Thrive Remote Service Team

Let’s face it: remote work is here to stay. Remote work brings a sense of autonomy, flexibility, and ownership and can be incredibly empowering to employees. Here are 3 key insights for helping your customer service team adapt and thrive in a fully remote work environment. Use technology to your advantage At times, technology […]

Let’s face it: remote work is here to stay. Remote work brings a sense of autonomy, flexibility, and ownership and can be incredibly empowering to employees.

Here are 3 key insights for helping your customer service team adapt and thrive in a fully remote work environment.

Use technology to your advantage

At times, technology can be the biggest challenge of working remotely. Getting a remote employee set up at home brings additional challenges and requires additional effort by the employee and manager. Make sure that your employees are equipped with the technology needed to perform at their highest level. This includes things like monitors, laptops, phones, headsets, and any software they might need.

If the technology aspect sounds like a daunting task, it may help to find an outsourced staffing firm to help with things like onboarding and technology.

With tools like Slack, Zoom, Google Hangouts, Teams, email, and more, there are a variety of different ways for your team to communicate. But sometimes, without face-to-face interaction, employees can feel cut off from their peers. We recommend setting up channels for your team to communicate through, utilizing the technology you already have.

Keep communication open

As a manager, it can be extremely hard to manage a remote team. You don’t want to micromanage your agents, but you also want to make sure they’re staying on top of incoming inquiries, answering questions correctly, and representing your company well in each interaction.

We recommend checking in once a day with your agents to see how they’re feeling about work and the interactions they had that day. This allows you to ensure that they’re doing a great job and also gives the employee a chance to discuss their current situation and workload.

By implementing an open and honest channel for feedback, you’ll help your teammates feel a sense of community while working remotely.

Recognize your team

When you’re in the office, it’s a lot easier to recognize and reward your team members. Whether it’s an in-person shout out during a team meeting or a casual conversation in the breakroom, these are important moments that shouldn’t be lost while transitioning to remote work.

While in a remote environment, we encourage you to create a communication channel that is specifically for acknowledgement. This is a great way for your team members to share kudos quickly and easily with their fellow employees and managers can work together to improve morale.

Conclusion

As more and more businesses continue to work fully remote, it’s important to keep the health and happiness of your employees top of mind. By focusing on helping your agents adapt and thrive in a remote environment, you guarantee a delightful customer experience on each of their calls.

At Salem, we are experts in staffing remote customer service positions. Do you need help staffing remote employees for your contact center? Let us know!

Jule Doran
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Posted on
September 8, 2022

How to Reduce Employee Turnover in Customer Service

In our experience, no matter how strong a customer service operation is, turnover is inevitable. But it is possible to find success by keeping your team effective and engaged, while retaining as many top performers as possible. What can you do to retain current employees? Keep reading for a few ideas on how to […]

What can you do to retain current employees? Keep reading for a few ideas on how to maintain current staffing levels and reduce customer service turnover rates.

Hire the right people

The first step is the evaluate your current team to see the traits of your top performers. Inventory the skills you need versus what you currently have to identify the gap. Hiring people who are “over-qualified” for lower-level roles may be a double-edged sword, as they may be more likely to jump ship quickly.

Be clear about the job description and expectations of the job. You don’t want your candidate to feel overwhelmed or disappointed once they begin.

Provide ongoing training and professional development

If you haven’t created a regular training schedule for your employees, it’s time to get on board. Not only will your customers reap the benefits of amazing customer service, but there are several reasons why training can help reduce call center turnover.

With proper training, agents will feel more competent and are less likely to quit. Ongoing training develops your team professional and personally, making them feel more fulfilled at work.

It’s also important to implement programs that allow people to grow within their roles. Good contact centers will have a career progression plan even for employees at the lowest level.

Listen to your employees

Gather feedback on a regular basis to learn exact what problems and challenges your customer service employees are experience. When you show interest in their concerns, it helps strengthen the relationship between employees, supervisors, and managers.

We recommend using a tool like SurveyMonkey or Jotform to create an Employee Satisfaction survey that you send quarterly to guage employee engagement levels. These type of platforms make it easy to analyze the results and create an action plan moving forward.

Conclusion

It may take time to implement these strategies, depending on the size of your organization and resources. While you are working toward making improvements, make sure to openly communicate with your employees. If they know there are changes in process that might benefit them, they are more than likely to stick around rather than actively seek new employment.

Once you’ve mastered some of these strategies, you’ll find it easier to improve your operation, retain your best team members and maintain a healthy level of turnover in your call center operation.

If you need help finding the right candidates for your open positions, give Salem Solutions a call!

Jule Doran
•
Posted on
August 31, 2022

Quick Employee Onboarding

Accelerate employee onboarding with best practices for remote teams to ensure quick integration and long-term success from day one.

Did you know that 70 percent of new hires decide whether a job is the right fit within the first month and 29 percent of them know within the first week– so it’s important to engage and retain employees from day one.¹ A strong employee onboarding process can help you accomplish that, while also helping new hires ramp up faster.

Here are some tips you can use to welcome your new employee to the team.

Set Them up for Success Before the First Day

The onboarding process should not begin on a new employee’s first day but instead on the day they are hired. If possible, send the employee any paperwork that needs to be signed along with the employee handbook and any pertinent information about their first day, including parking and employee portals.

Before the employee arrives on their first day, ensure their office space is fully set up. This includes providing a computer, necessary software, and access to essential systems such as email and collaboration tools. If it’s a remote hire, ensure that the new employee has all the technology, including laptops, headsets, and login credentials, required at their home.

When the employee arrives on their first day, they should feel valued, welcome and set up for success.

A few days before their start date, send a welcome email introducing them to the company culture and their new team. This email should include a first-week agenda, contact information for key team members, and an overview of company values and expectations. Introducing them to an assigned mentor or buddy can also help ease their transition and provide a go-to resource for questions.

You can also share a pre-boarding checklist with them. This should outline what needs to be done before their first day, so they can feel more prepared and organized.

Create a Structured Onboarding Plan

A well-structured onboarding experience is a game-changer. It’s like building a bridge connecting new hires to their roles confidently and clearly. Without a solid plan, they might feel lost, and that’s the last thing you want.

Now, let’s break it down. A structured onboarding plan should follow three key phases: orientation, skills development, and role alignment. Orientation introduces the company’s culture, values, and expectations. Skills development is where new hires start learning the ropes — whether it’s through hands-on training, mentorship, or online courses.

And role alignment? That’s where they really start contributing, applying what they’ve learned, and aligning their goals with the company’s objectives.

Providing structured, role-specific training plans is crucial. Each role is different, and a one-size-fits-all approach won’t cut it. Your plan should include core competencies, customized learning materials, and a mix of training formats like shadowing, workshops, and e-learning. Don’t forget to set clear milestones—think 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day check-ins—to track progress and keep everyone on the same page.

New hires need to know how they’re doing and where they can improve. Setting clear expectations and key performance indicators (KPIs) right from the start ensures they stay on track and feel motivated.

Engage Them Early

New hires should never feel like they’re navigating their new role alone. The best way to bridge the gap between your new hire feeling like an outsider to feeling part of the team is by helping build relationships and by encouraging communications.

On their first day, introduce them to coworkers, supervisors, and other departments that they will need to work with regularly. These introductions give new employees a chance to understand how different departments work together and where they fit in the bigger picture.

During their first week, we recommend scheduling a new employee lunch with the new hire and their team. During this lunch, try and play an ice-breaker game like Two Truths and a Lie. Games like this are a great way for teammates to get to know each other and the newcomer involved.

Organizing social activities such as team lunches, virtual meetups, or buddy programs can help new hires connect on a personal level. Whether it’s grabbing a coffee with a mentor, joining a company-wide social event, or participating in an employee resource group, these small changes make a big difference in engaging new hires.

Onboarding is an incredibly important component of the hiring process. Not only does an effective onboarding process help with retention, but it can help a new employee adjust to the corporate culture and feel more comfortable and integrated in their new position.

Create Clear 90-Day Milestones

It’s important to be clear and concise about your expectations for the first 90 days. Nothing is worse than feeling like a fish out of water because of a lack of direction and organization. Prior to the employee’s first day, you should create a schedule of what your new hire should be learning, observing, and doing each day.

To set them up for success, outline specific milestones for each phase of their onboarding journey. These could include mastering key tasks, building rapport with team members and supervisors, and getting familiar with company protocols.

This is also a great time to set expectations. As part of the onboarding process, we recommend clearly laying out expectations, including setting key performance indicators (KPIs). Provide clear definitions for each KPI.

For example, while “average call resolution time” might sound straightforward, it’s important to explain that achieving this goal with a high rate of customer callbacks or unresolved issues would not be considered a success.

During the first month of onboarding, we recommend meeting with the new hire at the end of each day to track their progress, answer questions, and provide further guidance.

Onboard With Technology

Another method is by using onboarding technology to create a more efficient and engaging experience for new hires. Why drown new hires in paperwork when digital tools can automate the entire process, from compliance forms to benefits enrollment? The right tools can reduce manual work, provide interactive learning opportunities, and ensure continuous support throughout the onboarding process.

Digital onboarding platforms give you a centralized hub where new hires can easily access important documents, training materials, and company resources at their own pace. This allows them to get comfortable in their roles and contribute to your call center’s success.

Remember, the first few months are important for new hires. Onboarding technology can personalize training for them using learning management systems(LMS). The result is retention because they feel connected to the onboarding experience

Establish Regular Check-ins

Regular check-ins and feedback loops are essential to keep agents on track. Encouraging new hires to reflect on their own progress through self-assessment helps them identify strengths and areas for improvement. Meanwhile, continuous feedback from managers provides valuable insights, reinforces achievements, and offers guidance on how to overcome challenges

At the end of each day or week, ask them which tasks they feel most confident about and which they feel least confident about. These daily or weekly check-ins with managers allow new hires to ask questions, share updates, and receive constructive feedback. However, It’s one thing to get feedback, but what matters is taking action on the feedback you receive.

Maybe they need extra support, training, or even a clearer roadmap. Whatever it is, showing new agents that you’re willing to make changes based on their feedback makes onboarding personalized. It’s a simple way to set up new employees for long-term success.

Measure Onboarding Success

So, you’ve brought in a new agent. How do you know if it’s actually setting your new agents up for success? Keep an eye on metrics like time-to-productivity, call handling performance, retention rates, and employee satisfaction to truly understand the impact of your onboarding efforts.

Time-to-Productivity

Are your new agents getting up to speed quickly? Time-to-productivity measures how long it takes for new hires to effectively handle calls and resolve customer issues. The quicker they are able to contribute, the more successful your onboarding process likely is.

Call Handling Performance

Metrics like average handle time (AHT) and first call resolution (FCR) will tell you how well new hires are engaging with customers. High performance here means your onboarding program is equipping agents with the right skills.

Retention Rates

Tracking retention rates can help you see if your onboarding process is setting the right expectations and helping agents feel supported. High turnover may suggest there are gaps in your onboarding experience.

Employee Satisfaction

Employee satisfaction surveys and one-on-one meetings can provide valuable insights into how engaged your new agents feel during the onboarding period. High satisfaction levels typically lead to higher performance and job satisfaction in the long term.

Last updated on March 26, 2025.

Transform your call center’s success with a strong onboarding strategy

A well-structured onboarding process is essential for the success of your call center. It’s not just about getting new hires to sign paperwork and learn the basics. It’s about creating an environment where they can thrive, feel supported, and perform at their best from day one. When onboarding is done right, it leads to higher performance, better customer interactions, and long-term retention.

Need some help with onboarding? At Salem Solutions, we know how to find the right candidates, and how to help employers keep them. Let’s talk!

Reference

First Impressions Are Everything: 44 Days to Make or Break a New Hire. www.bamboohr.com/resources/data-at-work/data-stories/2023-onboarding-statistics.

Recruit Gen Z with Perks

Gen Z was born between 1997 and 2012. They now make up more of the workforce than millennials do. Like other generations, Gen Z is looking for different things in a job and employer. One of the most important aspects is perks. Offering the perks Gen Z values most attracts them to your call center. […]

Gen Z was born between 1997 and 2012. They now make up more of the workforce than millennials do.

Like other generations, Gen Z is looking for different things in a job and employer. One of the most important aspects is perks.

Offering the perks Gen Z values most attracts them to your call center. The more attractive perks you offer, the more likely Gen Z will remain long-term with your organization.

Offer the following perks to attract and retain Gen Z to your call center.

Skill Development

Gen Z grew up with the internet. They’re used to a world of possibilities with unlimited access to information online.

When hiring Gen Z candidates for your call center, focus on how their skills align with the job requirements and organizational culture. When these new hires are onboarded, create learning and career development plans for each.

Keep your Gen Z employees busy while allowing autonomy. Let them choose how they move forward in their learning and development.

Allow your Gen Z team members to conduct workshops to train on their knowledge and skills. This lets them be challenged while expressing themselves.

Work-Life Balance

Gen Z prioritizes self-care and well-being. As a result, work-life balance is a top priority.

Learning or working remotely during the pandemic has Gen Z at high risk of burnout. Being under constant stress without the ability to see their friends has caused disengagement.

The lack of in-office teammate interactions, supervision, and acknowledgment lowered Gen Z’s motivation and productivity. As a result, Gen Z have been finding jobs with companies that encourage work-life balance.

When recruiting Gen Z for your call center, offer stress management programs and health cash plans. Also, provide a hybrid setup with a flexible schedule that emphasizes productivity and efficiency. Additionally, regularly review your employees’ workloads to ensure they aren’t too heavy. Plus, set up a time for your team to volunteer for a local charity.

Instant Gratification

Gen Z wants ongoing recognition of their contributions and results. They need their accomplishments regularly noticed and appreciated.

With Gen Z spending a large amount of time on social media, they’re used to instant rewards for their actions. The feedback generated from their profiles activates their dopamine receptors, providing a feeling of instant gratification. The desire for a similar experience extends into reality.

When hiring Gen Z candidates, talk about how you use a corporate gamification platform to keep your call center competitive. Also, mention your appreciation wall where employees leave notes of gratitude each day. Additionally, discuss the rewards your employees receive for reaching their targets. Plus, share details about the weekly/monthly company-paid lunch/dessert.

Want to Further Understand How to Acquire and Retain Gen-Z Talent for your Call Center?

Advanced hiring can help lead you to the candidates you are searching for. Ready to find those hires? Click here to learn more.

Re-Evaluating Your Goals Now, Midway Through 2022

It’s amazing we’re halfway through 2022! With 6 months left to go, now is the perfect time to check back in on the goals you set when the year began. Perhaps your goals involved learning a new skill or finding a new job. In any case, it’s great to know what you want to achieve. […]

It’s amazing we’re halfway through 2022! With 6 months left to go, now is the perfect time to check back in on the goals you set when the year began.

Perhaps your goals involved learning a new skill or finding a new job. In any case, it’s great to know what you want to achieve.

Although setting goals may be easy, making progress toward them is not. You have to put in the work, hold yourself accountable, and get back on course when needed.

Implement these tips to reevaluate your goals, determine your progress, and make a plan to continue to move forward.

Take 30 Minutes to Reflect on Your Goals

Take out the list of goals you made at the beginning of the year. Reflect on where you are in accomplishing them.

Focus on how far you’ve come and how far you need to go. Check off the goals you accomplished. Enjoy your sense of satisfaction.

Determine whether there are goals you stopped working toward or forgot about. If so, think about why you chose the goal when the year began. Focusing on your “why” behind the goals helps uncover your motivation to attain them.

Determine What Your Goals Still Are

Focus on whether achieving a goal on your list still holds your interest. For instance, if you decided to take piano lessons, ask yourself what your motivation was. Perhaps learning to play the piano truly interests you. Or, it may have been a passing desire based on something a friend posted on social media.

If you still want to pursue the goal, keep it on your list. If you lost interest in it, take it off your list.

Your time is better spent on the goals that truly fit your interests and motivation. You’re more likely to attain something you feel passionate about than something you don’t.

Create a Plan to Reach Your Goals

Make a new list of your goals to accomplish for the rest of the year. Then, develop an action plan to attain each goal.

For instance, if you want to run a 5K, begin planning your training runs for the upcoming week. You might want to begin by walking a set distance. Then, you can work your way up to running the same distance. You can add on to future practice sessions until you feel confident running a 5K.

Develop a Timeline

Write down when you plan to reach your milestones along the way to attaining each goal. Include on your calendar your check-ins for the next few weeks. This helps you hold yourself accountable for reaching your goals long-term.

Keep in mind that small steps may be more effective than large steps. Small changes are easier to make than large changes. They also tend to remain and make a difference long-term.

Is One of Your Goals to Find a New Job?

For help finding a new job this year, partner with Salem Solutions. Visit our job board today!

Call Center Performance Tips

Discover essential strategies to elevate your call center's performance and customer satisfaction. Read actionable tips now!

When it comes to customer service, the way your contact center handles interactions can make or break your company’s reputation. Why? Because for many people, these interactions are their first experience with your business.

Even with chatbots and social media, individuals of all ages—from Baby Boomers to Gen Z still prefer talking on the phone when they need help from a company.¹ They want to talk to someone who can sort out their issues.

So, what’s the takeaway? To keep your customers happy, ensure your call center staff has the right tools and training to handle calls well. Here are some tips to help your contact center stand out.

Provide Technical Onboarding

Train your agents to understand and use your call center software and technology thoroughly. These tools help organize and manage customer calls. They also help your agents provide a positive customer experience. Be sure to guide in the following areas:

Answering calls: Your agents may be used to using phones instead of software to handle customer calls.
Transferring calls: Show your agents how to use the hold and transfer functions to route customer calls to other agents or departments.
Muting and unmuting the speaker: Muting might be better than holding when an agent asks a teammate for help with a customer’s question. The agent can complete the task while still hearing the customer.
Adding other professionals to the call: For instance, the agent may need to include their manager on a call to help with a ticket, or the customer may ask to speak with a manager.

Offer Knowledge Management Tools

Internal knowledge management tools such as help center software can help your agents quickly find answers to common support questions. This makes it easier for your agents to answer questions without putting the customers on hold. Your agents can increase their knowledge to provide informed and helpful customer service.

Expedite Query Resolution: Internal knowledge management tools facilitate quick resolution of common support queries by maintaining a comprehensive, searchable database containing guides, how-to articles, and FAQs.
Reduce Dependence on Interpersonal Communication: These tools reduce reliance on interrupting colleagues’ workflow for information retrieval. Agents can independently leverage the information repository, fostering autonomy and ensuring knowledge transfer regardless of specific individuals’ availability or expertise.
Facilitate Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing: Knowledge management tools’ collaborative features allow seasoned agents to contribute insights and expertise, enriching the knowledge base. This collective wisdom is valuable for newer agents seeking guidance and mentorship.
Enhance Communication with Corporate Knowledge Management Systems: Corporate knowledge management systems enable easy communication between frontline support employees and product or service managers. This ensures agents possess the up-to-date knowledge necessary to handle consumer inquiries efficiently, improving customer satisfaction and agents’ confidence in handling inquiries about new services.

Clarify Goals

At the start of each day, gather your team for a brief morning huddle. During this time, communicate the specific goals for the day, week, or month. For example, you might set targets for average wait time, resolution time, and calls missed. By outlining these goals, you give your agents a clear understanding of what they’re working towards and the timeframe to achieve it.

Average wait time: Aim to keep the average wait time for customers at 5 minutes or less. This ensures prompt service and enhances customer satisfaction.
Resolution time: Minimize the time it takes for an agent to solve an open ticket. Efficient resolution of customer issues demonstrates competence and professionalism.
Calls missed: Encourage your agents to improve their multitasking and organizational skills to reduce the number of missed calls. This ensures that every customer inquiry is addressed promptly and no opportunity for assistance is overlooked.

Train on Call Center Etiquette

For call center agents, phone etiquette is crucial since it directly impacts the customer’s experience. Agents can create a positive relationship that builds trust and satisfaction by treating consumers with kindness, respect, and openness. Let’s explore how you can effectively train your agents on call center etiquette.

Communicating Wait Times: Begin by emphasizing the importance of communicating wait times to customers. Role-play scenarios where agents practice politely informing customers about the expected wait time before placing them on hold. Stress the significance of managing customer expectations to prevent frustration and maintain a positive experience.
Mentioning Call Recording: Next, discuss the importance of informing customers about call recording. Explain that customers appreciate transparency regarding the recording of their conversations for training purposes. Encourage agents to mention this at the beginning of the call to reassure customers and foster trust.
Discussing the Call Recording Pause: Lastly, address the protocol for pausing call recordings when handling sensitive information like credit card details. Emphasize the importance of prioritizing customer security and privacy. Train agents to clearly inform customers when the call recording will be paused and reassure them that their information is handled securely.

Implement Job Shadowing

One effective training method is pairing newer agents with seasoned agents to see how they handle customer calls. This helps the newer agents acquire the skills required to address customer issues. You might want to implement a job shadowing program using one of the following methods:

Invite newer agents to listen in on live customer calls with seasoned agents. This hands-on approach allows them to witness effective communication strategies and problem-solving techniques in action. For example, a seasoned agent calmly resolves a frustrated customer’s technical issue by actively listening to their concerns and utilizing knowledge base software for a prompt solution. Through this observation, newer agents learn the importance of patience, empathy, and resource utilization in delivering exceptional customer service.
Ask newer agents to listen to past call records that provided a positive customer experience. These recordings cover a variety of circumstances and problems, allowing agents to identify successful resolutions and areas for improvement. By analyzing these recordings, agents can target their training efforts to enhance their skills in specific areas and deliver exceptional customer service.

Provide Constructive Feedback

Let your agents know what they’re doing well and what they can improve on. Include specific examples and steps to do better. This helps your agents improve their performance and attain their goals. It also elevates agent engagement and retention. The following suggestions may help:

Provide real-time feedback. During these observations, point out areas of improvement and commend exemplary behavior. For instance, if an agent effectively diffuses a tense situation with a customer, acknowledge their skill in de-escalation and provide constructive feedback on maintaining a calm demeanor.
Review call recordings together: Assess the agent’s etiquette, strengths, and weaknesses. For example, if an agent demonstrates exceptional active listening skills but struggles with effectively summarizing solutions, offer guidance on improving summarization techniques while acknowledging their strengths in other areas.
Use Q&A scorecards: These scorecards can assess various aspects such as professionalism, accuracy of information provided, and adherence to company policies. For instance, if an agent consistently demonstrates professionalism and accuracy but occasionally overlooks policy guidelines, provide targeted training to reinforce policy adherence.
Share educational resources: If your team is encountering challenges in handling difficult customers, share articles or training modules on effective conflict resolution techniques. Additionally, encourage agents to participate in relevant workshops or webinars to further enhance their skills and knowledge.

SALEM SOLUTIONS CAN HELP YOU CONNECT WITH THE BEST CALL CENTER AGENTS

Giving your contact center team a refresher can help them perform their best and maintain efficiency. Are you looking to fill the gaps within your call center teams? Salem Solutions has the qualified candidates you need to fill those roles. Send us a message to learn more about how we can help your call center thrive!

Reference

1″Where Is Customer Care in 2024?” McKinsey & Company, 12 Mar. 2024, www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/where-is-customer-care-in-2024.

News

Industry news, advice and insights from our experts.

Meet SLAs with Scalable Call Center Staffing

Thrive Remote Service Team

Use technology to your advantage

Keep communication open

Recognize your team

Conclusion

How to Reduce Employee Turnover in Customer Service

Hire the right people

Provide ongoing training and professional development

Listen to your employees

Conclusion

Quick Employee Onboarding

Set Them up for Success Before the First Day

Create a Structured Onboarding Plan

Engage Them Early

Create Clear 90-Day Milestones

Onboard With Technology

Establish Regular Check-ins

Measure Onboarding Success

Time-to-Productivity

Call Handling Performance

Retention Rates

Employee Satisfaction

Transform your call center’s success with a strong onboarding strategy

Recruit Gen Z with Perks

Offer the following perks to attract and retain Gen Z to your call center.

Skill Development

Work-Life Balance

Instant Gratification

Want to Further Understand How to Acquire and Retain Gen-Z Talent for your Call Center?

Re-Evaluating Your Goals Now, Midway Through 2022

Implement these tips to reevaluate your goals, determine your progress, and make a plan to continue to move forward.

Take 30 Minutes to Reflect on Your Goals

Determine What Your Goals Still Are

Create a Plan to Reach Your Goals

Develop a Timeline

Is One of Your Goals to Find a New Job?

Call Center Performance Tips

Provide Technical Onboarding

Offer Knowledge Management Tools

Clarify Goals

Train on Call Center Etiquette

Implement Job Shadowing

Provide Constructive Feedback

SALEM SOLUTIONS CAN HELP YOU CONNECT WITH THE BEST CALL CENTER AGENTS