Employee engagement refers to how strongly employees are committed to working towards their organization's goals and vision. High employee engagement typically manifests itself as increased discretionary effort - engaged employees put more of themselves into their jobs because they are motivated by the promise of organizational success. Employee engagement is not the same as employee satisfaction, which measures happiness. Employees may be perfectly satisfied with just showing up and collecting a paycheck, but not willing to put forth the extra effort that is the hallmark of employee engagement.
Many things contribute to employee engagement, some controlled at the organizational level and others influenced by an employee's manager. Engaged employees believe their work and ideas are valued. They feel the organization communicates with them honestly and transparently. They buy into the organization's goals. Managers can foster employee engagement by creating respectful, trust-based relationships, by developing employees' proficiencies and skills, and by providing growth opportunities. In return, engaged employees will contribute more of their talent to the organization. This is important because studies show that engaged employees positively impact the bottom line and the customer experience.
Employee engagement is critical in contact centers, as agents act as the frontline to your customers. Agents need to be brand ambassadors, which means remaining positive about the organization even in the face of customer issues. Additionally, engaged agents will likely go the extra mile to help customers because they know how important customers are to the company's success. Contact centers that focus on increasing employee engagement are certain to reap substantial rewards.
