling to, or providing service to customers. It’s not enough to simply provide incentives – you also need to allow your agents to participate in the process by giving them the tools to see how they or their teams are performing against their objectives, both in time worked and goals achieved.
By implementing performance management to work in conjunction with your timekeeping and workforce management systems, you can empower your agents to control their own schedules and give them ready access to information regarding their work. Any discrepancies can be noted, discussed and corrected in real-time, allowing agents and companies to avoid further conflict.
At our ACE customer conference this week, I heard time and again that positively incenting agents to provide pleasant customer experiences creates a win-win for everyone – consumers are happier, which makes agents happier and reduces turnover. This can be easily effected using performance optimization solutions – ensuring that agents are getting paid for the time they’re working, and giving them a view into their overall performances.
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