Hold Onto Your New Starters… For More Than 6 Months!

Losing any new starter in the first 6 months is a massive loss all round – from the wasted recruitment and training efforts to the morale of the team left behind.

The good news is that there are lots of tactics that can help to make those early experiences count, so that by the time they get 6 months in, they’re settled and not headed for the door.

To put the spotlight on what’s working well right now, we asked our reader panel – including representatives from UCAS and Worcester Bosch – for their tried and tested to-do list that makes that first 6 months memorable for all the right reasons.

Regularly Check In and Celebrate Their Journey So Far

Regular check-ins are essential – not just performance-focused ones, but genuine wellbeing conversations.

A quick weekly touchpoint to ask “What’s feeling easier or harder?” helps us spot issues early and shows that they are not just a metric; we care about them as people.

Little touches like inviting new starters to team huddles and celebrating their first wins with the team help them feel included quickly too!

Contributed by: Gareth Brophy, Vice President of Customer Experience and Back Office Capabilities at The DDC Group

Reassess Your Processes to Make Sure They Reflect the Current Demands of the Role

We recently reviewed our onboarding process and introduced several significant changes that have greatly improved our attrition rates.

We began by reassessing our interview process, updating the questions and activities to ensure they reflect the current demands of the role.

Give Them Enough Time to Settle In BEFORE You Hit Seasonal Peaks

We also looked at the timing of our recruitment throughout the year in relation to our peak season, ensuring that new starters have enough time to settle into the role before the busiest period begins.

I believe the key is not to allow processes to become stagnant and keeping in touch with those living and breathing them.

Contributed by: Naomi Smith, Contact Centre Manager at Worcester Bosch

For advice to help get new agents performing confidently, faster, read our article: 5 Ways to Boost Agent Speed to Competence

Show Them That Career Growth Is Both Genuine and Achievable

We have clear quality standards and a progression framework that sets expectations early on and demonstrates our commitment to personal development, from new starter to full proficiency – taking on additional skill sets, channels, and responsibilities.

With most of our managers having started on the phones themselves, we’re able to show that career growth is both genuine and achievable.

Contributed by: Sunil Parshotam, Customer Success Manager at UCAS

Introduce a Progressive Performance Framework to Offset Some of the Pressure

Expecting full performance too quickly can unintentionally create pressure and reduce early confidence. A more effective approach is to introduce a progressive performance framework during the first six months.

Rather than expecting new agents to immediately reach the same targets as experienced colleagues, performance expectations can increase gradually as skills, familiarity with systems, and confidence develop.

During the first month, the primary focus should be on learning: understanding internal systems, processes, and the fundamentals of customer interactions.

At this stage, performance expectations are intentionally lower to allow agents to concentrate on building capability. For example, agents may be expected to achieve around 30% of the standard KPI target during their first month.

As agents progress into the second month, expectations can increase modestly perhaps to 35–40% of standard performance levels as they become more comfortable handling customer scenarios and navigating operational tools.

Over time, targets can continue to increase in a transparent and structured way until agents reach full performance capacity.

Contributed by: Fatemeh Fasihi, Contact Centre Supervisor, Snappfood

For essential skills to get you started, read our article: 5 Soft Skills Every Agent Needs Before Taking Their First Call

Don’t Just Focus on Learning – Foster Early Team Connections Too!

At UCAS, we’re proud to have a very high retention rate, with most new starters staying well beyond six months and an average tenure of over two years, and I believe this success begins with our structured induction plan.

During their first two weeks, new starters follow a detailed programme that includes business onboarding, tailored training on the UCAS application process, and call‑handling skills that focus on providing emotionally intelligent advice and guidance.

The induction blends classroom learning, online modules, and daily call‑listening sessions with experienced agents to help embed key knowledge and foster early team connections too!

Contributed by: Sunil Parshotam, Customer Success Manager at UCAS

If you want inspiration to improve your inductions, read our article: How to Revamp Your Agent Inductions

Give Them a “What Good Looks Like” Guide to Help Reduce Anxiety

One approach that consistently helps new agents settle in (and stay beyond their first six months) is creating a structured, but human-centred, onboarding journey. 

I’ve found that giving newcomers absolute clarity in their first two weeks makes a huge difference. Simple things like a clear checklist, defined expectations, and a “what good looks like” guide help to reduce anxiety and build early confidence.

Pair Each New Agent With a Dedicated Mentor 

Pairing each new agent with a dedicated mentor has also worked incredibly well. The mentor isn’t a manager but a friendly go-to person who can answer questions that might otherwise feel too small or awkward to raise.

This builds psychological safety early on and helps new starters feel part of the team from day one. The mentor relationship usually lasts for the first three months, but the personal, human connections last far longer.

Contributed by: Gareth Brophy, Vice President of Customer Experience and Back Office Capabilities at The DDC Group

Encourage Your Management Team to Invest Time in the New Intake

All of the contact centre management team, up to and including myself, will take time during the induction period to spend some time with each new intake.

For example, to share information about their teams, their duties, their journey with the charity, and a little bit about themselves as a person. This helps our new staff build relationships across the wider management team from day 1.

We also invite managers and staff from other areas of the charity to meet the new starters and talk about their own work – which builds a bigger picture of how the organization works and can pique the interest of new starters about future career development.

Contributed by: John Pearson, Contact Centre Manager at Citizens Advice Gateshead

Move Your Training On-Site to Help New Starters Integrate Into the Team

As most of our team work from home, we noticed that new starters were not integrating into the team as effectively as we had hoped when beginning remotely.

To address this, we moved our training on-site. For the first eight weeks, new starters are now required to work from the office four to five days a week. Before transitioning to remote work, we review their performance and ensure they feel confident in their role.

Contributed by: Naomi Smith, Contact Centre Manager at Worcester Bosch

…And Never Give Them Reason to Question “Did I Make the Right Choice?”

Let’s be honest for a second. People don’t wake up in month six and suddenly decide to leave. They’ve been deciding… Slowly, quietly… From the beginning.

• It happens in the interview when we oversell.
• It happens in week one when everything feels overwhelming.
• It happens after that one tough call when no one checks in.

And in those moments, a question starts forming: “Did I make the right choice?”

That’s why retention starts right there, with real conversations, not perfect ones. If we’re honest from the start, we don’t just hire people… We prepare them!

It’s about creating belonging, the kind you feel, not the kind we say. Those first six months should feel like an experience. Not forms. Not policies. People. Conversations. Energy. A buddy who checks in. A leader who actually listens.

After all, new agents don’t leave because they can’t do the job, they leave because they don’t yet believe they can. And belief doesn’t come from a training deck. It comes from someone saying, “That was tough… but you handled it better than you think.”

So maybe retention isn’t about keeping people. Maybe it’s about removing the reasons they quietly decide to leave. Because when people feel clear, supported, and seen, they don’t just make it past six months – they start imagining a future.

Contributed by: Sirisha Peters, Learning and Development Specialist at T3 SA

What Have You Tried to Keep Your New Starters Beyond the First 6 Months?

Click here to join our Readers Panel to share your experiences and feature in future Call Centre Helper articles.

For more information to help you develop your new starters, read these articles next:

• Going From Induction to Onboarding
• Train New Agents in Just 30 Days
• 10 Initiatives to Improve Induction Training

Author: Megan Jones
Reviewed by: Xander Freeman