Decide what you want, then offer what they want

WHILE attrition has dropped slightly to 16 per cent, it’s now even more important to recognise the contribution made by your best performers.  Differentiate your call centre with an incentives package that will establish your business as the employer of choice. 

First, establish your objectives.  These may include fundamental issues which have the potential to impede your company’s performance, such as staff attrition, absenteeism, productivity, time-keeping and morale; or customer service levels, customer retention and sales.

Second, offer appropriate rewards.  They need to engage, excite and inspire.   If you have a diverse workforce which includes both men and women of differing ages your rewards should appeal to everyone.  Understanding what they want is critical; get the rewards wrong and you simply won’t achieve good participation levels.  Before starting, research the recipient base and select rewards that are a “best match”.

Gift cards and vouchers are successful because they are simple to administer while offering a vast array of products with which recipients can treat themselves. 

Consider the structure of the scheme.  Your objectives will dictate whether you take a team-based approach or reward individual achievement and endeavour.

You may wish to run a scheme offering collectable points to drive repeat behaviour; recipients will be encouraged to earn, bank and redeem points for higher value rewards.  Equally, instant wins and on-the-spot rewards are a great way to create theatre and excitement – a long-running scheme can really benefit from this type of tactical activity.

If you choose to offer gift cards or vouchers, have in mind that providers offer discounts of 2.5-10 per cent off the face value for bulk purchases.  For repeat rewards, consider gift cards which you can remotely activate and load and re-load with value at any time.

While many schemes are launched with a great flurry, ongoing promotion and regular communication will make you’re a success.   Take every opportunity to communicate with your staff – whether it’s to publicise individual or team achievements, remind everyone of the rewards on offer, or introduce new elements.  Aim to use all types of media, from intranet to posters, email and mobile messaging.

Mark Towler, head of House of Fraser Business Incentives; mtowler@hof.co.uk.