Despite all the things we’re told are wrong with coffee and candy, turns out they share one great redeeming factor that can boost contact center productivity.
Even more surprising, it’s not the caffeine.
It’s the scent.
The smell alone of coffee and chocolate makes employees type, process information and solve problems quicker and more clearly, researchers at Wheeling Jesuit University recently found.
The visual motor speed and impulse controls were improved when workers were exposed to the smell of chocolate for about 10 minutes. When they smelled coffee, their accuracy and net speed increased while errors decreased.
Good news for self-proclaimed coffee and chocolate addicts and anyone who’s ever turned to the two vices for an afternoon pick-me-up.
But don’t overlook the negative effects of coffee and chocolate: As stimulants, they will eventually lead to an energy crash.
So try these tactics:
- Regularly brew coffee in the contact center so everyone gets a productivity fix from the smell.
- Offer decaffeinated, too.
- Offer healthier versions of chocolate in your vending machines: granola bars and mixes that include some chocolate, chocolate dusted almonds, small bars of dark chocolate, etc.
