How to Keep Call Center Employees On Your Team

Unsure how to keep call center employees on your team?  If you’ve got the right people for the job, it is worth investing your time, energy and resources into keeping them.  In this article we will discuss how to avoid turnover and keep your top-notch employees on your team.

How to Keep Call Center Employees On Your Team

It is no shocker that contact centers often have a high turn over rate.  When high performers get restless, they start looking for other opportunities.  And it is precisely because they are high performers, that they have plenty of options.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.  If you’d like to keep them, here are a few pointers:

1. Make a Strong First Impression

The impression you and your company makes to an employee on their first day is exceptionally important.  Start by having a orientation program that allows new employees to formally meet the other members of their team.  This will make your new employees feel more comfortable and feel appreciated at their new home away from home.

It is important to give employees a good idea of what to expect on their first day at the job. Also, be sure to explain company procedures and clearly describe initial expectations.  This way there are no surprises down the road.  Once you’ve hired the right candidates, keep them around by making your contact center a great place to work.

2. Showcase Career Paths

The average employee stays at a company for two years.  If this is the case, how will you show your employees that your company has more to offer when that two years is up?  Clear the air by letting your employees know that if they are successful, there are many opportunities for growth within the company.

But, don’t stop there.  Meet with your employees individually on a regular basis to discuss their career and personal plans.  By discussing everything from salary needs to their desire to “find themselves” you can have an impact on when and if they leave.  The more open your communication is, the better you both can predict and plan for transition.

3. Reward Managers Who Promote Stars

From a managers perspective, all is well in their world with a high performing employee on their team.  Their employee is exceeding expectations and they do not want to see them move on to a new position or division.  It is important to implement a system that will override this human tendency.  You can evaluate managers partly on how they’ve developed their team members careers.  Showcase managers who have moved their stars, offer bonuses for an extra incentive and add more resources to fill in any gaps.

4. Let Agents Know They’re Valued

A compliment can go a long way.  One way of doing this is to increase a top-notch employee’s profile in the company.  Communicate their achievements to management, and have them interact with higher levels of management.  This will give your employee a sense of appreciation and inhibit a sense of loyalty, even if they are offered another job. Another tip, is to give them the title they’ve been asking for!  If you give an employee a better title, even without the monetary compensation, they will feel more valued.

The key is to come up with ways to motivate your employees so that they want to stay, and not look for employment elsewhere.  Don’t let your call center agents feel overworked and unappreciated, this will cause disengagement and they will eventually check out.  Employees who are fully engaged, feel a close attachment to core values and ethics embodied by the organization.

5. Sell the Mission and Vision

One of the most natural questions people ask is “why am I here?”  Even if the challenge is obvious, you, as a manager, have to point out the mission every day, and make it clear that the mission is the answer to “why am I here”.

With some idea of what the mission really is, including some goals, your team can self-orient to the mission and take satisfaction when goals are reached.  Here to, you the manager, have to persuade your team to take action to reach the goal, but then also take time to celebrate the achievement of reaching the goal.