Observations-on-Operations Interactive

[Moderator]

Observations-on-Operations Interactive

The Observations-on-Operations Interactive segment is a variation of the regular Observations-on-Operations article found at http://www.callcenterops.com/newsletter.htm
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Call center agent burnout is a real issue for many of us. It shows up with behaviors such as high absenteeism, poor quality work and apathy to the job and customers.

What do you find effective in managing agent burnout in your call center?
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Add your opinion by clicking on the "post reply" button. (Remember, you must register first in order to post your opinion.)

Moderator
CallCenterOps.com

[Valerie Heimerich]

We face the same issues of burnout - the repetitive nature of call center work can cause problems for even the most dedicated agent. A few suggestions:

- Create new support positions (non-call related), especially for long-term employees (with a modest pay increase). They can still handle calls during peak periods, but will have more to do during slow times. I've found that this makes them very important & unique within the crowd, which translates to less burnout. Even if the additional tasks don't involve rocket science, the emotional impact on them is the same.

- Allow employees to form ad-hoc committees during work time to address employee morale, write/update job descriptions, assess the center's customer service level, etc. Let them come up with ideas and make a report with suggestions.

Let me know if I can help.
Valerie Bonini
bonini@amerigas.com

[Ian41]

I run a 24/7 35 seat Call Centre for Taxi Dispatch. We handle around 350,000 orders per month.

I find burnout is minimised with effective rostering and regular rotating of positions. Keeping the staff interested is the key.

[Mike H]

This is another tough issue. We try and manage this with contests based around productivity measures of the center. Not only does this help productivity, but it helps the CSR's relax and have fun at work. We do contests for quality (we have a separate QA group that does not report thru us), most calls, best wrap time etc...

Prizes don't have to be anything large either. The prize that seemed to stir the competition the most was for casual days. We are business casual Monday thru Thursday, and casual on Friday and Saturday. It was amazing to us what being able to wear jeans on a regualr work day did for our employees.

Little things like candy bars and movie tickets also work well. Anything that makes them smile, instills a little competition is great. Between reps, teams and the whole center.

Any questions, just let me know.

Mike