The contact center agent is one of the most important assets for the contact center. In order for the center to be successful, it must be able to adequately identify the needs of its agents and meet them. Such an approach ensures that agents are equipped to properly do their jobs, driving the effectiveness of the center.


A contact center consultancy services company, Sabio, has announced the initial findings from its new ‘Voice of the Contact Centre Agent’ research project conducted by YouGov. This research was completed in an effort to gain a better understanding of the needs, challenges and desires of the contact center agents of today.

Loyalty is an issue that tends to run a little short in the contact center industry. Both agents and customers are known to quickly jump ship at the first sign of trouble. According to this research however, UK agents are much more loyal than they are assumed to be. In fact, more than a third surveyed had been in the industry for at least five years.

The study also found that agents are frustrated when they are unable to help customers and feel they are not always given the right tools and information to do their jobs to the best of their ability.

According to YouGov, disturbingly low levels of call coaching have been found across contact centers of all sizes and sectors. Weekly coaching is proving to be a rarity and ten percent of agents receive no weekly coaching at all.

 

The study also found inconsistent use of agent performance metrics. While it is true that more than eight out of ten agents have their calls measured for quality, less than 25 percent say that their monthly pay is impacted by their performance scores.

The YouGov study also found surprising variance in operational efficiency between the best and worst performing contact centers. Gathered data showed a 30-35 percent difference in agent-on-call times that suggest an industry that is still too inefficient and frequently resorts to overstaffing in order to meet demand. 

Findings also revealed that a clear requirement from agents is for technology solutions that make it easier for them to do their jobs. Agents cited technology frustrations that included the difficulty in hearing customer calls and having to use poorly performing applications that are often complex and too difficult to access. 

This research found that more than two thirds of agents have trouble hearing calls; 30 percent of agents take more than five minutes to login at the start of the day; a third of agents use five or more application passwords to carry out their daily role; and more than 40 percent of agents experience slow running IT systems every day.

"As an industry we talk a lot about the customer experience, but it's rare that we actually listen to what the contact centre agents themselves are feeling. They're an essential part of the customer service equation, and we need to pay them more attention," commented Sabio's Consulting Director, Kenneth Hitchen, in a company statement.

 

"We initially expected our 'Voice of the Contact Centre Agent' research project to identify important areas where we could further optimize contact centre performance. The findings have turned out to be much more important than that, uncovering some key areas that organizations really need to address if they're to have any chance of delivering long-term customer satisfaction.”

Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMC (News - Alert) and has also written for Market Drive News. To see more of her articles, please visit Susan J. Campbell’s columnist page.