How To Minimize Productivity Failures

In my last post, a few weeks ago I spoke about Increase Your Productivity In 2010.  When anyone mentions ways to increase productivity, most people jump up and show their PDA/iPhone/smartphone or whatever method they use to plan their days, meetings, keep in touch with the office etc.,  But beyond these basic tools, there are other measures to increase productivity that are sitting under your nose.

Managing a call center, you quickly learn what these productivity enhancers are — and if you haven’t figured it out yourself, then most certainly your staff will tell you (very LOUDLY).

There are some simple enhancements that you can make you your users workstations, depending on their function and what they need.  Other enhancements are as simple as ensuring that they keyboards work, the mouse works and they can start their computer up in the morning without waiting for 30 minutes.

Quick Fix #1

Function keys on the keyboard don’t work.

Most managers will roll their eyes at this, and chalk it up to yet another complaint – but until your function keys DON’T work you will never know how important they are.  Much of what I do involves accessing multiple websites (internally hosted, of course) so access to the F5 key (refresh) and F6 key are crucial.  When my keyboard stopped (well the function keys stopped working) it means that I now need to use my mouse or hit tab a gazillion times to perform the same function.

So you might be thinking to yourself – it’s only a few extra seconds – but could those seconds up and it could end up to be15-30 minutes per day in lost time.

If you’ve got an IT support team - make sure you use them to fix these types of minor irritants.

Quick Fix #2

Multiple monitors.

Who doesn’t want multiple monitors – but most IT departments won’t spend the money on them.  They also won’t support multiple monitors for one or two people, because soon everyone will want one because its essential to their jobs.

Sorry but that argument does not hold water.

As a manager, if you can make a solid business case for your staff to have multiple monitors and you can make the case for an increase in productivity via smoother workflows then what’s holding you back.  Though an expense, depending on how many systems your agents need access to, and how many applications they keep running at anyone time on the dekstop a second monitor might be an expense that will pay off in smoother workflows for your staff.

Getting Things Done

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: CDN$ 18.50

Amazon Price: CDN$ 13.36

Quick Fix #3

Equipment that WORKS.

Whether this is printers, faxes or simple stuff like mice and keyboard – make sure equipment works.  If not, replace it FAST.  We’ve come to depend on the mouse, and when it doesn’t work – it puts people into a state of disarray.  I “grew up” in the DOS days and when I had to switch to a mouse, it was terrible!  I hated it.  But like everything else, I got used to it and now can’t imagine how I’d manouver applications like Microsoft Office, or the browser any other way!

Mice and keyboards are cheap.  Keep a few on hand, and everyone is happy should one cease to function.

You may even want to consider wireless mice and keyboard for key individuals on your team.

Quick Fix #4

The minor details – foot stools, good chairs and as ergonomic workarea as you can reasonably accomodate.

Some of these items may seem odd - like a foot stool; after all your staff is there to work – not sit and relax.  But simple additions like these to those individuals that needs them results in increased productivity from those individuals.  Something simple like a $20 – $40 foot stool may save a $200+ purchase in an ergonimic chair for someone.

Do you have any productivity failures in your work area?  What are they?  Share them with us, along with your solution!