How to Prevent Turnover in Your Call Center
With average staff attrition rates hitting 50%, now is the time to take action to prevent high turnover in your call center..
In almost every call center across the USA, employee
retention is a hot topic.
In fact, the average annual turnover rate has risen to 50%.
According to a survey by New York-based William M. Mercer Inc., 45% of
companies report turnover costs of more than $10,000 per employee. One-fifth
of respondents estimate costs at more than $30,000 for each lost worker.
The entire recruitment process can prove to be a very costly undertaking as
resources and time are put into recruitment (which would include advertising
the job), interviews and testing, orientation and training. Not only is
turnover expensive, it also decreases employee morale.
However, there are ways that you can ensure that your call centre does not
get hit with those high attrition rates:
(1) Revamp Your Hiring Strategy
One of the problems with turnover in a call center is that prospective
employees don’t know what they are getting themselves into. Employees are
hired; they attend orientation, and then spend a few weeks in training.
After training, they hit the floor, and realize that the job is nothing like
they expected.
According to a recent study on hiring costs at 54 Fortune 1,000
companies, hiring the wrong call center representative often costs nearly 26
times the average salary.
We have to make sure that that we get it right the first time.
- Don’t hire based on a gut feeling.
- Be proactive by conducting pre-hire screens and test for skills, attitudes
and behaviors required for the job.
- Give prospective employees a realistic job preview.
(2) Abolish the Boring Call Center Factor
Most employees in a call centre spend most of their time on the phones. Most
centers require that you take anywhere from forty to a hundred calls per
day.
Let’s face it, after doing the same thing all day, every day, the job can
get boring, and, if you’re not careful, the work environment of your call
center can be similar to that of a sweatshop.
- Create a fun atmosphere by having frequent special events.
- Make the job more fulfilling: Enlarge the job by giving more
responsibility.
- Offer Job rotation by involving agents in engaging and challenging
off-phone tasks and projects
(3) Manage Employee Performance and Encourage Employee Development
One of the problems with the average call center job is that most employees
view it as, well, just a job. In a survey conducted by the Customer Group
LLC, the number one reason that employees left the job was that there was no
career path.
- Adopt a system where employees are required to select a career path.
- Encourage call centre agents to shadow employees who are currently in
their goal position.
(4) Recognize and Reward
A little bit of recognition can go a long way. Employees who are happy at
work and feel appreciated are more likely to be more dedicated to their
work. Employees should feel like they are more than a voice answering the
phones.
- Recognize and track the employees’ performance along the way.
- Offer both cash and non financial incentives such as awards and gift
certificates.
- Adopt a pay for performance compensation system.
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