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A transformative project integrating gamification into the workplace to increase employee engagement and productivity without disrupting daily operations.
This strategic initiative improved performance indicators significantly, fostering a dynamic work environment and demonstrating the impactful merger of business objectives with engaging game mechanics.

Introduction

The bank's contact center experiences significant staff turnover among call center operators each tourist season. Alongside managing these challenges, the department was tasked with ongoing development goals: expanding the client base, increasing conversion rates on credit projects, and reducing the average call time. To address this, it was crucial to engage employees as if they were playing a modern game, linking the goals of the game and the actions of the 'players' to their motivations, the specific workflows, the business objectives, and the outcomes of the contact center’s activities​

I served as the lead Instructional Designer and project manager, working closely with IT specialist and analyst.

Project tasks

Conducting a comprehensive analysis of the project's target audience

Connecting the game's methodology with the employees' workflow and their business performance metrics.

Integrating gamification moduls into the client's ERP system*

Engaging supervisors in the project and prepare them to participate as mentors in the game.

Preparing an informational campaign and designing promotional materials to advance the project.

Developing an analytics system to monitor progress based on specific metrics.*

*In cooperation with IT specialist and analyst.

Analysis

Identifying Issues

Through interviews and the creation of an Employee Journey Map, I conducted a thorough analysis of the project's target audience to identify key challenges, understand their motivations, and uncover their preferences regarding the game's storyline and communication channels.

The goal was to ensure that employees would engage with the gamification process based on their own interests. By understanding their inner motivations — whether for personal achievement or social interaction — I tailored the game mechanics and communication strategies to meet their needs. This approach ensured that all participants had the necessary information and felt genuinely involved, enhancing both their experience and operational efficiency.

Design

Project's concept

The concept revolved around strategically integrating game elements with business objectives to boost employee involvement.

For this project, the primary metaphor chosen was "space exploration." This gaming world allowed each employee to showcase their professional and personal qualities. In this expansive universe, employees were not bound by limitations—they could set their own goals: to excel individually or as a team, to improve their professional skills, or to express their full creative potential.

"Outer space" represented achieving tangible results: performance metrics, rewards, and gifts. "Inner space" symbolized the personal drive for self-fulfillment and engagement: creativity, growth, and new challenges.

By leveraging the theme of space exploration, the initiative encouraged employees to display their skills and creativity within a supportive environment. The goal was to create a setting where employees feel valued, motivated to excel both individually and as part of a team, ultimately fostering a sense of belonging and improving productivity.

Format

To increase work efficiency, players had several quantitative performance indicators:

  1. Individual weekly missions (based on the previous week's metrics) and team missions (based on the group's overall performance efficiency).

  2. A visual ranking of players and teams.

  3. A bonus store for completing missions.

Additionally, I developed mechanics to enhance the attractiveness of the employer brand:

  • Completion of individual and team creative tasks and challenges that fostered positive habits in life and affected the team's position in the game.

  • Weekly tasks for supervisers related to employee management.

  • Forming a team of deputy managers from among the operators.

  • Created a bonus store for completing weekly missions.

Development

Methodological Content

The project had several success metrics, and to achieve them, I employed a variety of strategies:

  1. Reducing Employee Turnover: This was addressed through two parallel mechanics focused on both individual and team achievements. Additionally, special missions for mentors and weekly personalized feedback on performance metrics played a key role in driving engagement and retention.

  2. Increasing Work Productivity: Specifically, we aimed to boost the number of visits scheduled on the incoming line. To accomplish this, we assigned individual tasks that included training materials and scripts to enhance the quality of customer interactions.

  3. Reducing Average Call Duration: To address this metric, individual mentoring sessions were incorporated as special missions for mentors, providing targeted guidance to improve efficiency.

Designing materials

In collaboration with a designer visual materials were created, including banners, images, and posters consistent with the game's branding to promote the project and design the IT modules. The final set included over 50 items, such as images for each employee bonus, posters explaining the game rules, quick-reference guides with key rules, and banners for announcing tasks and tracking progress.

System Integration and Analytics Setup

In collaboration with IT specialists and analysts, the gamification modules were integrated into the client's ERP system. These modules allowed participants to engage with the game and set up their personal profiles. Integration with the ERP system enabled real-time analytics, collecting data on a daily basis and allowing for quick analysis of progress.

Implementation

Promotion

In the case of the client's contact center, the main communication channels turned out to be emails to corporate accounts and posters in the office.

The promotional phase had a significant impact on the game and its engagement among employees:

  • 100% of employees were informed about the game launch and its main rules.

  • 90% of employees accessed the IT platform to explore the game and set up their personal profiles.

  • All managers were fully engaged in implementing the game, understood the rules, and could inform their teams accordingly.

Support

During the implementation phase It was essential to monitor the game process, collect feedback from participants, oversee task completion, and track performance metrics. Additionally, I held weekly meetings with team curators and key game figures so I could monitor project progress and make necessary adjustments to the game, emphasizing that "flexibility is everything."

Evaluation

Project by the Numbers

  • Employee turnover: The target turnover rate for the game was set at 13%, but the actual achieved rate was 9.82%. This means the project exceeded its goal. In terms of employee turnover, the lower the percentage, the better.

  • Work productivity: the number of visits scheduled on the incoming line. The maximum increase in the number of visits reached 11.5%.

  • Average call duration. The maximum reduction in average call time was 2%. The final average was 308 seconds, compared to the planned target of 247 seconds. External factors influenced the results:

  1. Temporary shift to remote work due to the pandemic in 2020.

  2. The introduction of new employees who struggled not only to meet the ambitious game goals but also to achieve basic performance standards from their first day.

Results

In addition to the initial project goals, gamification also enabled

For employees

Gamification allowed employees to identify informal leaders, realize their potential, more easily adapt to changes, and gain insights on how to improve their work performance.

For the business

Gamification helped strengthen their authority, enhance their management skills and knowledge through weekly review meetings, tasks, and special missions, and provided development opportunities leading to promotions.

For the contact center

Gamification created a unified communication platform for employees across all groups, enhancing familiarity among colleagues and strengthening internal communications within the center and teams. Various communication formats were used, including interviews, newsletters, and videos.

For curators/supervisors

Gamification helped enhance knowledge sharing, improve the efficiency of new employee adaptation, support corporate culture, and foster cohesion within groups.

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