CONTACT CENTER AGENT SOURCING TURNOVER

Agents get satisfaction when they can quickly and successfully satisfy the customer.

Survey after survey shows that money is not the zenith to job satisfaction. Listen to agents for input to make the job less stressful and more manageable. W. Edwards Deming walked the manufacturing floor to listen to production line workers’ ideas. Job satisfaction isn’t always about money and benefits; it is more intrinsic. Agents work the phones daily and as a result see opportunities for improvement. They can share how and what to automate and make things run better. Agents want the satisfaction of being heard. “If you hear me, you value me. If you put my suggestions into practice, you value me. If you make the job easier, you value me.” Employees desire to succeed and want to contribute to the company’s success. Listen and implement employee process improvement suggestions.

When agents show up daily, they want to do an excellent job for the company and the customer. Agents want to be successful.

Nothing impedes this more than when the agent’s tools are broken, outdated or cumbersome. Today’s entry-level contact center agents grew up on electronic games and have a higher expectation of what is fast and fun. If you are running an old, cumbersome, slow application with a black DOS screen, it is not fun to use nor easy to learn. Does the system's limitations prevent the agent from doing his job, creating frustration and stress? Stress is the number one reason for absenteeism. Does the agent need to log in to multiple applications to perform a simple function that adds 10 extra minutes to talk times? Do you have applications that are constantly not working and agents needing to use work-arounds? Broken tools are de-motivators and morale busters. Broken tools add frustration and stress because the agent can’t do the best job he knows he can do to service the customer. He wants to go home at the end of the day knowing he did a good job.

Turnover is the result of many issues.

Some of the top reasons given are “they weren’t the right fit,” “the competition is paying more and has more robust benefits,” or “not optimal work conditions (schedule, hours, shift times, etc.).” However, the number one reason for leaving is “issues with immediate supervisors.” One unique feature of contact centers is “the lack of mobility for agents within the company.” Employees feel dead-ended with their careers and advancement if the company is headquartered elsewhere.
While these are all good reasons agents leave, has anyone looked at the job? It is a tough job! It is challenging to sit in a small space on top of another agent, repeating the same disclosures, asking the same questions, and selling the same upgrade in a very stressful environment. Is the pizza sitting in the breakroom that the site manager sprung for going to make them feel less tired? Less stressed? How about the balloons tied to the agent’s desk? Do those balloons make the agent feel less tension and anxiety?

Making the agent’s job easier and more bearable starts with automating tasks.

What can you do to make agents feel better about their jobs? How can you turn a tedious job into an interesting one? For example, the agent can prerecord and play the duplicate disclosures. This is similar to how airlines play the safety video instead of having flight attendants go through the painful process of showing how to fasten a seatbelt. Prerecorded disclosures are much more professional, pleasant to listen to, and offer a refreshing voice for the caller.

Take the stress out of the job by automating steps and integrating the CRM and contact center platform. Create online forms and fill in the blank forms that make processes error-proof. Once systems are integrated, these forms will automatically update other systems, minimizing the number of applications agents are required to work in and therefore learn and master. Are agents forgetting after call notes? How about a screen pop or CTI so agents can’t fail to miss that step? These types of automation help agents meet expectations. When agents succeed in doing their jobs, they stick around.

When agents show up every day, they want to do an excellent job for the company and the customer, agents want to be successful. Nothing impedes this more than when the agent’s tools are broken, outdated or cumbersome. Today’s entry-level contact center agents grew up on electronic games and have a higher expectation of what is fast and fun. If you are running an old, cumbersome, slow application with a black DOS screen, it is not fun to use nor easy to learn. Does the system's limitations prevent the agent from doing his job, creating frustration and stress? Stress is the number one reason for absenteeism. Does the agent need to log in to multiple applications to perform a simple function that adds 10 extra minutes to talk times? Do you have applications that are constantly not working and agents needing to use work-arounds? Broken tools are de-motivators and morale busters. Broken tools add frustration and stress because the agent can’t do the best job he knows he can do to service the customer. He wants to go home at the end of the day knowing he did a good job.

Appreciate your agents' efforts by enhancing the contact center's design, furniture, and functionality. Your environment communicates a clear message about how much you value their work. Keeping agents comfortable and content; Agents spend much time tethered to their desks. Creating an environment and atmosphere that keeps agents comfortable and content will parlay into each call an agent takes. Making customers content too versus agents venting frustrations and dumping inappropriate comments on callers. Comfort is also psychological since workers like control over their space, such as temperature control, decorations, optional standing desk, and lighting choices. The agents’ ability to adjust the environment to their style and job requirements promotes higher productivity and job satisfaction. Workers who are constantly distracted by making themselves comfortable are far less productive.

Contact Centers are challenging places to work; high-pressure environments, repetitive tasks, conversations, negative issue resolutions, all while keeping your cool. Performance is strictly monitored; every keystroke and phone call is monitored. Ergonomic furniture; They sit for hours, often in a high-pressure environment, making them prime candidates for aching backs, necks, and wrists. Aches and pains, in turn, can lead to absenteeism and costly injuries. The more agents sit, the better their chair should be. Spending money on the chair and getting all the adjustments and options, as well as the keyboard, trays, and monitors, is another source of comfort. Do agents currently share workstations, or will they in the future? The more sharing that goes on, the more adjustments you will need.