Call Center Management Featured Article
Accessibility Equals Opportunity in the Call Center Space
Accessibility for those with disabilities has not traditionally been a priority in the customer service realm. And yet, according to the World Health Organization, around 15 percent of the global population has some type of disability. Call centers need to make addressing this underserved group a priority or risk missing out.
Prioritizing accessibility in call center management and customer service creates a variety of opportunities for businesses and customers alike. Hiring those with disabilities provides access to a greater pool of talent than most call centers normally cull from. That's an important advantage as the call center industry has one of the highest rates of turnover in the world. In the U.S. alone, the attrition rate in call centers ranges from 30 to 45 percent, compared with an overall national average of 22 percent.
In the U.K. call center market, the rate is only 21 percent. And of the 8.4 million people with disabilities of working age in the U.K., only about half were employed as of the end of 2020. Providing accessibility in the call center space as well as supporting remote work has the potential to broaden the talent pool in the industry while reducing the attrition rate.
Accessibility impacts customers as well. In an omni-channel world of customer engagement, interactions and customer satisfaction should be a priority for everyone, including those with disabilities. Call centers can provide a variety of options for communication, including technologies like chatbots and text-based interactions, to meet the needs of those with disabilities.
Websites may also be made more user friendly for the disabled by including captions for videos, color contrasting and compatibility with technologies like screen readers and keyboard accessibility.
Finally, addressing accessibility in the call center will help improve workplace inclusion and diversity. Many businesses strive to diversify their worker pools, and that includes hiring those with a broad range of disabilities. The result is an improved corporate culture and an overall boost to company morale.
Edited by Luke Bellos