Tough times call for using smart, sensible measures, and managing call center performance during recession periods calls for a renewed focus on measuring performance and employee retention.
The financial crisis threatens everyone, from companies big and small to their clients and consumers. Tough economic times mean cutbacks on almost every scale, from huge layoffs from companies that have suddenly seen record lows, to holding back on spending at the consumer level. For these reasons and more, managers have to come up with strategies in managing call center performance during recession. Those who fail to adapt to the challenging times will see their companies and organizations fail to survive the crisis.
The first thing to realize is that everyone, to some extent, will be worried about the possible effects of the financial downturn on the company and on them, personally. It would be a wise management decision to try and maintain or even boost morale, if at all possible. Hence, management should work closely with the human resources department in order to present a calm, unified front, as well as open communication channels with employees. This would also suggest that celebrations and award giving ceremonies, even if they should be somewhat less grand than they were in better times, should still not be canceled entirely. The company should project a feeling of determination to go on and continue to perform well, despite external circumstances.
Now, empty pronouncements without any real plans backing them up may help in the short term, but are sure to harm the company in the long term. Thus, before sending off any memorandums or messages through the company, management should be sure that the information they contain are up to date and relevant. There should be an underlying business plan for weathering the recession that the management has agreed upon and revised extensively. At the same time, this business plan should take good communication with the employees into account.
Essentially, times of crisis are times for the organization to slim down and focus on its core, on its best people. It becomes more important than ever to be able to measure performance in order to ensure that you are doing your best to keep your best people. In hard times, job mobility can actually increase as employees begin to reconsider their employment. Bad news or even just rumors, if left unchecked, can cause employees to migrate to other employers. The focus on communication as mentioned above will be the best measure to counteract this. If employees are aware that management and the other higher ups of the company are doing their best to control the effects of the recession on the company, they will have higher morale and confidence. They will be much less likely to jump ship, and more likely to stay with the organization.
Managing call center performance during recession, apart from these more general considerations, should also ensure a steady stream of real-time data. This performance data from the employees will provide important criteria in the case layoffs become unavoidable. Keep the top performers happy, and if you have to let go of any people, make sure that only the lowest performers go.
Tags: call center, performance, recession