Why Are Your Agents Leaving?

Amanda Davies outlines some of the key reasons your agents may be leaving your contact centre.

With the job market stabilising, loyalty is on the decrease and people are beginning to feel more confident about switching jobs – making it increasingly likely that your agents will leave if they aren’t happy.

Here are 5 reasons why your agents could choose to leave your contact centre:

1. Lack of career progression

A lack of career progression in your contact centre could be one of the reasons your retention rates are low.

While some will be quick to blame this on the inherent nature of the “I want it all and I want it now” Millennial Generation, people of all ages value the opportunity to learn and develop in the workplace.

To overcome this, you will need to establish a clear career path in your business, regularly talk to your agents about their aspirations and – most importantly – help them get there!

2. Lack of skills-based and leadership training

A lack of skills-based and leadership training could also push your agents to leave, especially if they perceive their role as a dead-end job.

Beyond improving staff retention, other benefits of introducing skills-based and leadership training include:

• More motivated agents (in a recent survey, 45% of people said they are more motivated when there is such training in place).
• Higher levels of engagement and productivity.
• Reduced absenteeism.

3. Poor incentive and reward programme

In a recent survey, over two-thirds of agents said that they based their decision to stay in a contact centre on the quality of its reward programme.

Everyone in your business will have different priorities in their personal lives, from wanting to spend more time with their children to saving up a deposit for a house. With this in mind, your reward scheme should be flexible enough to offer extra holiday to agent X and cash bonuses to agent Y.

Failure to understand what is important to your agents and tailor your rewards accordingly could push your agents to look for their next job.

4. Poor technology and resources

Failing to equip your agents with the technology they need to do their job may be another reason they choose to leave. This can also extend to your in-office facilities such as the kitchen, breakout room and toilets.

For example, your slow computer systems could be putting your agents under unnecessary pressure when serving customers, while your lack of snacks in the canteen may be stopping them from getting their afternoon sugar boost.

This disgruntlement may seem harmless enough… Until your agents start talking to their friends in other contact centres!

Social media platforms, as well as the growth in contact centre conferences and award ceremonies, makes this cross-company contact almost inevitable, meaning that if the contact centre on the other side of town has top-of-the-range headsets and well-maintained toilets, your agents will know about it and very well might just head over and take a look.

5. A disjointed company vision

It shouldn’t be a surprise that agents who feel disconnected from the company’s vision or unsure about the impact they are having on customer satisfaction will lack enthusiasm in their day-to-day activity.

Practising ‘Inclusive Leadership’ can help your agents feel more connected to the end goals of the organisation – and overcome their desire to leave. For example, appointing an agent representative to sit in on all board meetings, or displaying positive customer feedback around the contact centre.

With thanks to Amanda Davies at ISV Software