Posted by on August, 13 2019 7:29 pm
Are you getting tired of learning new names and training new faces at your contact center? Employee turnover is one of the biggest problems in the world of the modern call center. It can be a drain on resources and time - and can chip away at a business’s bottom line.
If you’re looking for easy ways to reduce call center turnover, here are ten that can help you keep attrition down - and employee morale up!
As with most things, the best way to is to start with overhauling your approach to hiring.
Most companies hire with an eye toward immediate profitability; how soon can this person jump in and start making our company money? However, a better way to look at your hiring process is to think about how long a qualified applicant is likely to stay with your company. Someone who is forthcoming about looking for short-term employment with your center is likely to lead to another opening within a few months. A more committed employee is a better fit if you’re hoping to keep jobs filled and attrition down.
How do you train your staff? This can have a major impact on how well your employees are prepared to do their jobs - and therefore, how long they keep those jobs. No one likes to work in a position that they feel ill-prepared for, so keeping your staff well-trained and comfortable with the tasks you ask of them is one of the best ways to keep them in those positions longer and reduce call center turnover.
Everyone loves to be recognized and rewarded for the good things they do. Give your employees this opportunity by offering them rewards and recognition throughout the year for achievements and milestones. Be sure to reinforce your reward and recognition systems regularly to keep them at the forefront of long-standing employees’ minds - and let newer employees know why they should stick around!
How well do your employees know one another? Do they enjoy interacting? Do you ever experience issues with arguing, disagreements, harassment, or worse? These are all things to address and improve to create a better company culture. The closer you can come to an atmosphere of friendship and camaraderie in your facility, the more productive and happier your team will be.
Modern leadership techniques encourage coaching, rather than traditional “boss” approaches. People respond better to a collaborative approach, so if you can treat your employees like teammates instead of like inferiors, they will feel encouraged and uplifted. This boost in morale can really make the difference in keeping them in their positions longer - and help reduce turnover in your call center.
When your employees feel free to speak their minds and express their questions or concerns to one another and to members of management, you reap the benefits. How? Because open channels of communication lead to a feeling of freedom and understanding that make people feel more comfortable in their positions. Make sure your employees know they’re able and allowed to communicate with their higher-ups as needed.
One problem with contact centers is that most people do not hire into them with the intent on working their way up the ladder and staying long-term. Change their minds! Give them reasons to consider doing so and offer plenty of opportunities for promotion.
This tip can be easier said than done. Making your facility a desirable place to work isn’t always a surefire approach since every employee has a different idea of what their perfect workplace would be. However, you can generally trust that every employee will love feeling valued as an individual, given opportunities to contribute to the team, offered a comfortable workspace, and granted attractive compensation and benefits. The more of these things you can offer, the more likely you are to keep your employees where you want them - in their seats!
Sometimes, no matter what you offer employees, your center is not the right fit for their career goals. When this happens, the best approach to an employee exit is creating a learning experience from it.
How? Create a friendly, compassionate employee exit survey. Be thorough in your questioning of former employees; why are they leaving and what do they believe could be done differently to improve conditions for current and future employees? Remember too, though, that these soon-to-be-former employees may be going through a range of emotions with the end of a job on the horizon, so be polite and understanding in both the language you use during your survey and your approach thereto.
If conducted properly, the information gleaned from these exit surveys stands to be some of the most candid and most valuable you will ever receive to reduce call center turnover.
When you’ve decided on the best approach to reduce call center turnover, be sure to offer your staff the right technology to make their workdays easier and keep them engaged while they’re there. When you’re working in a technology-driven industry like customer service, the right tools are important. That’s why trusting your team’s productivity to the industry experts at ChaseDatais the best choice you can make to help them be their best every day. With the right tools in hand, your staff will be happier at their desks - and more likely to stay at them for longer than they might without it.