3CLogic's Contact Center Blog

What started as a few whisperings in early 2022 has become a near certainty — the U.S. is on the cusp of a recession. With inflation soaring, stocks tumbling, and consumer sentiment dwindling, it’s not difficult to see why a recent survey shows that experts predict there’s a 44% chance of entering an economic downturn within the next 12 months. 

Agent retention has long been a challenge for contact centers. With annual turnover rates well above those in other industries, the issue is hard to ignore. In fact, a recent ICMI survey shows the average contact center’s agent turnover rate was 58% year over year. When you factor in the associated costs, such as expenses related to recruiting and onboarding new agents, the issue of high employee turnover becomes downright painful.   

Not convinced? Consider the additional effect on employee morale, the ongoing loss in intellectual property, and the long-term implications for the customer experience — the costs can grow far beyond immediate operational expenses. 

So why is high employee turnover so common among contact centers?  There are a number of reasons. According to a report from research-driven AI company ASAPP, the primary reasons for contact center attrition are:

• Inadequate training
• Low-quality feedback from supervisors
• Metric standards that don’t make sense
• Technology that isn’t up to par
• Rude or aggressive customers

Regardless of whether you’re just getting started or representing a large enterprise, employee turnover is nothing to ignore. Follow the strategies below to improve employee retention in your contact center. 

Agent attrition has been a long-standing issue within the contact center space, and continues to be a major pain point today despite recent advancements in technology and employee work environment. In fact, according to Contact Center Pipeline's recent survey, "Contact Center Challenges and Priorities", high attrition is said to be the biggest challenge for contact centers in 2016, especially for larger call centers over 500 seats. But what is causing these employees to leave? What are the costs that call centers are incurring as a result of high employee turnover rates? And more importantly, how can businesses help minimize this issue within their contact centers? Check-out our recent infographic “Agent Retention for Your Contact Center”!

Each New Year brings its own set of unique opportunities to the contact center space, both from a technological standpoint as well as an operational one. And as businesses continue to adopt the latest solutions and best practices to support their employees, customers, and organizations as a whole, many continue to run into challenges piecing everything together and making good use of it all. But what are some of the challenges contact centers are anticipating in the coming months? And how can businesses more effectively manage what they have and mitigate the risk of a potential issue? Let's check out the findings of Contact Center Pipeline’s recent survey, “Contact Center Challenges & Priorities”, revealing some of the biggest challenges for organizations today—and how to alleviate them in 2016.