Back in front of the mic today to talk about agent satisfaction and how to effectively compensate and motivate our most important assets.

[ 6:58 – 8:45 ] The polls are in and here’s what agents really want: more respect from leadership, more respect from customers, more satisfaction from their work, better pay, proper training so they feel like they’ve actually been taught how to do their job the way leadership wants it done. Of all of these, the highest by far was higher pay. And agents want higher pay not just because they want more money, but because they feel like they don’t get paid enough for what they go through. Wouldn’t an alternative to higher pay, then be to come up with ways to make their work to better and easier.?

[ 9:49 – 11:34 ]  We are focusing on “the voice of the agent” and designing an agent-satisfaction metric, making qualitative data more quantitative. Call center leaders need to listen to agent feedback to improve their CX programs. They need to listen to both seasoned agents and new agents.

[ 15:42 – 17:21 ]  CX agents, if they are trying hard to contribute to the company, may face the challenge of burn-out and we may start to see “quiet quitting.” The truth is though that most people don’t strive to underperform in their lives, and the people who are in that mode didn’t get there over night and probably don’t want to stay there.

[ 18:44 – 21:20 ]  Change initiatives are usually uninspiring. First to note here is that we shouldn’t think of our goals or initiatives as “change management.” And, it doesn’t matter what you’re saying if you’re not paying a livable wage. If you want to inspire, figure out how to open up the profitability that would pave the way for pay increases.

[ 22:57 – 25:39 ] Who builds brand loyalty? Agents do. They are the one that communicates that the customer matters to the company and that what the customer is experiencing matters to the company. And now, employee experience is finally getting the air time it deserves. You’re not building your business. You’re building the people who’ll help build your business. These times are marked by shifting labor dynamics, turnover and the leverage going to the agents who can now switch jobs more easily than ever. This is one of those moments in time where the economics are shifting and we don’t want to miss this opportunity to grow in the area of employee experience.

To listen to a recording of this and other episodes, visit vistio.io/podcasts. And to join our show live each week, go to vistio.io/cxlive.