Employee Retention: How to Keep Hold of Your Customer Care Team

Uncover three agent retention blockers and how to counter them

4
Sponsored Post
Employee Retention: How to Keep Hold of Your Customer Care Team
WFOInsights

Published: August 17, 2022

Charlie Mitchell

In 2019, the average agent retention rate in the US was 21.1 percent. Fast forward two years, and it has increased to 22.4 percent – according to Benchmark Portal data.

While this may seem like a steady incline, the analyst’s “2022 agent experience trends report” suggests that almost two-thirds of contact centres (65.6 percent) reported increases in turnover since the start of 2020. 

Yet, these statistics mask the issues that high agent attrition drives in the contact centre. Increased agent workloads, longer customer wait times, and increased costs cause real headaches that leaders must overcome.

A recent RingCentral webinar attempted to lift the lid on several solutions that may stop the rot and strengthen employee retention rates. Panellists included: 

  • Bruce Belfiore, CEO and Senior Research Executive at Benchmark Portal
  • Josh Varela, Enterprise Sales Director at RingCentral
  • Andy Watson, Product Marketing Manager at RingCentral 

During their presentations and discussions, each pinpointed significant stumbling blocks along the path to increased employee retention. 

Here are three particularly pertinent examples and possible solutions.

1. Agent Workload Woes

Increasing workloads undoubtedly play a part in low retention rates. Indeed, agents – on average – handled 7.07 calls per hour in 2021. Compare this to 6.07 just two years ago, and it signals a significant jump.

Often referred to as a “stress metric”, calls per hour soaring should set off alarm bells as it increases the likelihood of burnout and – consequently – agent turnover. 

As such, it is little surprise that Benchmark Portal research pinpoints increasing workload as the most significant driver of attrition. Discussing how it is perhaps increasing stress, Belfiore adds:

Among our free agent coaching videos, available on our learning channel, handling stress is among the most watched and referred to by supervisors to their agents. So, something is going on here.

Moreover, as workload-related stress provides the catalyst for increased attrition, incoming calls are split between a smaller agent population, perpetuating the problem further. 

The Solution

Reducing contact volumes is critical to lowering agent workloads. Understanding contact drivers and removing the upstream issues is perhaps the most powerful approach.

Conversation mining, with the help of speech analytics, is invaluable here to better understand demand and the route causes. Task mining may also help to automate many of the manual processes that slow agents down.

Finally, agent assist technologies that surface customer information and recommend next best actions may also provide a precious agent support mechanism.

2. Technology Aggravations

Employees often complain about system issues, slow speeds, and desktop navigation. Switching between too many apps is often a struggle with the latter, as limited integrations take their toll.  

Highlighting the extent of these issues, Benchmark Portal reports that 51.5 percent of companies accept that agent struggles with software are significant obstacles in their attrition battles.

Yet, developing a new systems architecture – alongside securing the budget for it – is a long process. As such, contact centre leaders often feel as though their hands are tied. 

Of course, the cloud and open marketplaces are helping provide the optimal environment for contact centre teams. Indeed, it is now simpler to integrate systems and identify solutions that will make agent work easier, less obstructed, and more likely to result in positive outcomes.

However, leaders must engage with agents first and follow them as they get to grips with the day-to-day reality of what is slowing them down. 

The Solution

Once understanding the technology struggles related to handling common contact drivers, operations may buy or build integrations and automations that simplify employee experiences. 

Such analysis will also help reimagine workflows, allowing contact centres to simplify contact handling processes. 

For a more thorough transformation, Varela recommends “looking at a platform that drives simplicity, delivers consistency, and sets a foundation for innovation moving forward.”

3. Hybrid Working Hiccups

When planning for the post-pandemic reality, most contact centres devised hybrid work models to try and keep the best of both worlds. 

Now only 27.9 percent of agents support a hybrid working environment, with 48.3 percent preferring a fully remote role – according to Benchmark Portal. 

Digging into the fast decline of hybrid work, the analyst revealed that 33.8 percent of operations believe that limited manager support had caused issues. Meanwhile, 32.4 percent suggested that a lack of collaboration between agents challenged the benefits of hybrid work.

These figures highlight how tricky it is to deploy a successful remote work strategy. In many cases, agents show up to work and realise they are one of only a few people there.

Building on this point, Watson said: 

Hybrid working is the reality, but now there is an expectation for fully remote. They want more flexibility in not only where they work, but how they work.

Not only must contact centres deliver this, but they also have to foster a greater sense of connectedness and deliver a vision that offers agents social and personal meaning. 

The Solution

Integrations with a UCaaS platform help to unlock the collaborative contact centre. How? First, through enabling agent support channels monitored by SMEs. They also provide a space for group chats, video sessions, and knowledge sharing to nurture the ideal remote culture. 

In addition, quality management tools will enable supervisors to keep tabs on agent performance trends and sentiment. As such, they can proactively reach out to reps when worrying trends come to the fore. Offering video pick-me-ups strengthens relationships and safeguards mental health.

Finally, to offer more flexibility, workforce management systems provide agents with more control over schedules, allowing them to submit preferences, bid for shifts, and more. 

Combat Retention Troubles with RingCentral

With 69.8 percent of contact centres finding that fewer workers are entering the customer service space, finding solutions to these retention issues is becoming increasingly essential. 

Yet, there are other pressing problems fanning the flames of agent turnover too. Challenging customer calls, improper personal development processes, and low compensation may encourage reps to charge towards the exit door. 

Keeping its finger on the operational pulse of contact centres, RingCentral designs agent engagement solutions that aim to drive positive change, improve employee experiences, and increase retention rates. 

To find out more, visit: https://www.ringcentral.com/gb/en/effortless-customer-engagement.html

 

Customer Engagement CenterCustomer Engagement PlatformWorkforce Optimization

Brands mentioned in this article.

Featured

Share This Post