A Montreal Call Centre

This case study focuses on a call centre of one of the world’s largest IT and business consulting firms in Montreal. With over 500 customer service agents, the centre has been operating for several years. While internal policies prevent the disclosure of the company’s name or the identity of its Operational Efficiency Project Manager, they have agreed to share their transformative journey, emphasizing the impact of Altrum’s Peer Recognition Software and Points-Based Rewards System.

In 2021, as the pandemic reshaped the workplace and remote work became the norm, the company faced a critical challenge: maintaining a strong culture of recognition despite employees being physically distant. The call centre needed to keep remote employees engaged, productive, and well supported. However, with face-to-face interactions no longer possible, fostering peer-to-peer recognition became more complex.

The company outlined several key objectives to tackle this challenge effectively:

1. Maintaining meaningful employee recognition in a remote work setting to foster a strong sense of belonging and motivation.

2. Facilitating communication and collaboration among colleagues to maintain team cohesion.

3. Motivating employees with rewards through contests and themed campaigns, boosting both engagement and performance while working remotely.

The call centre’s European division was already using Altrum’s Peer Recognition and Rewards Software. Inspired by their success, the Montreal team decided to explore whether the solution could meet their unique needs.

They quickly discovered that the platform not only met their recognition goals but also enabled them to enhance employee engagement and performance. Through incentive campaigns and personalized dashboards integrated with internal systems, the call centre was able to reward both individual and team achievements, fostering a continuous cycle of motivation.

Additionally, this integration allowed employees to access their own performance metrics, empowering them to track their progress and optimize their results.

For administrators, the dashboards provided real-time insights into budgets, point allocation, and platform usage, simplifying tracking and management. They can track who was logging in, awarding points, redeeming rewards, and how these interactions enhanced team dynamics.

The main factors that influenced their decision included:

1. The flexibility of the platform.

2. The user-friendly interface.

3. The platform’s ability to foster peer recognition.

4. Comprehensive features like real-time dashboards for tracking budgets and performance indicators.

5. The ability to tie campaign success directly to key performance indicators and strategic business objectives.

Implementing the solution within the company was straightforward. A project manager was appointed to coordinate efforts, and a working committee was formed to tailor the platform’s parameters to their needs. Collaborating with Altrum, they customized the interface to reflect the call centre’s branding and specific requirements.

Once fully configured, the platform was rolled out to 500 employees, including customer service agents, managers, and administrative staff. To spark interest and encourage participation, an initial incentive campaign was launched, supported by internal ambassadors who motivated employees to sign up.

The platform was designed to:

1. Increase peer recognition: The Appreciation Wall enables employees to acknowledge one another and allows managers to celebrate achievements by awarding points.

2. Celebrate positive behaviours: A customized badge system automatically recognizes employees who demonstrate the company’s core values, such as teamwork, collaboration, or outstanding customer service.

3. Track performance in real-time: Dashboards enable employees to view key KPIs like call handling times and hold duration. Managers accessed team data, while agents tracked their own statistics.

“What’s great about this tool is that it’s not just managers who can access the data. Each agent can see their own performance and set personal goals for improvement,” noted the Operational Efficiency Project Manager.

4. Encourage continuous improvement: Incentive campaigns engage and motivate employees daily. For instance, during system updates, quizzes are organized to encourage agents to learn about changes. Points are awarded based on correct answers, motivating employees to stay informed about updates affecting clients.

“When we run incentive campaigns, we see a significant spike in platform usage,” the project manager added.

Campaigns typically conclude with a newsfeed post summarizing key highlights, thanking participants, and sharing quiz answers with additional explanations for frequently missed questions.

5. Reward employees: The rewards store offers a wide range of products suited to all preferences, requiring no management effort from supervisors. Employees can redeem points anytime, whether for small gifts or by saving up for larger rewards. Popular choices include Amazon, SAQ, Uber Eats, and DoorDash gift cards.

Since implementing the platform, the company has seen several notable improvements:

1. Increased peer recognition: Appreciation messages and thank-you notes became a daily staple on the platform.

2. Higher employee engagement and motivation: Incentive campaigns and rewards encouraged employees to perform at their best, fostering a positive and productive work environment.

3. Improved employee performance: Incentive campaigns helped employees focus on enhancing key performance metrics.

“People like having a small carrot at the end of the stick. Even if it’s not a high-value reward, it encourages and motivates them daily,” added the project manager.

“The platform has truly transformed how we recognize and engage our employees. It’s both intuitive and user-friendly, designed to encourage colleagues to engage with recognition posts, creating a positive ripple effect across the entire team. Real-time performance tracking and point-based rewards incentive campaigns have been game-changers for us,” shared the Operational Efficiency Project Manager.

“Additionally, we’ve experienced excellent responsiveness from Altrum. When certain tools didn’t function as expected, we requested development options, which were implemented very quickly. Even now, whenever I need support, I receive a prompt response,” she added.

In conclusion, adopting the Appreciation Wall and Points-Based Rewards Program has enabled this customer service department to transform its recognition culture, boost employee engagement, and improve overall performance even in a remote work setting. This case study highlights how a well-implemented recognition platform can significantly impact company culture and employee performance.

Building on this success, the call centre plans to further enhance its recognition practices. The team aims to:

• Develop an annual calendar of incentive campaigns to sustain engagement with the Appreciation Wall.

• Further customize the Peer Recognition and Rewards Software.

• Strengthen training for new employees on platform usage.

• Continue involving leadership in the process to ensure ongoing adoption and support