Strong communication skills and willingness to help people isn’t enough to be a successful call center agent.
Nowadays, a burnout problem is a popular topic for discussions, in most cases, when it comes to sales manager’s job. This issues isn’t new, it was researched by doctors many years ago – and they experienced it on their own.
We mention the burnout of agents when they talk to us, even when they try to be polite and follow their customer service standards and call scripts. Their tone of voice, absence of empathy, emotions they try to hide – all of these let us see that this man has burned out. And what is the worst thing about it – customers often leave the company even after one incorrect word from agent.
First signs of professional burnout include: lack of engagement, negative statements about customers and colleagues, lack of motivation, underperformance. In difficult cases, burnout can lead to problems with alcohol and drugs if isn’t cured.
Main causes of burnout:
- Organizational issues.
- Lack of internal communication.
- Lack of feedback from employer.
- Unrealistic KPIs.
- Low salary and low professional status.
- Absence of career growth opportunities.
- Inability to take part in decision making process.
- Lack of respect.
- Useless work procedures and rituals.
- Lack of praise.
- Routine and repetitive work.
Even two of these causes can lead to burnout, and that’s the worst thing about it. Also, one of the biggest factors that influence the possibility of burnout is director’s fault – directors often set goals, say workers what to do, but when workers complete work…happens nothing. Director forget to communicate with workers about the result of their work, so they consider it useless – and that’s logical, if no one cares about it.
First signs of burnout often happen after 2 or 3 months of work. At this stage, even a little change of working environment can help – there are two types of workers, ones measure everything by the criteria of similarity, and others measure by difference. This means some people compare new things to “how it was”, and others use the criteria “no matter what is it if it’s something new”. You have to learn what type of people are your employees and treat them in the same way.
You can also help with providing automation solutions, because routine work is the main cause of burnout. For instance, in the outbound call center, agents have to dial phone numbers manually, and they do it for thousands of times on a daily basis. Would they like to do it for even 2 months? Surely, they wouldn’t. Automation, on the other hand, will help you to reduce routine.
Also, you have to provide your agents with reward systems for good performance and with career opportunities – or they will leave. Look, no one is going to work as a call center agent for entire life, especially when we take into consideration that most agents are young people. Imagine you say them: “Well, if you perform better and better, I still have nothing to offer you but one of the least paid jobs in the world with high level of emotional stress and tonns of routine work”. Is this a good offer? Rhetorical question.