by David Geffen
Many business leaders recognize performance management as a prime way to motivate learning and development within an organization, in addition to creating a culture of goal achievement and self-improvement. Adopting performance management goals within your organization could prove to be very empowering, leading to better results from staff and, in turn, better experiences for customers.
To truly understand the objectives of performance management, it’s first important to have a clear understanding of what performance management actually is.
What is Performance Management?
In essence, it is the ongoing process of communication between a supervisor and an employee that occurs throughout the year, in support of accomplishing the strategic objectives of the organization. Naturally, while that definition sums up the spirit of performance management, there are a lot of moving parts involved, and a more detailed breakdown of the elements to maintaining a steady workforce and contact center management software would include:
Planning work and setting expectations
Continually monitoring performance
Developing the capacity to perform
Periodically rating performance in a summary fashion
Rewarding good performance
Correcting poor performance
The concept of performance management rests on the simple principle that “what gets measured gets done.” In an ideal system, a business creates a cascade of metrics and targets, from its top-level strategic objectives down to the daily activities of its frontline employees. Managers continually monitor those metrics and regularly engage with their teams to discuss progress in meeting the targets. Good performance is rewarded; underperformance triggers action to address the problem.
To understand the goals that drive that principle, let’s take a look at the key objectives of performance management:
1 – Setting and Defining Goals to Fulfill Organizational Objectives Employees shouldn’t simply understand their own goals; they need context on how those goals align with the overall strategy of the organization. Not only will this help with their daily decision-making, but an understanding of company objectives and how their roles feed into the direction of the company will give employees a sense of meaning and purpose. It’s crucial to set goals that benefit both employee performance and organizational performance.
2 – Developing a Performance Culture Instilling an atmosphere where employees are focused on objectives, improvement, and development is one of the main objectives of performance management. When performance is properly measured and feedback is timely and adequate, positive characteristics and behaviors are reinforced, and communication is constantly focused on development, the strengths and weaknesses of the organization will become more evident and, as a result, easier to improve or rectify.
3 – Encouraging Employee Empowerment In the modern business landscape, providing employees with the appropriate tools to empower them to make decisions on behalf of the company is crucial. A highly-trained employee with the power of decision will not only ensure higher customer satisfaction, but will also reinforce a certain level of autonomy, which can result in a more positive customer experience. It’s all about encouraging employee buy-in, not only into the value-driven service their organization is providing, but also buy-in to the brand that they are representing.
4 – Promoting Improved Communication Between Teams Performance management relies on good communication and can be used to promote good two-way channels between leaders and employees. By promoting and fostering open communication, organizations are rewarded with employees who are focused and engaged. It can also be used to improve accountability in your organization, as staff will feel more comfortable about being open and honest.
5 – Identifying Areas for Development Another one of the key objectives of performance management is evaluating where development opportunities exist. It is vital to create development plans with employees. Focusing on development means managers and employees can put effective plans in place, leading to individual performance improvement and, ultimately, improved organizational performance. Furthermore, when it becomes evident the organization is invested in their personal development and career aspirations, employees will feel like valued and respected members of the team instead of a replaceable cog in the machine.
6 – Setting Appropriate Expectations for Both Managers and Employees A truly efficient performance management system places clear and reasonable expectation upon managers and employees alike. As such, managers should assign manageable goals to their direct reports. For instance, it’s unreasonable to expect a poor performer to begin providing improved results right away. Conversely, a star performer can’t be expected to maintain elevated levels week after week. Additionally, setting unreasonably lofty expectations for managers will only result in poor management decisions.
7 – Establishing Positive Incentives for Good Work You want to encourage your employees to do their best work, all the time. One of the best ways to do this is through positive incentives. Quotas, contests, and rewards can provide positive incentives in a number of different ways.
First, they can keep employees motivated when the calls get difficult. Second, they can help maintain a higher level of morale throughout your entire team. And third, they can make employees feel appreciated.
When your employees feel appreciated, they’re more than likely to go the extra mile to provide high-quality customer service when the need arises. That benefits them, you, and the entire organization.
Using NICE Performance Management to Improve and Engage Your Employees Help foster a performance-driven culture through engagement and insight with NICE Performance Management (NPM). NPM propels the long-term success of your organization by comprehensively improving workforce optimization and customer satisfaction. Highly personalized tools empower frontline agents, back-office staff, supervisors, and managers to efficiently meet performance goals. The result? NPM ensures that your organization consistently achieves better staff performance, higher CSAT scores, and greater employee retention.
NPM can transform performance by:
Providing accessible and easy-to-use metrics and analytics
Closing performance gaps with personalized coaching and actionable goals
Ensuring accuracy and increasing visibility through out-of-the-box WFO integration
Enabling behavioral change with robust, adaptive insights and actions
The results are self-evident: NICE clients using NPM report a 50 percent increase in employee engagement and satisfaction.
David Geffen A Solution marketing evangelist with over 10 years experience in the WFO world and 6 patents. David leads the marketing activity of the Real Time Impact (RTI) and Back Office solutions. As part of his role David has deep knowledge regarding market trends and customer requirements, is responsible for the positioning of NICE offerings in a unique and engaging way and is deeply involved with developing the solution roadmap.