The pandemic dramatically transformed the structure of the traditional workspace. It forced businesses to quickly adopt a work-from-home model to ensure both employee safety and business continuity. In the years between, most businesses have brought employees back into the physical office while others have chosen to stay remote or adopt a hybrid approach.
In 2024, statistics show a clash between employees’ desire for remote work and employers’ preference for presence in a brick-and-mortar office.
Although 22% of contact center agents are expected to return to an in-office environment full time next year, this is still significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels, indicating that the flexible workforce model is likely to persist.
From an employee perspective, remote work can offer greater flexibility and employee autonomy and can boost job satisfaction and work-life balance. For businesses, it can reduce costs associated with maintaining building operations, cast a wider net for recruitment opportunities, and improve the environment by reducing carbon emissions and road congestion.
Forcing employees to return to the office when they prefer working from home or in a hybrid model can be counterproductive to collaboration, a healthy workplace culture and employee satisfaction.
By implementing the right technology and processes, businesses can capitalize on the benefits of remote work, adapt to the changing work environment and increase employee (and customer) satisfaction.
In this article, we explore how to adapt to leading teams from a distance by leveraging The Morley E3 (Empathy, Empowerment, Engagement) model to maintain exceptional customer experiences in a work-from-home setting.
| CULTIVATING EMPATHY IN THE REMOTE WORKPLACE
“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.”
– Simon Sinek
Maintaining a human connection in a virtual environment can be challenging. However, maintaining that authentic and empathetic human connection is critical to both contact center employee and customer satisfaction.
While remote work offers flexibility and independence, it can also lead to isolation, making it hard to connect and build relationships with colleagues. Though numbers are declining, 19% of remote employees say they are lonely. Leading with empathy can help bridge the gap, allowing us to connect personally despite the distance.
Integrating empathy into leadership is crucial for building strong relationships and a supportive remote work environment. Empathetic leaders inspire loyalty, encourage creativity and empower their teams. By fostering a culture of empathy, leaders create an engaged, motivated and committed workforce. Understanding employee emotions and perspectives builds trust, which is the foundation for open communication, collaboration and innovation.
Leading remote contact center employees with empathy has a positive impact on the employee experience and is a contributing factor to elevated employee satisfaction. Empathetic leadership can result in reduced turnover rates, enhanced productivity and stronger organizational relationships.
Empathy is a powerful tool that can significantly enhance the effectiveness and cohesion of remote teams.
MORLEY EXPERIENCE:
The servant leadership philosophy is deeply valued and practiced at Morley. Rooted in specific behaviors and practices, such as empathy and active listening, servant leaders prioritize the well-being of those they serve. Putting others first creates a culture where employees feel valued and motivated to contribute their best efforts.
“Service to others is the foundation of everything we do, regardless of the environment, but it becomes even more critical in a virtual setting,” explains Ricardo Resio, Morley’s Director of Human Resources. “Every decision is rooted in putting people first. When we do right by our team members, it naturally leads to better outcomes for everyone – our clients, our business, and most importantly, each other. We want our people to feel that our Morley family members come first, that we’re here to support and enrich one another’s lives, even from a distance.”
Insight 1: Leading with empathy focuses on the well-being of front-line associates. Measuring heartbeats before spreadsheets is the key to employee satisfaction.
| UNLOCKING POTENTIAL: EMPOWERING REMOTE CONTACT CENTER ASSOCIATES
Employee empowerment involves giving employees the tools and authority to manage their roles. It entails trusting them to make independent decisions on how to perform their tasks effectively and providing them with the necessary resources to do what is right for their customer.
A workplace that supports and empowers their employees bolsters the following:
Employee engagement: Empowered employees are significantly more likely to be engaged at work. Research shows that empowered employees rank in the 79th percentile for employee engagement, compared to the 24th percentile for disempowered employees.
Workplace culture: Empowerment fosters a culture of trust, collaboration and open communication. It cultivates positive work environments where employees feel confident sharing ideas and supporting each other.
Problem-solving: Empowered employees are more likely to take initiative and use creative problem-solving methods, which lead to quicker issue resolution and can drive innovation within an organization.
Employee loyalty: Positive work environments that provide growth opportunities attract potential employees and foster loyalty among current staff. This results in lower turnover rates, ultimately saving time and resources.
Hand in hand with empathy and servant leadership, empowerment acknowledges the true strength of an organization comes not only from its leadership but also from the combined potential of every employee.
MORLEY EXPERIENCE:
At Morley, empowerment is at the heart of our core values. We believe satisfaction is driven by associates having the tools and authority to Be Their Best Self. Having the right tools is more than just technology; it’s having the training that enables the delivery of extraordinary experiences.
Technology
Morley nurtures innovation by focusing on the needs of front-line associates. The right technology stack significantly enhances Morley associates’ ability to perform their jobs effectively. We accomplish this by providing tools for efficient communication, real-time data access and streamlined workflows – tools that provide the following:
Networking with other associates to build relationships
A direct line to leadership to provide immediate feedback
Curated content for quick answers to minimize conflict resolution time
Real-time feedback and insight into performance
Automating repetitive tasks to free up more time to be spent on more important aspects of their job
Using Automated Quality Management and Voice of the Customer software to automate data collection and analysis for swifter process improvement
Training
Morley adopts a personalized training approach that addresses both soft and technical skills, empowering new hires and seasoned associates to take charge of their success. By assigning meaningful tasks, offering hands-on training, facilitating job shadowing and encouraging peer mentoring, we build their confidence to Do What’s Right for their customers.
Insight 2: Providing employees with the right technology, training and authority to serve their customers effectively boosts employee satisfaction, which in turn enhances customer satisfaction.
| THE SECRET TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Certainly, remote work poses unique challenges to employee engagement. Organizations who take a deliberate and proactive approach to mitigating these challenges are likely to maintain high levels of engagement among remote workers.
Engaged employees are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs because they feel connected to their work, valued by their organization and motivated to contribute to its success. An engaged workforce has:
Increased productivity
Reduced turnover
Enhanced agent well-being
A positive impact on the bottom line
Promoting employee engagement is essential for achieving high levels of job satisfaction, cultivating a thriving workplace and delivering an extraordinary customer experience.
MORLEY EXPERIENCE:
Gamification is a powerful tool Morley uses for boosting employee engagement and creating a stimulating work environment. Remote agents can easily feel isolated, so we now use digital tools like graphic design software, dashboards, email and team collaboration platforms to promote progress and recognition and to celebrate successes.
Morley’s gamification program has evolved post-pandemic, but it remains strong thanks to our agile teams, leadership and technology. It is an excellent example of how we use humans to make technology better.
Other examples of how Morley encourages engagement between associates:
Virtual bingo games where associates fill cards with personal information that is applicable to one or more team members to get to know team members better.
Special chat spaces associates can use to chat about nonwork-related things and create a bond that they would have had if they saw each other in the office every day.
Insight 3: Employee engagement positively impacts the customer experience by fostering motivated and committed employees who deliver exceptional service.
Summary
According to the service-profit chain, employee satisfaction is a critical driver of customer satisfaction. When employees are satisfied, they are more engaged, motivated and committed to delivering high-quality service. Customers have a better experience, resulting in higher levels of satisfaction, brand loyalty and brand advocacy, which ultimately drives business growth and profitability. Empathy, empowerment and engagement all contribute to enhanced employee satisfaction.
Sources:
Buffer: State Of Remote Work 2023
Resume Builder: 1 in 4 Companies Plan To Increase Required Days In-Office in 2025, Despite Majority Losing Talent Due to RTO Policy
ContactBabel: The Inner Circle Guide to Agent Engagement & Empowerment
Leadership Navigation: Leading with Empathy: Understanding and Connection
EWF International: Employee Empowerment in 2024: How to Attract, Motivate and Retain the Best Workforce
Attorney Aaron Hall: The Power of Empathy in Leadership: Creating a Culture of Understanding