Why Is There So Much Employee Turnover in the Contact Center?

It’s no secret that the contact center industry has high turnover. It’s important to remember, however, that it’s not alone. Many other industries experience – notably foodservice, healthcare support and retail – also experience high turnover. Unfortunately, it costs everyone a lot of money.

Managers tasked with building accurate call center schedules find high turnover to be one of their worst enemies. Just about the time the schedule makes sense, someone quits or fails to show up, and the recruiting and hiring process needs to start all over again.

But why does the contact center industry have so much turnover? According to ICMI, there are several reasons.

There’s lower flexibility. The contact center is a high-pressure environment, and you can’t simply hire a “substitute” for the day. Employees in other departments can often take time off without leaving a hole but call center scheduling is devastated when an employee takes an unplanned day.

“Someone from marketing or IT, for example, may be able to take a personal day on a whim or work from home while they care for a sick child,” according to ICMI’s Jeremy Hyde. “That's not how things work in the contact center. Our customers don't wait for us to return and our team can't choose when and where they work.”

Entry level workers are often less reliable. Many contact center jobs are entry-level, and these candidates tend to be younger, less well educated and less settled in life, which can lead to lower reliability. In addition, workers who are parents may not be able to afford reliable childcare. All these factors can affect work performance.

Workers are easily lured away. For many workers, one contact center is much like another, so agents will often leave for a slightly better offer. Coupled with low unemployment, this means workers are always looking for a greener pasture. In addition, many companies rely on temporary employees, who are often temping only until they can find a permanent option.

So how do you address these factors to lower turnover?

There are a number of ways, including building a warm, supportive and encouraging workplace (no bullies!) that employees view as their family. When workers make friends, they’re more likely to stick around in their jobs. Ensure that managers and supervisors are encouraging leaders and not unpleasant autocrats, and try to think of ways to build a little more flexibility into workers’ jobs with schedule swapping, for example, or more flexible work hours.

Edited by Maurice Nagle