Is a Competency Framework Your Answer to Attrition?

Many contact centres struggle with high levels of attrition.

But the team at Worcester Bosch knew they could do better and introduced a new competency framework – with a vision to create clearer career pathways for advisors, and ultimately retain talent and improve performance across the contact centre.

And the results were significant! Advisors could instantly see how they could develop within the business, and attrition rates fell dramatically!

So, what can other leaders learn from this initiative? We spoke to Contact Centre Manager, Naomi Smith, to find out.

What Is a Competency Framework?

A competency framework provides a structured way for advisors to develop their behaviours, knowledge, and skills over time.

At Worcester Bosch, this was divided up into 4 advisor levels – each with progressively higher expectations and opportunities for development. This gave advisors a clear understanding of where they were in their career journey and what they needed to do next to progress.

Naomi Smith, Contact Centre Manager at Worcester Bosch — Naomi Smith

“We recognized that we needed to introduce a competency framework, as a central document that facilitates career development within our contact centre.

In very basic terms, each advisor can now join the business at level one and work through the different levels to achieve more and more throughout their career.” – Naomi Smith, Contact Centre Manager at Worcester Bosch

This clarity has been vital for creating consistent structure to support career progression for every advisor at every level – rather than relying on informal development conversations.

Advisors Needed More Visibility of Potential Career Opportunities Within the Contact Centre If They Were Going to Stay for Longer

The need for this framework was clear, as Worcester Bosh were facing very high levels of attrition and something urgently needed to be done to address it.

“At its worst, our attrition had reached 118% – creating a continual cycle of recruiting and training new starters. It became clear that advisors needed more visibility of potential career opportunities within the contact centre if they were going to stay for longer.

Thankfully, the framework provided a way to support career development discussions throughout the employee lifecycle – from new starters through to long-serving advisors – and quickly made a positive difference.” – Naomi Smith, Contact Centre Manager at Worcester Bosch

One of the most immediate benefits was the significant reduction in attrition, as the team saw their attrition rate fall from a peak of 118% to 23% following the introduction of the framework.

And the benefits swept across the contact centre! Instead of continually focusing resources on onboarding and training new recruits, more time could be invested in developing experienced team members.

The result was greater engagement, improved retention, and even more time to invest in long-term advisor development.

Key Considerations When Rolling Out a Competency Framework

Yet, as Robert Burns once famously said, “the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry”, so here are some of the things to keep a close eye on if you roll out your own competency framework:

Thoroughly Review Every Aspect of Your New Framework Before Launch

“During implementation, an important performance-related requirement for moving between competency levels was initially overlooked. This meant an adjustment had to be made after we’d already begun rolling the framework out.

While the change was relatively minor, it highlighted the importance of thoroughly reviewing every aspect of a new framework before launch.” – Naomi Smith, Contact Centre Manager at Worcester Bosch

Make Communication a Priority

Don’t underestimate the importance of communication either.

Any significant change programme can quickly lose momentum if messages become inconsistent or misunderstood. Advisors and team leaders need to understand not only what is changing but why it is changing and how it will benefit them.

It’s well worth investing the time here! Get it right and the framework will be received warmly. Get it wrong and you risk your messages being diluted and even people coming up with their own patchwork of solutions.

For advice to help improve communication in your contact centre, read our article: The 7 Cs of Effective Communication

Keep the Framework Evolving

Most importantly of all, introducing a competency framework should not be viewed as a one-off project. As products, technologies, customer expectations, and ways of working evolve, competency requirements will need to evolve too.

This is why the framework at Worcester Bosch is treated as a living, breathing document that can be adapted over time. This ongoing nurturing helps ensure the framework and career pathways stay aligned with the future needs of both advisors and the organization.

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A Competency Framework Does Far More Than Provide a List of Skills

Ultimately, a competency framework can do far more than provide a list of skills and behaviours. When implemented effectively, it can create meaningful career pathways, support advisor development, improve engagement, and reduce attrition.

After all, advisors are far more likely to stay when they can see a clear future for themselves within the organization. And it’s a win–win! As leaders benefit from strategically retaining experienced advisors and delivering high-quality customer service – time after time after time.