Call Centers Offer Better Benefits in Hopes to Attract Talent

The call center industry has historically been plagued by high agent turnover rates and skilled labor shortages. Even if many of those hurdles seemed to be overcome in years prior, the COVID-19 pandemic ,which began in 2020, sent those numbers tanking all over again. Now, many call center agents are working in isolated areas and dealing with customers who are becoming more demanding. Working for a call center turned unbearable for many.

Now, as businesses start to rebuild and look to strengthen customer service, the push to improve call center conditions and benefits is on the rise. If the pandemic has shown anything, it’s that customer care centers are a truly vital element for business success. These centers are not just the lifeblood between businesses and their customers, but they are the front line that takes a lot of the grunt.

With labor shortages, furloughs, and additional stimulus money over the last year, hiring and keeping talent has become an incredibly challenging task for the industry.

To help make working in a call center more inviting, companies are raising minimum wages and adding more appealing benefits to their packages in hopes of attract more talent, and to provide their customer’s adequate support levels.

According to a report  from The Wall Street Journal, many companies are even starting to rethink the roles and importance of those working in their call center. For example, the Journal reported T-Mobile (News - Alert) added 15 minute breaks into staff schedules, and offered counseling sessions if agents needed support when the call center reopened. The company also offered vaccinated agents the option to work from the office location, or remotely if they preferred. This, in addition to increasing their base pay from $15 to $20, all attributed to improved agent attrition to pre-pandemic rates.

Edited by Luke Bellos