Customer service isn’t an easy field to work in. Customer service call centers can be especially stressful for the employees who work there day to day. Here are six improvements you can make to improve employee satisfaction and retention in call centers.
Go Green
People want to feel good about the place they work. Why not make it a little easier by converting the office to solar power.? Solar power systems can create big savings on overhead energy costs. They can also keep the power on during outages or allow it to be used on the go with solar generators.
Create a Calming Atmosphere
Along with going green, there are lots of things that can make a workplace more pleasant. Creating a calm and comfortable atmosphere for high-stress jobs like a call center is important. Ensure the office furniture is comfortable and has as much natural lighting as possible. Stick to cool color pallets – blue is a great stress reducer.
Encourage Employee Breaks
Give customer service representatives time and space to take breaks – especially after a stressful call. Ensure employees know they can and should take some time to calm down between calls. Create calm and quiet spaces away from the rest of the floor where employees can take these breaks. This helps prevent employee burnout and leads to higher customer satisfaction.
The Customer Isn’t Always Right
Many businesses are moving away from the old adage “the customer is always right.” They’ve learned that it often isn’t true and can make life harder for customer service representatives. Create policies that empower employees to act in their best interests and ensure everyone knows them.
This could take many forms, including scripts for de-escalating agitated customers and the ability to disconnect the call if the customer becomes rude or verbally abusive. Protecting your employees this way shows them that you have their best interests in mind and can go a long way to garner loyalty and reduce turnover.
Support Your Employees
Mental health is getting more attention these days. Most people understand the important and far-reaching impacts of mental health. Supporting and encouraging good mental hygiene in stressful work environments like customer service call centers is especially important.
Ensure that your benefits plan includes mental health care – counseling, psychology, and psychiatry – at reasonable and affordable prices so employees can access these benefits. Support prioritizing mental health by talking to employees about warning signs of stress and ways to address these problems before they get worse.
Final Thoughts
Customer service call centers can be a difficult place to work – the job can be stressful and often has a high turnover rate. Employers can reduce burnout and turnover by creating a work environment that is comfortable, calming, and eco-friendly. Employers can also improve outcomes by creating and implementing policies supporting their customer service representatives, like protecting employees from rude and abusive customers and creating time and space for employees to relax after difficult calls and care for their mental health.
