The Painful Truth About Call Center Attrition

Faith Ocampo Published on March 4, 2016 Last updated on July 18, 2022

Attrition is every call center’s problem, yet so few of them are doing something about it.

High attrition rates in call centers put a strain on all aspects of management. One employee walking out the door can trigger a long chain of resignations or completely mess up the way a team would execute its tasks.

That’s just the start. If you’ve seen firsthand how attrition impacts contact centers, you’d know that it hampers performance, consequently driving a wedge between brands and customers.

resigning call center agent looking down carrying box

There could be many reasons and you’re not going to be pleased to hear about them.

One is that many managers are averse to the idea of un-learning their old practices and embracing better ways to lead their teams. As a result, the employee engagement tactics they use end up becoming short-lived attempts to make up for attrition-caused losses.

One would think that because call center attrition has persistently been wreaking havoc in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry for many years, we would’ve found solutions by now. Yet, efforts for improvement are still being derailed.

Another reason is that managers often aim at the wrong targets. Their immediate response, when faced with numerous resignations, is to offer larger salary packages, comfier chairs, or a private office. However, just because employees aren’t leaving doesn’t mean they’re satisfied, but you can always count on high attrition to mean that there are far worse problems than insufficient compensation or poor facilities.

So, if we think about it and if we’re prepared to do an honest self-evaluation, perhaps we’ll finally admit that the problem all boils down to poor leadership.

The Impacts of Leadership on Attrition

call center leader pondering in the dark

Honestly, how many managers or company owners truly care? Surveys after surveys prove that most call center agents leave not because of their jobs but because of their supervisors. This fact has been emphasized over and over, such that the line “I didn’t quit my job; I quit my boss” has been stripped off its wit and just became another cliche.

If organizations care deeply enough for its people, they would have tried harder to keep them, help them grow, and make them stay. Managers would strive to become more effective at their roles, and company owners would start treating their employees as their most precious assets rather than faceless workers. Still, there are too few call centers that invest in leadership training and employee engagement activities, and the price they pay for not doing so is one they can’t afford in the long run.

Providing Fulfilling Opportunities

call center agents in a fun meeting

Your people deserve more attention. They deserve to be part of an organization that lets them exercise their resourcefulness and encourages them to reach their fullest potential. So, train them well and provide them opportunities to learn more. The reward for investing on your employees’ development is passion, loyalty, and a pure desire to grow along with your organization.

Also, let them know that the role they play in the company is an important one. Let every single employee feel that they’re part of the team by communicating with them on a personal level.

But never be complacent. Enhancing employee engagement is a never-ending process. You should engrave it into your organization’s culture by making it an everyday practice. The results may not be instantaneous, but you’ll soon notice lower attrition, happier employees, and a much better performance.

On Open Access BPO Operations

As an outsourcing firm that serves as the home of hundreds of employees across its multiple locations, Open Access BPO implements various strategies that have enabled us to keep our attrition rates low.

  • Training and Continued Skills Development
    With coaching and multiple skills development opportunities, our people can learn to take on new responsibilities and climb the corporate ladder towards their desired career path.
  • call center employees at Open Access BPO having fun
  • Leadership Training
    Our leadership training program helps our leaders and potential leaders better manage their people, care for their needs.
  • Employee Engagement Activities
    We hold various fun employee engagement activities and events to encourage work-life integration and reward our employees for their hard work.
  • A Positive and Empowering Work Environment
    We’re always on the lookout for ways to improve our sites, ensuring they work in safe and comfortable workspaces that values who they are and what makes them unique.

 

Open Access BPO maintains an open, positive, and empowering workspace for our workers, with the intention of honoring them for who they are and appreciating the work they do. The low attrition, while a goal, is merely a bonus.

Contact us today and let our ops team create a program for you, optimized with the most qualified and highly-engaged teams helping your brand grow.

 

Read More

Faith is a digital media enthusiast aiming to become an active part of the tech world by sharing her insights. She likes to blog about everything digimarketing, technology, and social media.

4 responses to “The Painful Truth About Call Center Attrition”

  1. Prince yoshinori watabe says:

    I can definitly agree. Honestly there are less and less companies that would really care. They loss people they try to attract new people with higher pay for the new while the old just get what they originally signed for. While they are well trained and knowledgeable with the product. Making new reasons for employees to leave.
    And yes they will give out leadership trainings. But they just use it for an excuse for supervisors to convince employees to stay and just forget about the bad experience, but they’ll never do anything to even try to amend it…. such a sad truth with bpo companies.

    • Faith Ocampo says:

      I agree with you, Prince. If the damage is already done, managers should really try to make up for them. It all comes down to relationship building. Just because BPO companies have too many employees (and honestly, they easily acquire new ones!) doesn’t mean they can treat them as commodities. If they don’t open their minds soon, this will be a hard battle to win.

  2. Roy says:

    Predictability is the best way to combat attrition. Because attrition reasons come in all forms you have to embed and consistently drive an attrition watch within your organizations culture

    • Faith Ocampo says:

      Thanks for pointing that out Roy, I couldn’t agree more. BPO companies have to anticipate attrition so they can prevent it. Everyone must be included in this process, even agents themselves.

Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 19 hours ago
Understanding your consumers' needs enables you to:
• improve the #CustomerExperience;
• earn customer loyalty;
• devise better marketing strategies;
• grow your demographic; and
• increase your revenues.

Here are 5 methods that can help your business have better knowledge of your customers' needs: https://buff.ly/3IWIQPC

----------
Partner only with an outsourcer with the expertise, resources, and manpower your brand needs: https://buff.ly/3PG8V9v

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CustomerService
Open Access BPO 21 hours ago
𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫.

Our blog post provides you expert tips and strategies to help you handle these situations with empathy and professionalism.

Discover effective strategies and best practices to ensure your communication remains clear, respectful, and compassionate: https://buff.ly/3PzDMVm

----------
Deliver exceptional #CustomerExperience with our services to ensure #CustomerRetention and foster brand loyalty: https://buff.ly/49cyrdm

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CX #CSat
#outsourcing #CustomerSatisfaction
Open Access BPO Yesterday
Your team embodies your brand to customers, from representing your values to delivering a top-notch experience.

That's why hiring those who match your brand's promise is a must. Otherwise, their inadequacies will misrepresent you as an unreliable company.

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 #𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞:
https://buff.ly/3TSCwPJ

----------
Outsourcing with us today and get a team of dedicated experts for your business needs.
We develop programs from the ground up to ensure each process and solution matches with your brand’s needs and deeply addresses your customers' demands.

Contact us today and let our program developers know what your goals are, and we’ll help you get there: https://buff.ly/499VtSb

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CallCenters
#CX #oustourcing #recruitment
Open Access BPO Yesterday
Unresolved #CustomerService issues cause repeat complaints, which can have severe consequences like:
• customer dissatisfaction;
• loss of sales opportunities;
• increase in #CX expenses; and
• a blow to your brand reputation.

Minimize repeat complaints and elevate #CustomerSatisfaction and loyalty with these invaluable #CustomerExperience tips:
https://buff.ly/4962400

----------
Heighten CX by partnering with the right industry expert: https://buff.ly/3Tx9aoC

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CSat #CustomerSupport
Open Access BPO 6 days ago
No matter how popular your brand is, losing customers is something you can't avoid.

But instead of panicking and worrying incessantly when your customers start leaving, face the situation with an open mind and learn: https://buff.ly/490iW8d

----------
Prevent customer churn with our smart #CustomerExperience solutions: https://buff.ly/3TK5Jfl

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSatisfaction #CSat #CX
Open Access BPO 6 days ago
#𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞-𝐭𝐨-𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞; 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭-𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞.
Happy customers become loyal customers, and they're more likely to spread the good word about your brand.

But if you want to keep your customers happy, you need to avoid these cardinal sins: https://buff.ly/3x8omB6

---------
Let's start building a #CustomerService program that addresses your needs head-on: https://buff.ly/3TLqV4U

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CX
#CustomerExperience #CSat
Open Access BPO