The impact of COVID-19 on the marketplace has been significant for everyone, from business leaders, to call centre operators. Companies are either rethinking the way they work entirely or deal with an influx of calls from customers and people who need more support than ever before. The Economist recently reported on this phenomenon, sharing that the UK’s call centres are more overwhelmed than ever before.
There are countless companies around the UK right now taking more calls from nervous clients than they know how to manage. Whether it’s British Airways dealing with refunds for flights that simply can’t take off, or healthcare companies managing conversations with patients worried for their health, the demand is sky-rocketing. The issue is so bad that Virgin Media emailed it’s 5.5 million broadband and cable customers to ask them to stop calling.
Everyone from broadband providers, to banks, insurance companies, and more are feeling the pinch of a changing environment.
What’s Happening to the Contact Centre?
So, what’s going on with the contact centre in the face of all of this chaos? Is the UK rolling out more efficient measures to ensure customers get the support they need in the weeks to come?
Well, not exactly.
According to the Economist, call centres are struggling. Many have even been forced to shut down physical locations to protect their employees.
COVID-19 has put the call centre industry (employing over 1.3 million Britons), in a tough situation. Only around 10-20% of the UK contact centre workforce currently works from home regularly, according to the CCMA, but that has turned into a significant issue lately.
Many contact centre employees are responsible for dealing with sensitive information, taking payments, and talking to customers about policies or personal details. Simply telling agents to work from home might not be an option for some brands.
However, if a site keeps the contact centre open as normal and a single employee catches COVID-19, that could mean hundreds or thousands of team members are at risk. A call centre in Cardiff for Sky was closed for a day after a worker got a diagnosis in March.
Contact Centres Can’t Cope with Covid
Everywhere you look, contact centres in the UK are struggling to stay afloat. In February, there were a dozen call centres dealing with customers queries for Virgin.
Now, there are just seven, with many overseas contact centres closing. Although the British contact centres for Virgin are still open for now, the staff numbers are fluctuating wildly, as people take time off for health or family purposes.