4 Tips for building a more collaborative call center

Faith Ocampo Published on April 17, 2017

young creative office employees brainstorming ideas

If your call center rewards employees’ individual achievements more than team success, it’s time to take a step back and re-evaluate your workplace engagement techniques.

As productivity-driven companies, most contact centers encourage agent productivity by rewarding individual employees’ exemplary performance. Agents are asked to end calls within a set time limit, handle an x number of transactions in a day, and so on. Those with the highest productivity as defined by these metrics are incentivized and hailed as “Agents of the Month.”

While this recognition-driven employee engagement approach can indeed drive up productivity, it comes with a cost. A highly competitive workplace leaves little room for collaboration. It breeds the mentality that customer support reps must outshine their colleagues for their hard work to be recognized. You may not think it matters at first, but this type of organizational culture can get in the way of teamwork.

diverse office employees cheering on teamwork

Team collaboration is essential in customer service companies. It’s the key to solving big issues that keep resurfacing and finding creative solutions to the most common customer problems.

Here are four tips to build a more collaborative call center.

1. Reward collaborative efforts.

proud office team holding one trophy

Instead of setting targets for individual employees, set team goals. Come up with tasks that will require your agents to work with one another. You can then incentivize your employees based on their collaborative efforts.

If your employees are used to working on their own, they might find it difficult to do this at first. So make sure to focus on team building tactics as well. Organize dinner parties, company outings, and other events to encourage your agents to get to know one another.

2. Promote transparency.

customer service reps serious business meeting call center team leader

Building a collaborative workplace all boils down to effective leadership. You need to create trust among employees by promoting transparency in the company. You can do this by welcoming constructive criticisms and widening agents’ access to work-related information.

3. Ask employees to identify the barriers to teamwork.

diverse business team in meeting writing on white board marker

Sometimes, managers have a narrow view of what it’s really like for call center agents to work on the production floor. So make sure to ask your employees about the practices, processes, or policies that are getting in the way of team collaboration. It could be your office’s layout, your no-chatting policy, or your overly hierarchical structure. Whatever the barriers may be, make sure to eliminate them in order to make it easy for agents to communicate with one another.

4. Brainstorm as a team.

creative diverse team in meeting

The bottom line is, you need to create an environment where your customer service reps feel comfortable sharing their insights, opinions, or suggestions. One way to do this is to brainstorm with them. Discuss an issue together, and solicit their ideas. Apart from making them feel at ease with their colleagues, this is also a great way to make them feel that the organization values their inputs.

 

Faith is a digital media enthusiast aiming to become an active part of the tech world by sharing her insights. She likes to blog about everything digimarketing, technology, and social media.
Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 19 hours ago
Expanding your #startup internationally can unlock a world of opportunities.
From market research to talent acquisition, #outsourcing can be a powerful tool to streamline your global expansion.

But how can you tell if your startup is truly ready to take on the world?
Before you take the leap, check out these essential signs of international expansion readiness: https://buff.ly/aEtrOFi

——————————
Ready to take the leap and expand your startup internationally?

Let Open Access BPO help you navigate the complexities of global expansion through our #BPO solutions: https://buff.ly/3yaDcXW

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OutsourcingCX #CustomerSupport
Open Access BPO 3 days ago
Staying competitive often means finding smarter ways to operate and deliver great results.

For many global brands, that involves partnering with #outsourcing experts, and the Philippines is a go-to destination.

What's makes these outsourcing collaborations so impactful for a company's growth?

Learn why so many companies trust Philippine outsourcing companies to help them flourish and expand: https://buff.ly/UKynqaI

——————————
Just like many of the world's top brands, you can count on Open Access BPO to deliver excellent #CustomerExperience through our outsourcing services.

Ready to see how we can help your customer service shine? Get in touch: https://buff.ly/3yaDcXW

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CSat
#OutsourcingCustomerService #CX
#CallCenterOutsourcing #CustomerExperience
Open Access BPO 3 days ago
The global market demands more than language fluency—it requires secure multilingual #outsourcing for seamless, protected customer interactions.

But with stricter regulations and evolving cyber threats, businesses must rethink how they approach multilingual #CallCenter outsourcing.

Check out our latest blog to learn why security must never be an afterthought in global expansion: https://buff.ly/llPMlW1

——————————
Multilingual capabilities and #DataSecurity are two of Open Access BPO's best assets.

Our seamless operational processes and professional teams of experts fuse together #MultilingualSupport for over 30 languages with #DataProtection practices.

Learn more about what we can do for brands: https://buff.ly/mjNQZ9U

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#MultilingualCallCenter#CustomerExperience
#MultilingualOutsourcing #CustomerService
#DataProtection
Open Access BPO 5 days ago
Leadership in #CallCenters is more than just setting targets and reviewing metrics.
It's about creating an environment where agents thrive, customers feel heard, and operations flow smoothly.

Curious about the techniques that make this possible?
Our blog digs into what makes an effective call center leader: https://buff.ly/xWGNZfa

——————————
Your business deserves world-class, industry-leading solutions, like the ones Open Access BPO provides: https://buff.ly/gHlxyNi

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO 12 days ago
𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 #𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.
But it's not just about the money. Pushing customers away can deliver a crushing blow to your business.

Ready to stop the bleed and start retaining customers like a pro?
Dive into the insights here: https://buff.ly/yd1gmoE

----------
Elevate your #CustomerRetention game now!
Contact us today to outsource to a #CustomerSupport expert: https://buff.ly/pmLrIys

Learn more:
[𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲] 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫: 𝐀𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬: https://buff.ly/xeIJboo

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CSat
#OutsourcingCustomerService #CX
#CallCenterOutsourcing #CustomerExperience
Open Access BPO 13 days ago
Open Access BPO Manila recently injected a dose of fun and team spirit into the workplace by hosting a #CincoDeMayo celebration.

The event centered around a DIY nacho and taco station, where employees customized their own snacks. This interactive experience provided a relaxed and engaging setting for colleagues to connect and share in a unique way within the office environment.

Beyond the delicious food, the day also featured a series of lighthearted and friendly games. These activities were specifically designed to encourage interaction, collaboration, and a sense of camaraderie among team members from various departments.

The Cinco de Mayo event served as a refreshing opportunity for the OABPO Manila team to unwind, celebrate, and reinforce their positive working relationships.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#diversity #inclusivity
#CincoDeMayo2025