At this point, saying that the way we work has changed is an understatement. But as we grow more accustomed to our home offices and remote workstyles, it’s vital that contact centers craft a remote employee experience that’s both positive and sustainable in the long run.

There are many approaches to motivating employees and creating a satisfying employee experience, but a few things are consistently stated. According to a report from Willis Towers Watson, the employee experience is fundamentally about two things: connecting with others through a shared organizational purpose and contributing to work while being rewarded for it.

When we’re all so physically isolated from each other, achieving things like connection and having visibility into work so that rewards are distributed fairly becomes challenging. Additionally, we must contend with a general feeling of instability worldwide that makes maintaining a sense of togetherness and a focus on shared goals difficult. However, this is where the power of technology combined with human empathy can truly shine.

Agility and Flexibility Are Musts

It’s probably safe to say that the rush to adapt to a “work-from-home” model is over. For the last few months, companies have shifted to accommodate their workers to fulfill their roles from the safety of their homes. And during this time, employees have been aware of the levels of support they’ve received from their companies to adapt to their new reality.

When it comes to contact centers, being able to view and adapt quickly is essential to success. Agents that could previously focus on taking calls or interactions in an office, may now need a little understanding when having to juggle home schooling at the same time. Through workforce engagement management, contact centers can deliver the right tools so planners leverage historical data and create better plans or tweak schedules instantly — taking into account agents’ preferences and requests.

Empathy and Getting the Full Picture

Employee experience in a contact center isn’t just about the agent. Different roles have different needs and require a leadership that takes into account all perspectives.

Understanding how the work-from-home model affects the ways in which each role accomplishes their work will ultimately lead to actions that support higher performance and more integrated workflows.

Through the constantly innovating Genesys Cloud™ Workforce Engagement Management suite, contact centers have the reassurance of continuous improvement of tools that keep them effective and competitive. And this gives employees more powerful and intuitive tools to do their jobs better and more efficiently. So, rather than having to scramble to support a given role, Genesys Cloud Workforce Engagement Management continuously delivers features and capabilities to support employees in all areas of the contact center.

Plan for Right Now And Be Ready for Tomorrow

Companies across all industries are focused on making the right decisions to respond to present and medium-term needs. But despite the rapidly changing state of the world, organizations still need to work toward longer-term goals and ensure business sustainability. It’s important to step back and analyze future needs so you can identify and develop strategies to respond to the lasting effects of “the new normal.”

Among these is the need for new skills in the workforce. The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2022, 42% of core skills required to perform existing jobs are expected to change, with over 133 million new jobs created in major economies. Contact centers looking to “raise their game” should reassess and prioritize the skills they want to nurture in their employees — and deliver the right resources to help employee development. For instance, through Genesys Cloud Workforce Engagement Management, quality managers can identify skill or knowledge gaps in their agents and generate plans around training and coaching so they can level their agents’ proficiency. Likewise, using tools like sentiment analysis, contact centers can glean insights or identify trends from interactions to better equip agents with the resources to deliver outstanding customer service.

By now, we’ve realized that the effects of a successful employee experience can make all the difference in delivering outstanding customer experiences. However, as environments for employees change, it’s important to consider how needs have changed, how adaptability is key, and how to best face a rapidly approaching and changing future.

To learn more about building your ideal workforce engagement management solution, download our checklist or try Genesys Cloud Workforce Engagement Management free for 60 days.