August 22, 2023

Building an Allstar Remote BDC Team Culture

Since COVID, the workings of the traditional BDC have evolved, with remote work becoming increasingly prevalent. While the shift to remote operations offers benefits such as cost savings and access to a broader talent pool, it also presents unique challenges in cultivating a positive team culture.

However, you can build a great culture within a remote BDC team with the right approach.

We had a great culture and abundant positive energy at AllCall for years. But, on March 19, 2020, COVID caused us to send 45 people home and our great culture and atmosphere was shattered.

We hung on for dear life. In April 2020, we had 3 managers working leads for a handful of dealerships. As dealerships started figuring out how to survive in a pandemic, the business slowly started coming back and in May of 2020 we started bringing back people we had laid off – but they would have to work from home.

This began the WFH era at AllCall. Our world changed, and we adapted.

Last month, July 2023, we had our biggest month in our 11-year history, and we did it with 53% of our agents working remotely. We have taken advantage of a national talent pool and now have agents from Virginia Beach to Los Angeles. And now, instead of laughing together in the call center, we do it with memes and emojis in Microsoft Teams.

For half of our team communication is remote, coaching is remote, praise and encouragement are remote. And it is working.

Praise progress: Showing appreciation for learning the craft of a remote BDC agent and for the hard work and can significantly boost morale and create positive energy. Here are some effective ways to praise.

Schedule regular one-on-one feedback sessions with team members to discuss their achievements, growth areas, and provide constructive feedback.We use this time for one-on-one coaching surrounding our QA Monitoring processes. Our entire leadership team participates in our QA processes.

Use Zoom meetings, Teams channels, or company-wide emails to publicly recognize individuals for outstanding performances.We use our Teams network and LinkedIn to highlight employee appreciation and milestones. As a matter of fact, as I am writing this blog, we have an Executive Account Manager celebrating her 8-year anniversary today. Our marketing team posted this to LinkedIn Congratulations Christina on 8 years at AllCall.

Create virtual spaces where team members can give shout-outs to their peers for their assistance, success stories, or going the extra mile. This kind of thing is spontaneously happening in our main agent Teams channel. I like the idea of a “watercooler” or “graffiti” channel too.

Engage! To keep remote BDC employees engaged and motivated, offer incentives that align with their personal and professional goals.

Here are some ideas:

Performance-Based Rewards: Put in a reward system tied to metrics like call volume, QA Monitoring, attendance or just flat out crushing it. Offer gift cards, or extra paid time off to top performers.

Promote from within whenever possible: Show employees that you care about their growth by providing training programs, certifications, or career advancement opportunities within the company. Encourage employees to build their own brand outside the company by teaching them how to build a professional profile on LinkedIn and ways to expand their network. (Every AllCall manager or agent advocate (team lead) started as an agent at AllCall.)

Offer flexibility in work schedules to accommodate personal commitments, family events and maintain work-life balance.Do this in good faith and employees will not take advantage of it. If an employee has something important to do there is a whole team of people willing to cover them for an evening.

Encouraging a sense of camaraderie and fun in a remote BDC team can have a positive influence on employee satisfaction and team culture. Here are a few ways to have fun.

Have theme days, where employees can cut up a little. For example, make Wednesdays meme day or More Cowbell Mondays where agents ring a virtual bell every time, they set an appointment.

Have phone blitzes and friendly competition from time to time. Put teams of agents in a 60-minute phone blitz and see who can set the most appointments.

Start an online recognition system to acknowledge and reward top performers. Publicly recognizing employees aid in a positive work environment

In addition to praise, engagement, and fun, our experience has taught us that the single most important activity is open and honest communication.

Open, real-time communication is a critical, must-have, non-negotiable condition for a remote team to thrive.

For mission success consider these engaging communication events and interactions

Virtual Town Halls: Host regular virtual town hall meetings to update the team on company news, progress, and upcoming new accounts and initiatives. Allow employees to ask questions and share their thoughts.

Team Chats and Forums: Utilize messaging platforms or dedicated forums to enable continuous communication, brainstorming, and sharing ideas.

Anonymous Feedback: Use a confidential feedback system, like an employee satisfaction survey to allow team members to voice concerns or suggestions, or without repercussions.

Building a great culture within a remote call center team requires intentional efforts to praise employees, incentivize their performance, and create an enjoyable work environment. With a culture of recognition, engagement, and promoting fun, BDC leaders can cultivate a cohesive and engaged remote team that delivers exceptional results and experiences continuous growth.

Remember, remote work doesn’t have to be dull or isolating. With a little creativity and genuine care for the well-being of team members, a thriving and enjoyable culture is within reach for any remote BDC team.