New Leadership Role

[Liz_Isenburg]

Hi there! Liz here from Redlands and Henry Bush Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning. I have newly stepped into a title of CSR and Dispatching Supervisor and to be honest with you it is exciting but also daunting. I want to be sure that my team feels supported and motivated. Any ideas on how to keep it fun and productive in the office? I want to keep the upbeat culture that we have in the office because I feel it really does shine through when you are on the phone weather you actually enjoy  your job or not.  Any feedback is appreciated !  

[AngiToth]

Hi Liz! We have a small group, so for holidays I try to do a little something fun. Valentines Day I put together a little goody bag for the guys and for Easter I'm going to hide candy filled eggs in our shop and barn. We also have company outings where we do fun stuff as a group. I try to make my office a fun place to be in with candy jars and fun little things like a lite bright, a flying pig etc... I also get to know them and what is going on in their lives by asking questions and checking in on them regularly. Hope this helps. 

[Liz_Isenburg]

Thank you so much Angi! I really appreciate it, these are great ideas!! 

[BrittanyB]

Hi Liz! I'm so excited for you - this role was hands down my most favorite in my career! I think it varies by team, but I had a lot of young, energetic folks. So we had bells in the call center, and we did lots of chants! I told them to ring a bell every time they sold a membership, we did chants at least once a day to get the energy up, and I also spoiled them because they were very much motivated by small gifts. So I would take note of silly holidays and celebrate them. Like M&Ms day... got a bunch of different kinds of M&Ms everyone could try. I also started every day with a motivational message (Slack) to their group channel going over the goals for the day and giving them a tip or two to meet those goals - I also LOVE puns so I would make them as goofy and punny as possible. ChatGPT makes this an absolute gamechanger now but back in the day it was just my brain 😂 

One thing I would do ASAP is get a favorite things log set up for everyone. You literally just make a handout with fill in the blanks for favorite things and have each person fill one out (think favorite candy, favorite drink, favorite fast food, etc. etc.). I kept these in a binder so that I always knew of a small thing I could use to make anyone's day - and they also used this for peer motivation too! One of my CSRs took this very seriously and made it his own habit to bring back everyone's favorite Sonic drink every Friday. So sweet!

Also, shake up your meetings! We would do games, icebreakers, I'd have one of the CSRs run the meeting, or my favorite was once in awhile doing a trivia game or a scavenger hunt to affirm new SOPs we learned. These are things you don't need budget for but still make it a blast.

I could go on forever. Just have fun!! 

[Liz_Isenburg]

Thank you for you input, Brittany!! These are great; I love a good pun as well. They really do make people happy!

[AHummel]

Hey Liz! I'm in HR (Employee Relations is my actual job title) and one thing I did to not be the "scary HR" person was I put a candy jar in my office. It's simple, it makes people come by to see me, and it sparks conversation when they come in which gives me a great way to check in on folks and see how they are doing. Every once in awhile I may take it with me and make the rounds in the office (bonus, I get extra steps in!). I don't know if that's an answer you're looking for but it's an "outside the box" method that works here and brings a little fun to the office, especially when it's newly filled (everyone gets very excited to see what's in it this time!). Good luck! 

[Liz_Isenburg]

Thank you so much! I like the idea of making your rounds with the candy jar. Who doesn't enjoy a surprise candy visit and an offer to be helpful.  Great tip! 

[MirandaMel]

I love these ideas...I also have the "scary office"...so have done a couple things to make it fun to come see me.  I had a Jenga game set up on the table and anyone could come in and take a turn, we kept track on the whiteboard who had the highest score, I have set up a game of hangman on the whiteboard with fun company phrases, etc...  Lots of options to keep everyone engaged!

[Liz_Isenburg]

Thank you, Miranda! I LOVE the hangman idea!