In this last year, many call centers have struggled with leaders and agents leaving their positions at an alarming rate. As a customer service manager, you know that attrition is at the top of your list of concerns. However, in this challenging environment, you have to use every tool possible.
In order to thrive, you’ll need to use every strategy to safeguard your team, hire the best staff, manage hybrid arrangements, provide relevant training, foster inclusion, and provide top-notch experiences. Let’s take a closer look at how to put all the pieces together.
Safeguard Your Team
It’s challenging to manage a team, let alone create a high-performing one when agents drop off at an alarming rate. It leads to a mind-numbing situation of non-stop interviewing, hiring, training, building, and recovering. To protect your team from attrition, talk with your staff. Find out their specific needs and concerns so you can be proactive in responding.
Evaluate Hiring
Despite rapid changes in your team, you can work smarter—not harder. One good strategy is to use automated services to do a quick background check on potential candidates. Background services allow you to get accurate background checks without having to commit to complex contracts, signup fees, or exclusivity agreements.
The sooner you find out if candidates could be ideal team members, the faster you can find the best people to build your new team. Getting a background check is easier and faster than you’ve imagined. The best part is that you can make HR decisions with confidence and security.
Schedule Hybrid Arrangements
Many call centers are finding that hybrid arrangements need constant care and attention. In the last year, we’ve seen how working from home (WFH) has helped employees experience a new sense of freedom and choice. That said, handling individual scheduling manually can be time-consuming and awkward.
Instead, check out different software to schedule, manage, and inform employees about who is working from where on any given shift. As employees get used to the freedom of working from home, many will also welcome some days in a professional setting. With the help of workforce engagement management (WEM) software, you’ll have a clear overview and fewer sleepless nights.
Boost Relevant Training
As the new workplace evolves, so does the scope of employee call center training. New and experienced employees need to know how to be productive when working in a hybrid arrangement, how to boost effectiveness in digital communication, and how to engage customers. Revisit your training offerings to make sure you have webinars, resources, and in-depth training to match current needs.
Increase Inclusion
One of the critical issues for call center agents is inclusion. No one likes to be left out in the cold. Inclusion often comes down to daily communication such as being informed of a team meeting, getting invited to new training, or being asked to participate in a client demo. Ask your staff how they would like to be included. You’ll often realize that the requests are more about human contact than about specific content.
As a call center leader, you can be inclusive in formal and informal ways. Set up formal meetings and include time for socializing before and after. Create fun virtual events such as an office gathering, a holiday party, or an after-work get-together. Even if you’re meeting virtually, spread the word and invite everyone on the team.
Ask your agents what kind of informal and after-work events they’d like to have, and schedule those on the calendar. You may also want to elect a staff member to take the lead on inclusion. By delegating this role, you’re signaling that you value this important function. You’re also making it easier for staff to speak candidly about what kinds of events they would like to see.
Map the Customer Journey
As you seek to understand their customers, take the time to create a customer journey map. Outline the stages a customer passes through as they consider, evaluate, decide, purchase, and re-purchase your products or services. This map will help you and your staff identify key pain points that could be a hindrance in the process of purchasing your product.
What kind of questions, concerns, and issues are recurring in your contact center? What sorts of demands can you anticipate, evaluate, and address to simplify interactions? Many customer service leaders are looking at ways to automate the process and help teams to get proactively prepared.
This can include looking for opportunities to offer webinars, training, self-service options, and automation. And as you work to boost your call center’s overall productivity, use these six aspects to experiment, iterate, and design the best work environment for your employees.
