In his book “The 5 Languages of Love”, Chapman outlined five different ways in which people can express love to their partners.

Here's how we apply these five 'languages of love' to our customer service employees and what it achieves:

1. Speak using positive words

Using positive words in daily communication helps keep employees connected, both with each other and the organisation. But be clear in your positive expressions. Highlight specific qualities you want to emphasise as accurately as possible: the excellent solutions your agents have provided for customers, or how someone has shown great leadership in a particular situation. Include exemplary behaviour in the newsletter to show the impressive steps a colleague has taken for themselves and the company.

2. Give others time and attention

Create regular moments (15 minutes each month) where you genuinely take the time to discuss your customer service employee's career progression and challenges. Show genuine interest in your employee. What motivates them? What are their personal interests? Where would they like extra coaching?

3. Reward others

One of the most commonly used and easily implemented forms of employee reward is the bonus, but there are other incentives too: a bouquet of flowers, a dinner, a cinema voucher. You might also grant high-performing customer service employees the option to work from home, or have a team leader cover their shift for a few minutes as a reward for hard work. This demonstrates that you appreciate your agents, and that their efforts are truly rewarded. Experience shows that rewards significantly impact the behaviours people exhibit.

4. Be supportive

Make work easier for your employees. Involve them in thinking about the organisation's growth and progress. Set up a suggestion box, remove obstacles that make work difficult (slow systems, malfunctioning equipment, complicated software). Listen to your team – and demonstrate that customer service employees are important to you.

5. Make physical contact

No. By ‘physical contact’, we don't mean an awkward hand on the shoulder or an unwelcome hug from the boss. But research has shown that friendly physical interaction to celebrate successes – the classic high five, or a fist bump – strengthens the enjoyable work bond and trust among people. So do give it a try.

(If a colleague really isn't comfortable with this, of course, you should respect their boundaries.)
The beauty of these “5 Languages of Love” is that they are almost universal – though one language might resonate better with each employee than another. That is why at ContactCare, we carefully assess which language suits each person best – so each customer service employee is encouraged to grow personally in their own way and thus contribute to the prosperity of the organisation. Ultimately, your company's greatest asset is your own staff. Want to know more about how motivated customer contact employees can keep your customers satisfied? Get in touch here .