Millions of employees have been quitting their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. Among the main reasons are not feeling valued at work, leaders not responding to employee feedback and low employee morale. As a result, a significant number of roles are remaining open. While this can be a depressing and scary thought, it is also a time to set your call center apart.
Odds are your call center is being impacted by The Great Resignation. If so, there are ways to reduce the impact of the high turnover environment experience nationally. If employees are leaving, especially a significant number of them, then there are opportunities for improvement for your call center. As a result, you need to determine what these opportunities are and what can be done to start improving. Start helping your call center and employees thrive with these tips!
Follow these guidelines to increase employee retention for your call center.
Develop a Strong Culture
Your company culture sets the tone for how your call center employees function. This includes how they communicate within the organization, how often they receive training, and how well they integrate their work with their lives.
Part of creating a culture that employees want to work in involves growth. You should be providing regular training, 360-degree feedback, and opportunities for career advancement. This encourages your employees to remain long-term.
Create an Employee Profile
Make a list of the qualities you are looking for in call center employees. Examples include strong communication skills, the ability to work well with others, and a good fit with company culture. These are the traits to look for when hiring. Candidates who have a significant number of these characteristics should have the most success while working at your call center.
Develop behavioral interview questions to uncover your targeted qualities. For instance, “Can you tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer? Include how you handled the situation and what your results were.” Observe the candidate’s answer to gain insight into how they react to stress and conflict.
You also should include psychology-based hiring processes to determine whether call center candidates have the traits necessary for success. For instance, you might talk about the demanding nature of the work, then use a job simulation to assess the candidate’s competency in handling a difficult situation. Or, you could ask forced-choice questions with A or B answers that require self-reflection. For instance, you may ask a candidate to share whether they A. are curious about new things or B. stay focused on the task at hand. This kind of question uncovers more honest answers than asking yes or no questions.
Illustrate Career Paths
Show clear opportunities for employees to develop a career path within your call center. This provides a goal for them to work toward and the steps to attain it. You can demonstrate how progress toward each goal is measured and feedback is provided to better attain it. Since career growth and self-improvement are important, your staff should welcome the ability to set and achieve their professional goals in line with your organization’s goals. The more motivated your employees are to reach the next level, the more likely they are to continue working for your call center.
Provide Current Technology
Effective software and proven processes are needed to help your call center employees be more productive. This includes a customer relationship management (CRM) system and the tools to communicate with other departments or management. Having the structure to perform their work helps your staff perform to the best of their ability. This can lead to higher employee engagement, productivity, and retention.
Implement Training
Provide a regular training and development schedule for your call center staff. This may include on-the-job training, reenactments, multimedia content, team building activities, or activities during company events. Increasing your employees’ knowledge and skills helps them provide more effective customer service. They can better absorb the information and apply it to their day-to-day activities.
Ongoing training also promotes personal and professional development. This leads to greater job satisfaction and career fulfillment. Happy staff members tend to remain with the organization long-term.
Reward Employee Behavior
Give positive reinforcement for the staff behaviors you would like to see more of. You may reward good behavior with gift cards, bonuses, days off, shorter work hours, food, or assignment to the shift of the employee’s choice. This increases employee morale and promotes a positive workplace.
Conduct Exit Interviews
Meet with the employees who leave your call center to talk about their experiences working there. Find out what they liked and disliked and specific ways things could be improved. Ask questions to uncover greater insight into the employee experience. Use your findings to make improvements when possible. The more satisfied your staff members are, the more likely they are to stay with your organization.
Looking to Hire Call Center Employees?
Salem Solutions has vetted candidates ready to begin working for you. Get in touch with us today.
