Pressure rises on contact centre staffing levels
Research carried out by industry analysts, ContactBabel, shows that the contact centre industry is under pressure, with a freeze on salaries, high attrition and absence rates.
“The UK Contact Centre Operational Review - 6th edition (2008)” is a survey of over 200 UK contact centre operations and their HR, technological, strategic and commercial issues. HR-related findings of the report include:
• New agent salaries have decreased slightly in 2008 (£13,949 vs £14,056 in 2007)
• Attrition rates remain around 30%, with finance and telecoms experiencing the highest levels
• A lack of upward opportunities and low pay are the most widely given reasons for high attrition rates
• Only 13% of contact centre staff leave to work in another contact centre
• 81% of respondents state that they are looking to increase headcount in the next year
• Recruitment and growth is seen as the no.1 issue for respondents - higher even than reducing staff attrition or decreasing costs.
The report’s author, Steve Morrell, commented:
“There are contradictory pressures on the UK contact centre industry where HR is concerned. As ever, attrition is a problem for most operations, and worse, most departing agents do not move between contact centres, and their skills and experience are completely lost to the industry. In addition to this, the majority of contact centres are planning recruitment drives in 2009.
“Yet agent salaries are not increasing - in fact there has been a very slight decline in average starting salaries since 2007 - and this is shrinking the labour pool further. There is a danger that contact centres will have to lower their recruitment standards to meet their headcount targets, which would have the double negative effect of lowering quality and increasing attrition.
“However, the current economic crisis and concerns about future employment prospects may well reduce attrition rates as employees in general will become more risk-averse, preferring to stay in their current role.”
