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Call Center Agents’ Attrition Rate Arises

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Home Page > News and Society > Economics > Call Center Agents’ Attrition Rate Arises

Call Center Agents’ Attrition Rate Arises

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Posted: Dec 23, 2010 |Comments: 0
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The Call Center industry has been earmarked as the Sunshine industry due to its rapid expansion within the last few years employing hundreds of thousands of people. It is the most looked after company because they offer attractive compensation and good benefits to their employees. The sudden rise of employment rate from these industries help in booming the economy especially in countries like India and Philippines. It also helps in providing a good life to thousands of families. Without the call center industry, there will be no agents who would answer the help desk support 24/7, no one would take the calls at emergency call center lines, or no one would provide customer service to all of the customer’s queries and complaints.

Since the emergence of call center industries, the attrition rate is a huge problem that these industries are facing and is increasing every year. Why? Because in the real world, employees leave their jobs because they want a higher salary rate, want a change or better opportunities, hate the working conditions, hate their colleagues, or their spouse gets a better job in another place or country. In call centers, the high percentage of females in the workforce adds to the high attrition rate due to the reason that most women leave their job after marriage or because of social pressures caused by irregular working hours in the industry. The fast turnover is very costly and causes huge losses for the company that invested a lot of money upon hiring and during training.

According to some research, the attrition rate in the United States is 50%, nearly 35% in the United Kingdom, 19% in the Philippines, and a whopping 80% in India. The rate continues to grow considering the fast growth of these industries every year. According to a survey by the Incoming Calls Management Institute or ICMI, the biggest reasons for the turnover are:

Better opportunities outside the organization

Better opportunities inside the organization

Repetitive work

Low pay

Dislike handling complaints and problems

However, the common reasons are long working hours and monotony of the jobs. These agents are being paid to sit at a desk and talk on the phone all day reading a pre-scripted conversation from the computer, which actually is a fairly stressful job because they are dealing with the public and customer service on a daily basis. These agents receive a fair amount of abuse over the phone and they also have to hit quotas. In India, young people said it is no longer worthwhile going through sleepless nights serving customers halfway around the world because of this stressful job that offers few career advancement. Thus, making them as the country with the highest attrition rate.

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724Care Inc., is a premier provider of business process outsourcing services in the Philippines located in Cebu City, specializes Appointment Setting services and Market Research survey. You may call its toll free number at 1-888-724-888-9.

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BPO agents teach English to kids

BPO agents teach English to kids
FOR one hour a week, grade one and fourth year high school students in Barangay Apas will get to learn how to speak English properly, this time not from their teachers but from call center agents who want to give back to the community. At least 34 agents from Qualfon Philippines, Inc. will be reading to grade one pupils of Apas Elementary School and hold English proficiency tutorial for Camp …

Motivating Call Center Agents

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Home Page > Business > Management > Motivating Call Center Agents

Motivating Call Center Agents

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Posted: Sep 07, 2010 |Comments: 0
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Call centers have appeared as one of the fast rising branches in last few years. Working with call centers requires a candidate to possess good communication skills. The main task of call center operators is generally to interact with customers through telephone, well connected with computer systems. The level of quick adaptability to working culture depends on the type of a call center, one is working for. Call center jobs are lucrative for many people for a diversified set of reasons. College going students generally prefer this kind of job during the tenure of their studies for variety of reasons ranging from utilization of college vacations, working towards improvement in their communication skills, etc. Students also prefer to take up part time jobs in call centers with a motive of earning their pocket money or to met with rising expenses or may be to compensate for their fee amount. Though a job in a call center pays a good sum of money, it is usually considered to be a monotonous job, due to a reason that it is characterized by routine tasks and the level of control on employees is also considered to be low. Domestic call centers may or may not have fixed shifts but if a person is interested to for an international call center, then it is tacit that the person is open for roaster system. Working culture here involves lot of pressure on employees. This leads to a high level of stress at work.

Stress at times is good for healthy competition, but when it exceeds the limit, it may prove unfruitful for the organization. Over dose of stress may often lead to a higher attrition rate in organizations like call centers. At such a juncture, it becomes imperative for an organization to take some measures which not only can help in boosting the motivation level of employees but will also aid the call centers in retaining their employees for a longer epoch. Motivation and training related activities should take place in an organization frequently and consistently. Various suggestions and motivators can be classified into two broad categories to keep the agents motivated and engaged:

1) On Financial Front –

a) Increment – Annual increments are considered as a best motivating tool. The percentage increase in the salary should be commensurate to the level of performance shown by the employees and the endeavors they have put in during the year. When the employees are satisfied with the amount of their increments, they feel motivated to take initiatives and work towards the attainment of goals.

b) Reward/ Cash Prizes – The highest performing or top three or top ten performing agents may be rewarded with cash prizes at the end of the year. This will not only motivate the high performing employees but will also boost the morale of others to work hard so that next time they can also come in the bracket of high performers.

c) Profit Sharing – This is one of the traditional measures of boosting employee morale. When the management shares a part of their annual with their employees, they feel a sense of belonging to their organization. This feeling often leads to zeal and determination on the part of employees and finally may result into higher productivity and quality task.

2) On Non-financial Front –

a) Hall of Fame – Appraising an employee in front of august gathering brings to an employee a satisfaction of achieving something great. Such an appraisal works two ways, on one side it makes the appraised employee feel that his work is being noticed and praised and thereby he will be inspired to work hard for further accomplishments and on the other side it will prompt others to acquire the level.

b) Intrinsic motivation – Intrinsic motivation arises within oneself. It is simply a feeling of accomplishment which is derived from ownership of responsibility, job satisfaction, sense of involvement and freedom to initiate. If the employees set a belief that they belong to the organization they work for and feel themselves associated, they work with complete ownership of responsibility. In order to give them the feeling, it is necessary to treat them like a family. Arranging tickets for movie together, picnics, trips, dinner or may be Christmas or New Year party. Call center agents are known to work in a stressful environment, such occasional activities aid in diverting their mind from the usual course of task and thereby may facilitate in relieving them from the pile up stress. Stress hampers work productivity and inter personal relations. Eventually such measures work towards creating a conducive working culture in a call center.

Apart from the above mentioned measures, a call center can also follow several other measures to reduce the employee attrition rate. Some of the measures are listed as follows:

a) Clear explanation of the expected role – Call center job is one highly related to targets. The productivity of agents should not only be restricted to quality but also needs to be focused on customer satisfaction. The ultimate goal or target should better be explained to the employees at the time of hiring.

b) Hire the right people – This measure need to be adopted at the time of selection procedure of employees. The interviewer should look for attitude and professional behaviour in the candidate. Those candidates should be selected who either have the requisite kind of attitude for the job or else is ready to adjust in the environment.

c) Train call center agentsfrequently and consistently – Call center employees may wish to perform at a good level but their performance is hampered when they do not possess the knowledge of their task. The best way to help them out is to train them frequently and consistently. At the same time it is also required to give them feedback about their performance and guide them for improvement.

d) Conduct annual survey on employee satisfaction – Management of call centers can plan to conduct yearly surveys concerning employee satisfaction. While planning to have such a survey, management need to be clear with the broad objectives of the survey and should also be ready to share the results with the staff. In addition to this, management should also be prepared to implement action plans, if possible in some of the areas where their agents feel dissatisfied. Such plans and the implementation status should be brought to the notice of the employees.

e) Get to know every employee – It is not possible for a mid-level manager to encourage his subordinates without actually knowing them. Calling a person by his name or pointing on one-on-one basis makes a difference for the employees. Before applying tools of motivation or before counseling an employee, it is important for a manager to identify the set of strengths and weaknesses of an individual. Such one-on-one sessions with employees offers a great opportunity to managers in boosting their subordinates to contribute their ideas.

While implementing any of the measures as discussed above, management need to be very cautious for not over doing any suggestion and look for the reduction in the scope of biasness in evaluating employee performance. Respect the emotions of employees and they will pay it back with significant improvement in achieving targets.

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The Author Ms. Ruchi Bhatia has an expertise in finance and marketing. Presently she is working as a Senior Lecturer at NSB known as one of top business schools in India.

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Novel Multifunctional Agents Lead to Spinoff Company at RPCI

Novel Multifunctional Agents Lead to Spinoff Company at RPCI
New spinoff company forms out of research done at Roswell Park Cancer Institute; Buffalo-based company will develop photosensitizing compounds used in photodynamic therapy.

The Simple Guide to Call Centers for Agents

Call centers have become the rapid growing business in many countries because of the need for mass hiring of employees. For example, a large Philippine call center can now accommodate as many as two hundred employees in one branch. One might say that this is all due to its outsourcing nature wherein the call center is enthusiastic in handling the requests of its customers branching out to different aspects and levels of businesses of all sizes.

A company which has a call center or focuses on call center services will need to handle on outbound and inbound calls. The topics of conversations could range from customers asking about a product, a computer illiterate grandma asking for technical support, irate customers complaining and others. Usually, the call center is an organization similar to a tree when it comes to hierarchy and career options but besides these, the call center has its own general elements of productivity that one has to understand in order to grasp what the full function of a Philippine call center is. There are different call centers according to what type of work they do up to what elements they possess but regardless of any category one must know these five basic facts about call centers:

The first element, of course, is the call center agent or representative. An agent must always follow the policies of the company adhering to its sense of proper etiquette especially when it comes to customer calls. Representatives are given scheduled breaks and strict logs times on the call center’s systems. Their dress code is usually business casual to project a feel of professionalism even if the working environment is usually noisy, competitive and most of all stressful. Training on the product and training on proper procedures is imperative to provide satisfactory service for the customer.

The second type is the company’s operations. This part of call center is mostly responsible for observing and receiving the inbound and outbound call patterns from the outside. Their primary goal and duty is to sustain the customer service requests and as well as analyze the call volume reports so as to quickly make adjustments and routing calls.

Call center operations generally fall into two categories. Outsourcing and telemarketing are the major types. Telemarketing centers its functions on outgoing calls, usually regarding sales. It maybe built to win back a customer’s business through advertising, promotions and rebates. Meanwhile, outsourcing focuses its function on customer service wherein mostly inbound calls are handled and routed in on a toll-free number.

Compensation is another thing to consider when it comes to any job and the call center is anything but an exception. The call center agents are usually hired in on an experience-based pay scale where they also have the latent opportunity to earn bonuses and incentives based on their performance. An agent may also get a pay differential on a per-hour schedule. The high stress level and mostly graveyard shift schedule are factors that an agent should be duly compensated for.

Finally, schedule is the thing most people looking for jobs or already in a job would refer to when it came to call centers. Night shifts are almost synonymous to this job. In a general sense, the number of hours worked and how it was performed name what time a team or an individual is scheduled. The more hours of work, the higher the pay as this kind job entails a 24/7 service with the telephone being the measuring instrument as it records the calls.

Motivating Telemarketing Agents

Motivating call center employees is not a tough job. But the call centers have to do that on a consistent basis. I have noted that many of these motivational exercises would mean just a raise in the salary or some incentives and perks. It’s true that money is a prime motivator, but for stressful jobs like telemarketing, money is not the only factor that determines the motivational efforts that a BPO organization can put in. I have listed some ways in which telemarketing services employees can be motivated. These are susceptible to the available resources and conditions at the disposal of the organization. One or several of them can be tried out in a combination process. Let’s roll the list.

Stress eats away the working spirit of the employees in the telemarketing sector. They have to deal with so many consumers and their complaints that at the end of the day it becomes impossible for them to maintain their mental stability! The stress levels at the call center are so high that many prefer to quit their job and look elsewhere even though they were making better money in telemarketing services. The primary aim of the BPO management is to diffuse this stress. It can be done in a number of ways. Dig out the causes of unnecessary stress. For example, the answering services are constantly monitored when they are on call. Then their mistakes are shredded apart in a sort of training exercise. This is not ideal because nothing deflates the BPO service employee worse.

If you want to use the recorded inbound call center calls for training purposes, use them constructively. Make the phone answering agent feel that their work is being appreciated and all you are trying to do is make it better. This will enable the BPO agent to relax when they are taking calls. If they are constantly under the scanner of being pulled up and examined, they are more likely to make mistakes. Reward the deserving call center agents through a transparent appraisal policy. Let the agents know the parameters on which they will be judged. Let the telemarketing floor know why someone got the “Best Agent” or some similar award. Your aim is to make every agent on the BPO service floor feel that they are as likely to win the rewards as anyone else.

Inculcate a sense of belonging in the call center agents. It’s very difficult to instill loyalty among your employees if you take erratic management decisions. If you are consistent with your policy and make the BPO service agents feel part of the organization, you don’t just motivate them. You also cut down on the attrition rate of the call centers, which tends to be extremely high at all times. Research studies among the telemarketing agents have pointed out that a whopping majority of them did not quit because they were underpaid. They quit because they were not appreciated for their contribution to the business process outsourcing firm. Take care of them and they will take care of your call center services.

Health Tips for Call Center Agents to Stay Healthy

When call centers boast of uninterrupted services we may not realize at the moment that the credit goes to the hard work, sleepless nights and efforts put in by call center agents. The results may be success and growth for your business, but for them they output in stress, weakness and continuous fatigue as human body structure doesn’t allow one to go against the rule of nature that is to work in nights and sleep in day. The habit of working at nights can be adapted and acclimatized to with some practice, however can be really distressed for agents. To be attentive, vigilant and focused on the work it is necessary that agents should take care of their diet and follow a healthy lifestyle. Some of the necessary points are mentioned below:-

1. Sleeping Beauty: – Get enough sleep. Doctors say that sound sleep of six to seven hours have the potential to distress you naturally. Also, it helps you to unwind and recharges you for the work of next night.

2. See while you eat: – Greasy, oily and overcooked food will make you sleepy and inactive. You need balanced diet to keep yourself awake and aware. Skipping meals or overeating is dangerous when your supervisors want your mind on high alert. If you won’t eat, you will feel inactive and your listening and speaking capabilities will suffer. You won’t sound cheerful to the customers.

3. Water Power: – On calls and during the duty, you speak a lot which causes strain on your larynx and throat. To relax them, you are advised to take lots of water and alcohol free fluids.

4. Exercise to Stay Fit: – Call center jobs are sedentary. You should be fit physically too. Being physically fit enhances the confidence of a person and increases the mental stamina as well.

5. Friends Forever: – Be friends with the peer members. Share your happiness and sorrows with the. They could be biggest motivator for you.

6. Sins and Virtues: – Caffeine and nicotine do help you to keep awake during long hours but as it goes, excess of everything is bad.

7. Relax and Reboot: – It is okay to sometimes to not take work seriously. To take some days off and roll a joint with friends at some hill station or near a beach side. Working is good but joining work after two days of much needed vacation is fun!

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Posts Tagged ‘Agents’

Call Center Agents’ Attrition Rate Arises

BPO agents teach English to kids

Motivating Call Center Agents

Novel Multifunctional Agents Lead to Spinoff Company at RPCI

The Simple Guide to Call Centers for Agents

Motivating Telemarketing Agents

Health Tips for Call Center Agents to Stay Healthy

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