It’s no secret that attrition has always been a problem for the customer service industry. Cisco’s research reveals that “agent turnover” is among the top five challenges faced by contact centres worldwide. McKinsey reaffirms that most contact centres witness attrition of up to 60% every year, well ahead of the cross-industry national average.
This is a major problem for two reasons: first, empty seats mean there are fewer agents to attend to calls, leading to a dip in CX until they are replaced. Second, good agents can be hard to find and even harder to train. To fully onboard a new agent, you’d have to spend anywhere between $10,000 and $20,000.
Reducing attrition can help you avoid interruptions to business continuity and keep contact centre labour costs in check. Here’s how:
- Invest in agent training
While agent training is seen as an operational imperative, it can also do wonders for employee engagement. It demonstrates to agents that the company truly cares about their development and employability, which is all the more important with in-person employee engagement gatherings not feasible for a while now.
- Offer self-service scheduling
Inconvenient shifts are among the top reasons for attrition among contact centre employees. You can address this through self-service scheduling, allowing agents to choose a slot that’s most suitable as per their other obligations. Someone working two jobs might choose an early morning shift, while a parent might want to work in the afternoons – this flexibility is key to preventing attrition.
- Insist on a positive work-life balance
Contact centre targets are often incentivised. As a result, agents might stretch themselves too far, causing stress, burnout, and eventually attrition. It is important to emphasise the need for work-life balance from the get-go, by setting down clear work and overtime thresholds, mandatory holidays, and a culture that doesn’t value presenteeism.
- Implement a robust rewards and recognition program
A simple thank you note or a shout-out in front of the full team can go a long way in making agents feel appreciated for their efforts. Rewards and recognition programs are extremely important in contact centres, as customer service can often be a thankless job.