The call center is a very exciting world that has grown and changed exponentially over the past ten years. The job of the call center front line employee used to be considered entry level, a back office function. Not so today! Increasingly as we move towards high-end customer "interaction" centers, call center employees are highly skilled "knowledge workers" who are in great demand in the job market. Corporations invest thousands of dollars in recruiting and training call center employees. Retention of employees is an important issue in this highly competitive job market.
Maximum retention of employees depends on 4 key factors. These are:
1. Call center Link to Corporate Strategic Plan
2. Recruitment and Continuous Learning
3. Partnership Management Behaviour
4. Compensation, Rewards and Recognition
1. Call center Link to Corporate Strategic Plan
The most successful corporations clearly articulate their vision/mission to all employees. "Best in class" call centers also have their own mission and strategy that is linked to overall corporate goals
Call centers that constantly articulate their strategic vision and solicit employee ideas on how to meet the vision also experience a high level of retention.
2. Recruitment and Continuous Learning
Solid recruitment practices in the call center world include pre-screening telephone interviews, behavioural based tests and interviews that match skills and interests to the unique mix of products and services provided by the company.
Of great importance is the promotion of continuous learning. Not only are the basic skills of customer service, sales and product knowledge vitally important, call centers are increasingly upgrading the skills of employees in other areas as well. These areas include team skills, change management and call center benchmarks and standards. One call center we visited recently, provided passes for one or two employees each year to a call center management conference. Another one organized site visits to other call centers to exchange ideas.
3. Partnership Management Behaviour
In the past 10 years we have visited over 200 call centers in North America. Without fail, those that are considered "cool" places to work truly practice partnerships between management and staff. Examples include:
- Representatives from the call center attend senior level management meetings.
- People from other departments conduct regular focus groups in the call center to hear "first hand" what customers say about products, and services.
- Managers solicit ideas for improved service processes, act on them, and provide credit for implementation of new initiatives.
- FUN - there are regular events that market the call center - open houses, job exchanges, dress up days, dress down days, and new product launch days.
4. Compensation, Rewards and Recognition
Gone are the days when the call center has the lowest paid people in the company. Call centers are increasingly staffed with professionals who are paid according to their skills. It is not unusual today to see call centers staffed with nurses and lawyers. These individuals are compensated based on knowledge and skills, and usually at a higher level than front line clerical positions. Salary increases are often tied to the acquisition of new skills and learning as well as job performance.
Successful reward and recognition programs are tied to employee involvement. We have seen amazing events organized by call center employees that are creative, and fun. Examples include a sales contest where all senior managers answered phones for one hour while being coached by front line customer service representatives. Based on this experience alone, the management team gained an entirely new respect and understanding of the call center. There was a true appreciation of the complexity of the call center job.
Call center employees need to be recognized as the key front line contact with the customer. Senior managers need to be visible in the call center not only to listen to ideas, but also to thank staff for their contributions to company goals. Increasingly we see company presidents attending call center functions to personally address staff and to thank individuals for outstanding performance.
White paper courtesy of
Sara Thompson
Sage Interactive
416-467-8547
sara.thom@sympatico.ca
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