TMCnews Featured Article

The life of the call center employee is not always as glamorous as it sounds. Yes, they have the opportunity to talk with a variety of people on a daily basis, traveling the world by way of the communication line. And, yes they have the opportunity to make people happy by solving their problems and selling them products. But, let’s face it, when the agent has to make calls to a person who doesn’t want to receive them – it can be a tough gig.

It is because of this challenge that the call center industry as a whole is plagued by higher attrition numbers. With the use of the right technology, however, the call center workforce may become more engaged and satisfied in their positions. The implementation of the predictive dialer, for instance, can help agents avoid the frustration associated with the dropped, missed, errant or unwanted call. On a broader scale, the center is then better positioned to reach its targeted numbers.

A recent Call Me IQ article explored how best to drive success within the call center environment. The first key to this success is to identify what metrics need to be tracked and what metrics are simply taking up space on the dashboard. The metrics they recommend are the most important include First Call Resolution, service level or response time, adherence to schedule, forecasting accuracy, self-service accessibility, contact quality and overall customer satisfaction.

There are two elements not included in this list that have a lot to do with the performance of the contact center: agent engagement and attrition. These human capital metrics are essential as the engaged agent is more likely to stay with the center and help contribute toward its overall success. After all, the engaged workforce is one that is willing and able to contribute to the success of the organization and routinely deliver discretionary effort while on the job. He or she will also be more satisfied with the work and more likely to stick around.

How does this relate to the predictive dialer? As highlighted in a recent GloCCal article, there are a number of benefits afforded with the implementation of this technology. For instance, the dialer can help increase productivity, sometimes by as much as 400 percent; reduce the amount of time the agent needs to spend on a call by eliminating the manual steps and even predicting when the agent will be done with the call; save management time by organizing information; control leads; provide real-time feedback; and boost overall employee morale.

If the ultimate goal is to create an engaged workforce more likely to stay in a position or with the company, investing in technology that makes their jobs easier and more satisfying is a worthwhile step.