Over the last two years, the contact centre has been far from the only area to have witnessed the rapid and unprecedented transformation. The effect that the growth of flexible work models and other pandemic-inspired changes has had on contact centre agents is the subject of a new report from Calabrio: Health of the Contact Centre 2021: Agent Well-being and the Great Resignation.
Thanks to original research on agent well-being, the report has identified a number of clear trends, including:
- The Stress Crisis, with agents reporting increased workloads
- The Technology Tug-of-War, or how some solutions are proving more effective than others
- What Agents Want, looking at the factors motivating agents to stay or leave
- What Flexibility Means Now, and how the contact centre industry has responded to remote working
In an exclusive interview, CX Today welcomes Calabrio’s Ed Creasey, Director of Pre-Sales and Graeme Meikle, WFM Consultant, to discuss the report and the ways in which the contact centre industry can respond.
Overcoming Workload Increases
One of the most startling statistics uncovered in the report is the fact that 96% of agents report feeling acutely stressed at least once per week in 2021. That’s at least partly ascribed to increased workload, with 44% of agents reporting that their biggest challenge is too many calls. With that being the case, the onus is on companies to find ways of assisting their agents whether it’s fostering a more balanced workload or providing the information and technology required to respond to customers.
“Talking to Calabrio customers, some of the options that people are looking at are increasing the flexibility of scheduling, allowing the agents to pick their own schedules, and introducing gamification so that agents feel more engaged,” says Meikle. “One of the big themes that have come out for people working at home is the lack of engagement - so the more engaged you can get your agents, the better.”
Technology is one potential route by which workload can be eased. The correct technologies for a specific scenario must first be identified, however. “You've got to have business intelligence and analytics, because of the need to understand the sources of the stress,” says Creasey. “Equally, contact routing technologies, where you can match agents to customers based on skills and preferences is a good place to start. Employee engagement technology is another focus for us and giving employees the flexibility they need in their schedules is important. Coaching to meet individual needs means they can have the type of career that they want. Most of all it’s about giving people a personalised experience because different employees have different needs.”
Another way of tackling agent stress is via a focus on culture. “The thing that's becoming more and more clear is the link between employee experience and customer experience,” says Meikle. “It's really important to get the employee experience right, otherwise your customer experience will never get up to the level it can be. That's why we encourage companies to try and be as flexible as they can with their workforce and offer as many alternatives as possible.”
Becoming Omni-Channel
Aside from the sheer volume of interactions, the pandemic has also prompted customers to move into new channels. Calabrio found that 67% of UK agents reported that they were now managing more non-voice interactions per day - with an average of 14.4 additional omni-channel interactions compared to 18 months ago. That behavioural shift seems set to continue.
“The dynamic has changed the way that demand comes into the contact centre,” says Meikle. “It's no longer just all calls - it's emails, chat, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. There are hundreds of ways people can communicate now, and understanding that channel shift is really important for how you serve your customers.”