Customer Service Representative Morale

A business seeks to make a profit by providing customers with goods and services. The success of the business is in the quality of the goods and customer service. Management and leadership styles have a great impact on the working environment and employees' motivation. The working environment also affects both management and other employees' motivation, which in turn influences the overall progress and well being of the organization. It all comes down to keeping employees enthusiastic and energized by developing a leadership style that will build teamwork and growth for the organization.

The managers' leadership style contributes directly to the employees' motivation and work satisfaction. There are many types of leadership styles, one that is task-oriented and the other is employee-oriented. A manage or supervisor with a task-oriented style will typically train and expect results as if they we doing the task themselves. On the other hand, the manager with an employee-oriented leadership style will foster team work with a concern in boosting employee self esteem, enhancing their decision making and problem solving skills. Not all leaders fall exclusively into one style or the other. Depending on the personality and the dominant part of the manager's style, the effects on the customer service representative will vary.

There are three main types of leadership styles that shape all kinds of leaders. The three types are the autocratic, democratic, and free-reign styles of leadership. The autocratic style of leadership would be considered the most task-oriented type, in which the manager carries out all the decision-making process without any feedback or suggestions from subordinates. Communication is one-way, where the work provided by the manager is to be done without any modifications by the subordinates. In this style of leadership, the delegation of authority is controlled, meaning that the decision-making is only performed by senior managers and is rarely delegated to subordinates along the chain of command. The democratic leadership style is more of a participative type of leadership. It is a two-way communication leadership, in which employees are allowed to contribute in the decision-making; however, the manager makes the final decision. The delegation of authority in this style of leadership is less controlled and more decentralized than in the autocratic style. Employees feel more flexible, since they are allowed to modify in the methods of accomplishing the tasks and to contribute in the decision-making. This changes the working environment; making it an environment with a lot of team working, where each employee feels that he plays an essential role in the well being of the business. The free-reign style of leadership is the most lenient style, in which the employees have the complete freedom by having the right of making the final decision-making. When assigned tasks, they finish them using their desired method, making the final decision and adding any innovations. The leader creates a very friendly environment where each subordinate is accountable for his job, without the involvement of the leader, except in some situations. However, the manager in this case adopts this style of leadership when there is great honesty and trust between the employees and managers. Ideal leaders follow the motivational theories to enhance the working environment and to make the employees not only satisfied, but also highly motivated. Employees' motivation is the force that initiates, directs, and sustains personal behaviors and actions, which is the force that moves employees and managers to higher performance.

There is a multitude of reasons an employee will remain within a given company. High pay, excellent benefits, job security, and the ability to retire within a company are among the most sought after components of the perfect job. Unfortunately, any one of these attributes alone is not enough to outweigh the problem of low perceived job satisfaction. (Leavitt,1996).

The opportunity to advance plays an important role in an employee's length of employment. If an employee feels they cannot achieve a higher level, they are more apt to consider another company's offer. On the opposite side, if an employer feels that an employee is not capable of a higher level of placement, they may retain the person in their current role indefinitely with only mediocre, if any, cost of living increases.

Job satisfaction is the single most sought after attribute of the employment relationship. The most important element of job satisfaction is job security. (Khaleque & Chowdhury,1983). The ramifications of job satisfaction are extremely influential to any organization. It alone can be a determining factor affecting employee efficiency, productivity, absenteeism, as well as turnover. (Rahman, Rahman, & Khaleque,1995).

Employee treatment is one reason for high turnover. Cornell Professor Rosemary Batt stated that many call centers treat their workers as "second-class employees" by providing lower pay and reduced benefits. Additionally, many call centers with high employee turnover segment their workers, a practice that makes it difficult for employees to cross-train or advance within the company. "Providing top-notch customer service still requires a high level of human interaction, and call center managers must continue to invent creative ways to motivate, reward and retain valuable agents," (Elio Evangelista, Cutting Edge Information). "Today, companies must build more sophisticated reward and recognition programs to boost morale and create a light, fun working atmosphere."

There are three ways to upgrade service in operating a call center:

1.) Set a higher performance standard Ð'- as a team.

From day one a customer service representative should be made aware of the level of performance that is expected and how important it is to be consistent in maintaining this standard. It is vital that the customer service representative have a genuine love of the work. Those who do not will lack the concentration needed Ð'- to motivate themselves on a daily basis. A customer service representative who loves working on the phone grasps the demands of giving better service much easier.

2.) Insist that customer service representatives communicate the idea or subject matter professionally - with concern for the consumer.

3.) Have well - informed customer service representatives. Encourage company loyalty.

Management should encourage employees to speak out about how comfortable they are with the quality of the product and provide callers an impromptu forum to voice their opinions. Customer service