![[Ultimate Guide] How to Set Up a Call Center in 2022?](https://cdn.c-zentrix.com/blog-images/the-checklist-for-your-call-center-setup.jpeg)
Call Center, Omnichannel
[Ultimate Guide] How to Set Up a Call Center in 2022?
Generally, the call center agent attrition rate is considered to be around 20% of the workforce. However, when we look at the reasons behind this phenomenon, it is not difficult to see why these rates are so high. The job is more challenging than people often imagine, and it can take a toll on their mental health. Plus, there are social and psychological reasons that cause agents to reach burnout sooner or later.
There have been a lot of discussions lately about how to better support agents so they don't feel the need to jump ship in search of happiness. We should not only offer them support when they have reached the point of no return but also provide them with tools that will help them avoid reaching it in the first place.
Some popular reasons for agent attrition at contact centers are:
Most call center agents are overworked and that leads to frustration, frustration leads to quitting. Typical viewpoints of contact center managers and agents:
"We have a goal to reduce the average call handle time."
"We are working on eliminating excessive wait time."
"We have a focus on reducing the number of abandoned calls."
"Overall, they just want us to be more efficient so that we can do more with less."
Companies need to start focusing on work-life balance in order to get their agents back. This will help the companies to maintain their customer service standards. If you want to improve your process without hampering your agent’s mindset, you have to bet on a variety of tools, some may be powered by artificial intelligence. And it goes without saying that, you also should be rightfully staffed especially when dealing with high-pressure environments like contact centers.
The problem with the traditional approach to employee feedback is that it is often not timely and doesn't provide any real insight into what the employee needs. It is a relaxed and callous approach to asking how they are feeling at work. It is barely ever taken seriously.
AI-powered feedback tools can help contact centers to collect data in real-time, analyze employee sentiment, and score the calls or interactions. While many companies implement Quality Monitoring tools to identify the agents’ training needs and share the feedback to the agents. However, the reverse is seldom done to capture the employee’s feedback.
Listening to your employees is extremely important as they are the first ones to recognize or identify problems. If investing in tools is out of your budget, then understand that they need to heard. Curate surveys and circulate and go through them for quality analysis. Every agent’s problem is critical to the growth of your company.
Call center agents to have a lot to deal with. They have to take inbound customer calls, handle customer complaints and queries, and provide support when the customer is not satisfied. Call center agents may experience high levels of stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction. If a call center agent is unhappy, this can lead to their decision to quit the company. Call centers need a pleasant environment for their staff members so that they can maintain high morale and productivity at work. A lot of factors influence the mood of an employee; for example, noise level, light level, or temperature might not be agreeable and might affect how they feel. Eradicating these issues and creating a comfortable atmosphere is the first, basic step you can take apart from hearing their problems. Other ways of engaging your employees are through adding benefits. You can improve incentives/ bonuses or increase holidays. You can also offer them regular training to move ahead in their career or offer better chances of promotion. It is necessary to have regular team or individual meetings to understand their challenges, and the support required and have an actionable plan which gets executed.
Poor staffing leads to high attrition rates. When call center agents are overworked, they are not able to provide the type of service that customers expect. This will lead to a process called burnout which can affect their performance and in turn cause high turnover rates. Without enough staff members, these agents will be unable to take short breaks because they will have to take on the workload of other agents who have left. This leads to an increase in agent burnout. There are many factors that contribute to poor staffing leading up to this issue. The first and most obvious is an increase in demand for call center services because companies have shifted away from brick and mortar locations due to high rental costs. The second factor is a skills gap due to a shift in customer trends. And lastly, companies are unable to track their own volume of requests. They should invest in scheduling or workforce management tools to ensure everyone is sticking to their timings and is not getting overworked. Also, planning for peak demands, and putting up call deflection techniques can reduce the impact of inadequate staffing.
An employee will still struggle through a lack of benefits, poor pay, or an overworked schedule. But if their work is full of friction and lacks empowerment, then they will immediately jump the ship. Call center agents deal with a lot of stress every day. They are always working against time when managing customer tickets. Under such stress, automating the data entry work, or assisting them with chatbots or knowledge bases can make their lives easy. Some simple ways to empower your agents are:
There are more techniques to empower the agents so that they can take decisions on the floor rather than requesting their supervisors and cruise through their calls.
Better employee experience leads to better customer experience. So considering the above points will create a better employee experience and lower attrition. Companies need to value their employees by catering to their needs as much as possible. Keeping your agents happy, will help you retain them. Retained employees stay more loyal and dedicated to your business. In the face of Great Resignation, employers have to improve the work-life balance and treat their agents with respect. A motivating environment with the right mix of technology will not only reduce the attrition but also make the agents excited to come to work the next day.
