Here’s an alarming statistic for organizations that rely on a strong customer contact department – these businesses on average will lose approximately $600,000 annually because of “agent attrition”. These front-line employees have the ability to make or break a brand – in fact, studies reveal that satisfied agents are 2.5 times more likely to remain in their service role (generating higher employee retention rates) and consistently provide positive customer experiences. Studies also show that these service superstars typically overperform on CSAT (a standard measurement of customer satisfaction), ultimately boosting the bottom line.
How can brands and businesses ensure their customer contact agents are consistently fulfilled in their roles? It’s important to examine some of the challenges facing customer contact leaders in their quest to improve agent experience and devise strategies to improve retention. Here again, surveys indicate that 42% of customer service agents are unhappy in their jobs, and more than half of them are thinking about leaving their employment within the next two years. But why?
The three primary factors driving this attrition are poor management, little flexibility, and lack of career development. Business 101 dictates that strong leadership results in strong employee teams. A good manager directly impacts optimum agent experience and creates job satisfaction. This pivotal position revolves around great communication, leadership, and respect.
Additionally – largely as a result of the global pandemic – employees have come to expect flexibility when it comes to where they work (in-office or at home), the days and hours that they work, and the type of work that they do. Customer contact agents are no different in this respect, and lack of flexibility will be a deterring factor in their choice of employer. In fact, only 17% of these service specialists prefer an on-site work model, and this has become a big challenge for many organizations – but one that must be met.
This type of flexibility requires a specialized management style based on trust and an accurate view of individual agent working patterns. Managers with the right competencies can successfully manage a team of agents that prefer a remote work model. In the same fashion, it would be a mistake to assume that an on-site customer service standard better supports employee development. Turns out that 71% of customer contact agents feel equally or more engaged – and supported – when working from home.
It’s clear that embracing the remote work concept and implementing creative and strategic career development strategies are key to the retention of customer contact teams. Overcoming these challenges will lead to enhanced employee experience which will ultimately generate exceptional customer service and increased revenues.
As an alternate solution, many of today’s organizations are looking at partnering with a trusted customer service outsourcing company like Anexa. We have a twenty-year, award-winning background as customer service specialists and our talented agents are trained to apply the most current principles in the customer experience/service field when representing your business. Factor in that we have one of the largest pools of bilingual agents in North America with ongoing CX training, and partnering with Anexa could be a win for your business and your VIP – the customer.
Reach out today to learn more about our specialized customer service teams.