A recent survey asked what aspects of the customer experience would encourage people to continue doing business with a company. Here are the top three influencing factors: helpful employees, knowledgeable employees, and friendly employees. Satisfied customers tend to come back, but dissatisfied customer service agents can make customers run the other way. Community financial institutions (CFIs) face a daunting challenge in keeping those critical front-line customer service agents engaged and effective. That’s because too many customer service agents aren’t satisfied with their roles. A new survey by Capgemini found that only 16% of bank contact center customer service agents are satisfied with their jobs. According to another survey from CareerExplorer, tellers feel similarly. Tellers rate their career happiness at 2.5 out of 5, ranking them in the bottom 4% of careers. Factors Driving Job DissatisfactionInterestingly, tellers had a better view of their work environment, rating it 3.1 on a scale of 1 to 5. However, they gave their jobs a ranking of just 2.0 for how meaningful the work is. It’s likely that similar sentiments are shared by other front-line banking agents. Why are so many important customer experience personnel so down on their jobs, and what can a CFI do to change that? Drilling down into the stats for tellers provides some clues for sources of dissatisfaction. Tellers were highly dissatisfied with their pay and with the nature of their work, according to the survey. In addition to finding little meaning in their work, they also expressed frustration that their skills were being underutilized. One can easily imagine a similar feeling among other front-line agents.Eight Strategies To Improve Front-Line Worker MoraleWhile the statistics on job satisfaction for front-line workers are disheartening, they also present the opportunity to improve your workplace culture for the employees who make the first impression on your customers. Here are some strategies your CFI can implement to help boost morale for these workers:
- Offer bonuses and incentives. Set up a bonus program that rewards good work. Involve employees in crafting the program to ensure it aligns with their needs and motivations. Highlight team achievements and share success stories to inspire others.
- Create an employee appreciation program. Go beyond “Employee of the Month” by implementing a peer-to-peer recognition program. Encourage employees to nominate each other for their contributions, and celebrate these moments in team meetings or newsletters.
- Have your managers write personal notes of appreciation for work well done. Encourage managers to be specific in their praise, mentioning how an employee’s actions made a difference. This personal touch shows genuine care and builds stronger relationships.
- Give free lunches. Turn free lunches into team-building opportunities. For example, host themed lunches like “Taco Tuesday” or “Pizza and Problem-Solving” to encourage collaboration and idea-sharing in a relaxed setting.
- Hold staff meetings with a spotlight on workers’ concerns and suggestions. Regularly hold “listening sessions” or anonymous surveys to gather feedback. Act on the insights by implementing changes and sharing updates on progress.
- Provide training and opportunities for advancement. Offer tailored training programs that align with individual career goals. Create mentorship opportunities and highlight success stories of employees who have advanced within the organization.
- Personalize the job. Encourage managers to know their team members personally. Recognize birthdays, work anniversaries, or small wins like completing a challenging project. Consider creating a “Wall of Wins” to showcase these moments visually.
- Seek technology that helps front-line workers do their jobs better. Invest in tools that reduce repetitive tasks and empower employees to focus on meaningful interactions. For example, AI-driven customer service tools can handle routine inquiries, allowing tellers to focus on building relationships with customers.
Room To GrowCFIs still have an advantage over larger banks when it comes to employee job satisfaction. In American Banker’s Best Banks to Work For rankings from 2024, 59 of the 90 best banks had less than $3B in assets. While that’s encouraging, there’s still room for improvement, even at the most employee-friendly CFI. Even though front-line customer service agents and tellers in banks have often felt unfulfilled and unsatisfied in their roles in the past, that doesn’t mean it has to stay the status quo. Try instituting morale-boosting strategies to bolster front-line banking employees' job satisfaction. You’ll see the difference in not just your staff, but your customers as well.
