Author:  Gary Barnett

Agent attrition is a huge problem for contact centers, and its affects are widespread throughout an organization.  Not only does turnover decrease morale as employees see their colleagues coming and going through a perpetually revolving door, but it also presents an unnecessary financial burden on companies that are spending needless amounts of money continuously recruiting, hiring and training new agents.  And, what about the impact on customer satisfaction?  A center with a plethora of new, inexperienced agents is likely to earn lower satisfaction scores simply because these agents probably lack in-depth product, service and procedure-related knowledge that is generally developed as a result of time on the job. Not a good thing when you consider that 20 percent of consumers are likely to switch companies based on their latest interaction.

Now that we know why contact centers should keep agents happy, the big question is how they can keep agents happy. Based on my discussions with countless customers over the years, here are the top five things I believe companies can do to reduce agent attrition:

1. It may seem obvious, but the first step is to implement a stringent screening process to make sure that the right people are being hired.  Before they join the company, make sure potential employees have realistic expectations for what they will encounter on the job. Being straightforward and up-front will enable each applicant to make a truly informed decision about whether or not the position and/or the company are right for them.  This should yield fewer immediate resignations.
2. Once a new agent is on-board, provide them with a flexible, favorable, and comfortable environment.  Contact centers can take advantage of workforce management tools that empower agents to have more control over their own schedules.  They can also use VoIP to implement work-at-home programs and improve agents’ work/life balance.
3. Ongoing coaching and training are essential because they help agents continuously improve their skills while affording them professional growth.  Whether coaching and training are accomplished in the classroom, online, or in real-time with input from managers, peers, or quality associates, this type of education should be fundamental to every contact center plan.
4. Set clear and stated goals with valuable incentives, and allow agents to manage and track their own performances against those objectives.  Creating a metrics-based contact center provides enhanced measures that allow high performing agents to be recognized, and poorer performing agents to be identified for training and monitoring.
5. Give agents ample opportunity for career advancement. Let’s face it.  Nobody wants to be stuck in a dead-end job.  Defining a career path and allowing agents to reach for attainable “brass rings” improves morale and commitment to the company.

What innovative strategies has your company employed to reduce agent attrition?  How successful have you been?

This entry was posted on Friday, November 16th, 2007 at 9:27 am and is filed under Contact Center Technology, Performance Optimization. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.