Cancer Call Center was happy to see Wendy's answers, because they appeared to coincide with the management approach taken by Cancer Call Center. For example, all of the call center's customer service representatives were given full authority to resolve customer complaints, which meant that they did not have to resort to a manager to approve customer service issues. Furthermore, Cancer Call Center used a two-level approach to call scoring. The first level involved taped calls and measured how many of the standard call points, for example correct greeting, the customer service representative used. However, the second system involved follow-up calls to customers by an independent agency, and they measured customer satisfaction. In addition, supervisors at the call-center reviewed performance on a weekly basis, giving both positive and negative feedback to the customer service representatives.
Despite Wendy's good fit with the company's policies, she still appeared to have a problem fitting in with her co-workers. Her trainers considered this a major problem because shared values and an environment of support can help ensure that employees are fully engaged in their work. (Mauro, 2002). By examining Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Wendy's trainers were able to understand that, without a sense of belonging, Wendy would not be able to realize her full potential. (Franken, 2007). However, realistically, they realized that it might be difficult, especially initially, for Wendy to bond with her fellow trainees, who were much younger and in different places in their personal lives. Therefore, the trainers decided that Wendy's side-by-side training would be with three call center employees who shared important personal characteristics with Wendy: one was a former stay-at-home mom, another a current breast cancer patient,...
They spoke with her individually about the corporate atmosphere, and highlighted areas that they believed would be of interest to Wendy. The first area was workplace flexibility, which would allow working parents like Wendy to switch shift times with other employees, so that she could attend doctor visits or teacher conferences without using up paid time off. In addition, the trainers emphasized the fact that Wendy had a tremendous opportunity for advancement at Cancer Call Center, a perk they believed would appeal to Wendy, given her former position as a call center supervisor. (McNerney). Combining all of the elements of training, they found that Wendy reported a greater feeling of belonging, as well as a greater likelihood of future success, at Cancer Call Center.
References
Franken, R.E. (2007). Human Motivation (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Mauro, T. (2002, February). Helping organizations building community: a sense of community at work can make all the difference. T&,D 56(2), 52-7.
McNerney, D. (1996, August). Employee motivation: creating a motivated workforce. HR
Focus, 73(8), 1-4.
Sullivan, J. (2006, March 27). Personalizing motivation: human resources professionals must accept the responsibility of providing managers with a list of what motivates and frustrates a new or recently transferred employee. Workforce Management, 85(6), 50.
