How do Customer Service Managers avoid the contact center recruitment problem?

What is the one of the most difficult problems about running a modern contact center? Forget the customer journey or the number of channels you need to manage. Forget the technology and artificial intelligence (AI). In fact, forget about all the technology and process of managing a contact center because the most difficult thing is hiring the people to work there in the first place.

Most contact centers need to recruit constantly just to stand still. Most contact center managers feel that their biggest problem is the high turnover of agents, job burnout, and absenteeism.

When the agents don’t see their time in the contact center as a useful step on their career ladder then they are likely to be off sick more often, they will quit for other jobs more frequently, and they will just not be very engaged when they are working. That’s not great for the customer experience - imagine the difference be-tween talking to an agent who is interested and really cares about fixing a problem and another one who is just watching the clock and waiting for the end of their shift.

This research shows that only 27% of agents are highly engaged, 10% are engaged, 57% are indifferent to working in the call center, and 5% are highly disengaged. That is around two thirds of agents who don’t really care about what they are doing or are actively being negative about their role.

The answer isn’t rocket science. Just think about what anyone wants from their job. The immediate answer is cash, but we have all been in a job that we hated and been prepared to earn the same, or less, just to escape.

This is about more than just the amount that the agents are paid. It is about how most contact centers are organized.

Contrast a typical contact center agent job to a talent in yoummday - we call them talents because that is what they are full of.

Contact Center

1. Work in an office location - the agent needs to commute to work, possibly a long unpleasant journey across the city on a crowded bus or train.

2. Work defined hours - the boss says when the agent will be there. Arrive ten minutes late and the agent gets a warning. Usually long continuous shifts of at least 8 hours - a full day in the office.

3. Work for whoever - the company may need the agent working for a retailer in the morning and an insurance company in the afternoon. They decide which brand the agent works for - depending on their training for each client.

yoummday

1. Work from home - no need for a commute when you can just login and work from home. Forget the expense and time associated with the daily commute.

2. Choose your hours - the talent decides when they want to work. They will receive notifications when a client is busy and needs more people online, but it remains up to the talent if they want to login. This also means they can create split shifts that fit around family commitments.

3. Choose your brands - the talent decides which brands they work for, so they can stick to the type of brands they enjoy working for. A fan of fashion doesn’t want to answer calls about insurance.

This is the real difference.

Also think of the tools most contact centers are using. A collection of various systems where the agents need to type up notes after each call and perform dozens of manual processes. Our system is modular and powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Each agent has their own personal digital assistant handling many of the usual repetitive tasks. Managers can track engagement in realtime and drill into which team members are performing best - and why - so this information can be used to improve performance across the entire team. Everyone feels more supported.

Why do people quit their jobs? Sometimes it is for career advancement or because of the pay, but control and flexibility are very common reasons. In this Pew Research study reasons such as childcare issues, no flexibility, wanted to move home, too many hours, and too few hours are all listed in the top ten reasons why people quit.

A different approach to your customer service team can resolve all these issue immediately. It gives agency and flexibility to your customer service team so they are engaged. They are interested in their work and they are giving their best.

Instead of two thirds of the agents being disengaged and not really bothered, you could switch to a team that is entirely engaged and interested because they have chosen your brand, chosen these working hours, and chosen to stay and work from home.

Not every job is perfect all the time, but some contact centers are replacing their entire team every year. How does that lead to a great customer experience?