Employee satisfaction – or ESAT – is intrinsically linked to customer satisfaction. Simply, it’s easier to create positive experiences when you feel positive yourself.
As such, promoting employee satisfaction across the service front lines is important for contact centre managers. Which, in turn, requires careful analysis and ongoing tracking.
Whilst there are a few ways to gauge ESAT, the ESAT survey is one of the most widely used methods to measure how employees are feeling. So, what sort of questions do you need to ask on an ESAT survey?
Here, we’ve listed 25 useful queries to ask your contact centre team.
Employee value
This initial category of ESAT survey question is all about value in the workplace. Valuing your job — and feeling valued yourself — are critical to your overall employee satisfaction. The following questions all help pinpoint this sense of self-worth within work.
1. Do you find your work meaningful?
When an employee perceives their work as meaningful, it gives a sense of purpose and fulfilment. Meaningfulness comes from a sense of perceived value in the work they’re doing — the idea that what they’re doing is worthwhile.
2. Do you feel accomplishment from what you do?
Another way to word this is “is your work something you are proud of?”. This is another ESAT survey question that gives you an insight into how the employee values their role.
3. How happy are you at work?
What simpler way to find out if your team are happy than by asking them point-blank?
4. Do you feel valued in your role?
ESAT isn’t just about the employee finding the value in their role, but feeling valued themselves, too. It’s unsatisfying when you put effort into something like your work with customers, but don’t feel like that effort is valued or recognised.
5. How likely are you to recommend this job to others?
In general, we recommend things that we enjoy and think are good to others. If an employee is highly likely to recommend the company or job to others, they’re implicitly saying they think it’s good. That is, they’re satisfied with it.
Atmosphere and empowerment
It’s easier to feel satisfied and happy at work when the atmosphere you’re working in is pleasant, you get along with your colleagues, and you’re trusted by your supervisors. So, these ESAT survey questions seek to gain an understanding of how these factors impact your team.
6. Do you like the company culture? Why or why not?
The culture of your workplace will play a significant role in the satisfaction of employees. A culture mismatch can mean a team member doesn’t feel like they belong.
7. Can/Do your colleagues help you when needed?
This ESAT survey question is all about recognising the importance of teamwork to employee satisfaction. Teamwork creates a sense of belonging, and interaction with colleagues can help create a positive workplace atmosphere. Promoting teamwork in the contact centre can boost employee satisfaction.
8. How well do members of your team communicate with each other?
Another ESAT survey question that looks at teamwork analyses how satisfied employees are with their communication. Satisfied employees are ones that have easy communication with colleagues. Internal chat options and things like whisper messages can help with this.
9. Do you feel empowered to do your job well?
Agent empowerment brings a host of benefits to the contact centre. It means that customers connect with agents that have the confidence and ability to solve the problem. It also boosts employee satisfaction. Empowering agents demonstrates that you trust them and value their skills.
10. Do you have the tools and technologies you need to do your job well?
For instance, useful tools like sentiment analysis, and decent integration to make an omnichannel offering. Channel swapping can impede work — it’s frustrating for contact centre agents — and can reduce satisfaction.
Management
It’s often said that employees don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers. Indeed, management plays a key role in employee satisfaction — and management needs vary from team member to team member. So, ask about how your employees feel in terms of their management.
11. Do you feel your opinions are heard and valued by your supervisor?
It’s a well-known tenet of customer satisfaction that it’s important to make the customer feel listened to. It’s no different when it comes to your team and their satisfaction.
12. Do you regularly receive useful, constructive feedback?
One thing that can contribute to job satisfaction is having your work recognised, and the opportunity to grow and improve. (And then having those improvements recognised.)
13. If something unusual comes up, do you know who to go to for a solution?
Sometimes, customers have unique problems or queries. When an agent can’t answer something, it can contribute to feeling inadequate at the role — hurting their job satisfaction. But, if they’re able to quickly get help with unusual customer needs, this impact is averted — because they’re supported enough to solve the issue.
14. How easy is it to get help from your supervisor when you need it?
This ESAT survey question recognises that it’s not just about being able to get support, but being able to get it easily. It’s stressful when there’s a customer waiting, and the help you need is nowhere to be found.
15. Do you feel supported by your supervisors?
When it comes to customer service, there are moments in which agents need to know their supervisors are on their side. For instance, when dealing with abusive customers. When an agent feels supported, they’re more likely to feel safe and satisfied at work.
Work/life balance
There’s a significant positive correlation between work/life balance and employee job satisfaction. Work/life balance comes from having enough personal time, mental and physical wellness, and the right workload and level of challenge at work. Ask:
16. In a typical week, how often do you feel stressed at work?
Stress is bad for health and for employee satisfaction. While some levels of work-related stress can be expected, excessive amounts can cause issues outside of the workday, hurt health, and destroy job satisfaction.
17. Do you feel that the company takes adequate action to promote employee wellness?
A study has found that wellness programs can positively influence job satisfaction levels. It’s hard to feel satisfied as an employee when you aren’t well. Staying healthy can lead to positive mindsets, and help to boost satisfaction.
18. Do you find your workload/targets reasonable?
Having too much — or too little — to do can hurt employee satisfaction. Targets that are too high or an excessive workload can lead to burnout and stress. Meanwhile, having too little to do or easy targets to meet can contribute to boredom and a sense of not being fully valued or challenged. This ESAT survey question gives you a chance to make sure the balance is right for each team member.
19. Do you feel that you have a good work/life balance?
Work/life balance is core to employee satisfaction. And there’s no better way to know whether it’s impacting your employees than by asking them in your ESAT survey.
20. Do you think management respects your personal time?
This is another ESAT survey question that looks at work/life balance — and whether your team feel that it’s respected and supported.
Career
A final contributing factor to employee satisfaction is the sense of career, of progression, and of attaining skills. So, a good ESAT survey will ask questions that give insight into how employees view these aspects of their work in the contact centre.
21. Do you think you’ve had enough training to solve customer issues?
Feeling well-equipped to do your job gives you confidence. Proper training ensures that agents have the skills they need and promotes their development. In doing so, it also supports employee satisfaction.
22. Do you feel you have adequate advancement opportunities?
It’s not enough to have a job you’re good at — being able to improve and advance, having something to work towards, is also important. Perhaps it’s eventually moving to second-line support, or the role of a supervisor, for example.
23. Do you see yourself working here in two years?
If an employee sees a future with the contact centre, it stands to reason they’re satisfied with their job/career there.
24. How likely are you to look for another job outside the company?
Similarly, if an employee is likely to look for new opportunities elsewhere, it suggests they aren’t completely satisfied where they are. It points to potential issues.
25. How well do you think you’re paid for the work that you do?
Compensation is another factor in employee satisfaction. If an employee thinks they’re being underpaid, they can feel devalued.
ESAT survey questions are only the beginning
These 25 questions will help get you started on gauging employee satisfaction in the contact centre. But remember: they’re only a starting point. There is little value in taking the time to survey your team if you don’t intend to address the issues they raise.
Or, in other words, ask great questions – but learn from listening.
Useful links
ESAT: employee satisfaction and why it matters
Agent empowerment: what is it, and why is it so important?
Embracing the omnichannel contact centre
Live chat software: the unsung hero in improving employee morale