Posted by on December, 27 2019 8:29 pm
Wouldn’t it be great if you could get paid to play games?
While most of us will never know the life of a professional athlete, professional gamer, or other career game-player, there are many ways to bring the thrill of frivolity and fun into the workplace. The gamification of the work setting is a popular trend in many businesses, these days; it has been shown to make employees happier, more loyal to their jobs, and even more productive.
Here, we will provide you with some useful examples of gamification in business, so you can turn your agents’ hard work into a game - one that they will enjoy playing, and which will positively transform your most critical metrics.
Gamification is a common practice, but a term that fewer people have heard spoken aloud. However, it simply refers to the insertion of game technology and techniques into everyday business practices. This may take the form of making the workday more fun for employees by transforming everyday tasks into games or may be seen as a game that engages consumers and acts as an advertisement at the same time. Either way, if people are playing games, they’re having fun - and fun can mean big business.
One great example of gamification for consumers is the creation of a program called NikeFuel by the Nike athletic wear company. The program had benefits for both the consumer and the business. This is part of what makes it such an excellent example of gamification.
In the NikeFuel program, participants would work toward goals and share their results to compete with other users. These goals included various types of physical activity, as well as activity time goals. As these goals were met, users could compare their results to those of others and compete for virtual awards. They could also track their own progress and unlock small rewards along the way to improvement.
There were multifaceted benefits for the consumer. First, the healthy competition the program encouraged is an excellent motivator for continual growth and improvement. People love to feel like they are achieving something, and physical activity can make small victories difficult to keep track of. The motivation and the sense of community that the program offered were beneficial for those struggling to stay dedicated to their exercise regimen.
Users were also able to unlock rewards that included discounts for Nike products and partner offers. These savings and rewards were additional motivators for success since most of the participants were already interested in Nike brand products upon signing up for the program.
What benefit did all of this have for the Nike company? It encouraged positive regard for the brand by providing additional value to consumers. Who doesn’t want a useful, free application and access to a community of support? Giving this to consumers under the Nike name only helped to cement their positive regard for the company.
It also boosted sales. Consumers were offered discounts and rewards to redeem with Nike and sponsored partners, driving revenue upward. IT was a fun, smart business move by a company that is a leader in their field - and something that companies of all kinds can take note of and learn from.
Gamification is different, depending on the application and environment. Approaches that work for consumers are not likely to be as effective or applicable in the business setting. Below are some great examples of gamification in business that your call center can put to work:
What does gamification look like in the call center setting?
In business, gamification creates a healthy sense of competition among participants. It helps to drive employees to achieve higher and complete more tasks through rewards and recognition. In many ways, today’s most successful contact centers are already gamifying their practices - even if they don’t realize it.
Some examples of this kind of gamification include:
These are things you center may already be doing, but gamifying them can take the success you see as a result to the next level. How? Because people love to compete and win! It is a natural human instinct to attempt to outperform others. Harnessing that natural sense of playful competition can help you make major strides in increasing productivity in your facility.
There are so many ways to easily gamify your current efforts. Gauge the kinds of rewards and recognition you offer by assessing your company and community culture. Would your agents rather receive physical recognition, such as trophies, ribbons, or commemorative plaques? Or would they be happier with a visual representation of their success, such as badges or leaderboards posted where the entire staff could see? Other groups may only be motivated by more concrete and practical rewards, such as time off, monetary bonuses, and more. What you offer your staff is up to you, but making it a game to achieve common goals is one way that you can transform even the most jaded employees into super performers!
These are all prime examples of gamification in business, but they are far from the only examples or possibilities. Your center should explore all options before committing to any, so you can be sure you are realizing the best possible results. Remember, what works for one business may not work for the next; tailoring your approach is always the best way to make it work for your team.
When you’re ready to take these examples of gamification in business and turn them into a winning strategy for overhauling your techniques and technology, reach out to the industry experts at ChaseData. We have the software solutions your business needs to make every workday more fun for your agents - and realize big benefits as a result. Give us a call today to learn more!