Here’s what motivates employees. Reward. Competition. Recognition. Achievement. That’s not me talking: that’s the behavioral scientists and the workplace experts. No need to cite sources, since everyone agrees.

Gamification helps with all of that. By that, I mean, an environment where day-to-day efforts receive day-to-day recognition and reward.

This comes especially into play in the call center world. Agents are far flung in offices and as Virtual Agents working from home. Gamification creates an environment of community and interaction—agents learn about each other as they compete each day, in ways that haven’t happened before. Working in a call center can be a tough job. But gamification inspires friendly competition, motivates everyone to do a little better, and adds a little flavor (maybe even a little fun) within a strenuous environment.

So how does this work? First, each agent has pre-set goals to accomplish each day. Not every agent has the same goals; for instance, a new team member has different objectives than the most senior ones. But they’re all in competition to reach their individual daily goals. It’s not one-winner-each-month. Everyone who meets their targets wins, every day. So it’s the best of both worlds: individual goals which drive group competition.

Each agent is measured in multiple ways: number of handled calls, first-call resolution rates, upsell levels, and others. Each morning when they log in at their stations, they receive a notification of their previous day’s achievement, and an award in line with how close they came to goal.

Please don’t be misled into thinking this is somehow trivial—an effort simply to make things fun. The theory of gamification within a business context has wide, mainstream support in both the academic and business worlds. Engaging teams in this kind of positive competition and rewarding those who excel are fundamental principles of behavioral science and workforce motivation. It’s used in industries across the board from energy to healthcare to manufacturing. With it, tough shifts in the contact center become easier and more productive. That in turn reduces absenteeism and turnover (which lowers cost) and increases customer satisfaction (which grows revenue).