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We believe that employee wellbeing matters just as much, if not more, than customer experience, and so does Richard Branson.

Contact centre industry publication, Contact Centre Helper surveyed their readers last month to establish what they believed were the most valuable contact centre reporting metrics and 62% responded with ‘agent satisfaction’. The word ‘satisfaction’ itself has low-bench set connotations, and anyone who has spent time, or ‘done’ time in a contact centre will know that often it feels like the business doesn’t care at all.

It’s not surprising that of those 62% interested in agent satisfaction, only 33% reported having a wellbeing strategy in place to support their agents, only 36% of those tracked the progress of agent wellbeing, and only 29% of the 33% actually set goals for wellbeing improvement. But what does this mean in a contact centre? In order to be ‘satisfied’ industry professionals believe there are 3 essential ingredients; learning, stimulation and empowerment – get these right and you’re actively improving agent wellbeing and engaging your workforce, which is essential if you want people to do their jobs well and to stay.

Recently, a new way to engage employees has taken the spotlight. No, not yoga or PerkBox – but investing in technology. It’s more important than ever, partly due to all the technological advancements around us that we experience in our personal lives. Our communication devices, our home entertainment set ups, all integrated, always working at the touch of a button. When looking at reasons for disengagement 72% of respondents highlighted IT issues and/or clunky technology as the main contributor for agent frustration.

So, can the technology a business buys improve wellbeing? Seamless workplace technology has the potential to create an environment where agents feel the sky’s the limit. To empower employees is to give them authority and control over their role in the company, this means providing them with the information, resources and tools they need to perform their job at the highest level. The right tech will save time on training, minimise the risk of mistakes, and reduces the dreaded soul-destroying data-input. Once they have these things, they can be more productive, confident and happy overall. Clients expect a seamless experience, so should those agents who are providing it.

Employee wellbeing should be at the top of every IT agenda, but it isn’t. Yet.

With the majority of UK businesses still anchored to on-premise IT infrastructure, it feels like the work-place is being left behind the curve. The technology a business uses can make, or break agent wellbeing. We recommend giving your agents the best tools available to do the best job they can.