If you’re having a hard time filling vacant positions within your organization, it may be time to refine and improve your employer brand.

The term “employer brand” is a relatively new one. It was first defined in the Journal of Brand Management in 1996 to refer to an organization’s reputation as an employer, and not its overall image as a provider of products and services.

In the early 2000s, recruitment became a key concern for many organizations, as plenty of managers began experiencing talent shortages. A 2014 survey revealed that 38% of employers are having a hard time filling vacant jobs—the highest percentage since 2007. And in 2015, 73% of CEOs expressed concern over the availability of key skills in the talent market. In fact, they named this as the second biggest threat to their growth.

How should companies deal with this alarming problem?

To mitigate the impacts of talent shortages, employer branding is now starting to take the spotlight. Through this process, organizations promote themselves as professionals’ employer of choice. This therefore entails devising recruitment strategies, digital marketing, attracting and recruiting applicants, and retaining employees. This is something that call centers must also apply. They must bolster their reputation as employers in order to gather the best talents out there. The only sure way to cope with customers’ demands and a fast-changing tech landscape is to work with people who have the necessary skills and knowledge. To enhance your employer brand, here are six best practices you must take note of.

1. Be clear about what you believe in.

   

   Every marketing message you send out there as part of your branding communications must reflect your company’s values and mission. This lets you spread brand awareness, allowing you to attract the right people who will stand behind your aspirations. You can thus be sure that the employees you’ll be recruiting are the ones who want to grow with your organization over time. This results in better employee engagement and lower attrition rates.

2. Think about the entire employment lifecycle.

   

   Most managers think employer branding ends the moment they’ve hired the people they’re looking for, but they’ve got it wrong. Building an employer brand will always be an ongoing process. After you’ve ushered in your target employees, your next tasks are to provide them with the ideal work environment and keep them happy working with you. This is especially important for call centers, most of which experience high attrition rates. The key is to provide employees with opportunities to grow, take on new roles, and exercise the whole range of their expertise.

3. Utilize digital tools.

   

   If you’re still not using the web to strengthen your employer brand, then it’s time for you to do so. Building a social media presence, advertising on job boards, and joining employment-related forums will allow you to connect with prospective employees. In addition, complement your brand strategy with the right content marketing tactics in order to communicate your messages more effectively.

4. Support diversity.

   

   Staff diversity is becoming a main trend not just among call centers but also across industries, as managers begin to recognize it as a key in innovation. Thus, part of your employer branding must be to promote inclusion and equal treatment among employees regardless of their age, gender, culture, religion, or even academic background. Doing so allows you to create a work environment wherein every employee is valued for who they are and what they can contribute.

5. Provide great employee benefits.

   

   An employee benefits program can help you attract and retain talents, and if you launch a good one, it can help you keep employees committed to the company. A great benefits program provides financial protection to your employees and their families in case of illnesses, accidents, and other events. This helps boost employees’ morale and encourages them to perform their tasks well every day.

6. Understand what drives performance.

   

   Employees tend to perform best when they’re happy, but what can make them happy in the workplace? Is it flexibility, opportunities for career growth, a little bit of competition, incentives, or a mixture of all these? Make sure your engagement strategy covers everything that’s important for your employees in order to encourage them to be more productive and dedicated to their work.