The potential for gamification in South African contact centres

Transcription

1 The potential for gamification in South African contact centres Director: 1Stream BRUCE VON MALTITZ

2 Gartner predicts that 40% of Global 1000 organisations will use gamification as their primary mechanism to perform business operations by It also predicts that 80% of current gamified applications will fail to meet business objectives. 2 Gamification, or the use of game- like mechanics in a non- game environment like a contact centre, might be one of the latest trends in business but it isn t new. Games have been used to motivate and engage people since the dawn of time. They speak to one of our most basic instincts - the desire to play, compete, achieve and be part of a team. The term was coined in 2002, by Nick Pelling, a British programmer and game inventor. Within a few years, the concept had gained popularity in the world of marketing and customer loyalty, as evidenced by Gartner s prediction that by 2016 gamification will be the vital way that brands and retailers can leverage customer marketing and loyalty. 3 Air miles, Pick n Pay s smart shopper points, Discovery s Vitality programme and Codecademy are all great examples of how game- like experiences are helping South African brands build lasting relationships with their customers. Now this thinking is being applied within businesses, to motivate and build relationships with employees while improving performance. 1 Gartner s top predictions for IT organisations and users, 2013 and beyond 2 Gamification: Engagement Strategies for Business and IT 3 Gamification 2020 This guide aims to provide a glimpse into how gamification is shaping business, what it can offer the contact centre in particular, and what senior management must take into account when implementing the approach. FUN AND GAMES IN THE CONTACT CENTRE Advances in technology over the last decade have made it possible for businesses to leverage game dynamics to guide employee behaviour and boost motivation. In the same way that video games get players to complete certain tasks by unlocking rewards, businesses can reward employees when they behave in positive ways. In a contact centre for example, employees could advance to higher levels by completing a certain number of training modules, resolving calls within a set time, or even just by taking the time to share their knowledge with junior members of the team. And with each advancement made visible to the rest of the team, they could soon build up a positive reputation within the business, which will boost their motivation and engagement. If we look at it from the business s perspective, gamification can dramatically shorten the onboarding process for new recruits. And results can give management a snapshot of how each employee is faring, how engaged they are and can even help identify negative trends or address potential problems very quickly. When implemented strategically, gamification can change the culture of an entire organisation. GAMIFICATION FOR TRAINING When it comes to onboarding, gamification can be employed to guide

3 new recruits through a series of online modules at their own pace during quiet times of the day. This approach is preferable to having to rush through training simply because it costs too much to have agents away from their desks for an entire day or more. It also caters for individual skill sets and levels of experience - what might be a waste of time for a more experienced person, is often invaluable for a young graduate. A short quiz at the end of each module can be incorporated to encourage employees to focus. This approach could be extended by giving employees access to training modules outside of their usual remit, empowering them to broaden their horizons and take charge of their career progression. Measuring the results of these training quizzes gives managers an idea of each employee s skills and interests which can be valuable in resource planning. GAMIFICATION BOOSTS MOTIVATION AND LOYALTY In essence, gamification provides a set of tools for measuring and rewarding progress. And a sense of progress is vital for building motivation and confidence. Measuring and giving employees real- time feedback on their performance communicates their value to the organisation. It enables people to take pride in the things they re good at, and to work on the things they aren t good at - turning what is traditionally a once- a- year, top- down assessment into an ongoing performance improvement conversation. Receiving recognition in front of colleagues is just as powerful, not only for boosting motivation, but for encouraging knowledge sharing. If a junior member of the team is struggling to close calls for example, they could easily find out who is ranked the highest for that skill and approach them for advice. GAMIFICATION CAN DRIVE INNOVATION In a sales environment, who is better placed to communicate customer pain points and make suggestions for product updates and feature additions than the people who talk to your customers every day? Gamification can be used to foster direct conversations between contact centre agents and product developers by encouraging agents to share suggestions and rewarding those whose ideas come to fruition or spark a greater idea. This could add real value to the agent s job, and gives designers and developers a new source of inspiration. Eventually, it could blossom into to a culture of innovation across the entire organisation. THE IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP While gamification can make a manager s job easier in many respects, it requires more than just management. It takes true leadership to make it work. Leaders must commit to using the data and insights gathered to help their workforce grow and excel - something that is often overlooked in favour of looming sales targets and other long- term business goals. And like any long- term strategy, it s vital that the results are measured and the data generated is used to continually fine- tune the approach.

4 THE TECHNOLOGY IS THE EASY PART Like social media, gamification is a bandwagon that s easy to hop on to, and just as easy to fall off of. It s not a quick fix. It requires a deep understanding of the organisation and its process interdependencies, as well as its people and how their personal goals tie in with those of the business. But gaining this level of insight is not always easy, it takes commitment from senior management. Which is why Gartner predicts that the vast majority of gamified applications will fail to meet business objectives - they simply have not been designed with those objectives in mind. 4 GAMIFICATION IS ABOUT EMPOWERING, NOT MANIPULATING Critics of gamification believe that it is a form of manipulation, patronising to people who are good at what they do. They have a point. Gamification must offer real, measurable value to the people who use it on a daily basis. Simply giving someone a badge is not going to motivate them for very long, and it could very well make them feel patronised. But mandating a list of skills (and the associated badges) as a prerequisite for promotion for example, gives people a tangible goal to work towards and assigns real value to each task and badge. IN CONCLUSION Gamification as a concept has huge potential for South African contact centres willing to learn about, and invest in, their most valuable asset - their people. ABOUT 1STREAM 1Stream is the leading provider of cloud- based call centre technology in Southern Africa. Our award- winning platform serves customers of all sizes, providing pay- per- use access to world- class technology that is rapidly scalable and available on demand. For more information, visit To talk to us about how gamification could benefit your contact centre, please call us on +27 (0) or sales@1stream.co.za 4 Gamification: Engagement Strategies for Business and IT

5 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bruce has over 20 years experience in the service industry focusing specifically on contact centers for the last 10. He has a detailed understanding of how to design, build and operate contact centers having worked in the industry in SA, Africa and abroad. He holds a Bachelor of Social Science Degree, a Masters in Business Administration and a Project Management qualification all from the University of Cape Town.