Now there’s coming another part of our story about retaining contact center agents and reducing agent turnover rate. Without retaining contact center agents, you will never achieve not only agent retention and good agent performance,  but also you will be unable to provide customer satisfaction and customer experience, and overall employee performance will be nothing but poor performance. 

You have to teach your employees about company culture, provide them with mentorship programs, exit interviews, onboarding process, repetitive tasks automation, career development opportunities, ongoing training, regular meetings with contact center leaders and other contact center professionals, and other activities and knowledge that can improve job satisfaction. 

So, let’s come back to best employee retention tips. 

6. Enable Career Breaks

A career break is a thing many people often think about – there are big events in life when a job needs to be set on pause. But nothing frustrates me more than realizing that after coming back, you will be left unemployed (or have to go through that awful hiring process again) and without any option to come back to your company.

Offering career break option – surely, when its really needed – is a good way to build trust and loyalty between employees and employers as employees want one thing from you – being listened to.

7. Provide fitness activities

It is now a well-known practice to offer free gym pass for employees, as all of us need to retain our health in good condition, and this is also a great way to show your care as employer’s duty -so your employees will think of you as of a person who pays attention to their needs.

You can provide free yoga trainings, fitness classes, and so on.

8.Implement an Equitable Reward & Recognition Program

Establishing a ‘fair’ Reward & Recognition program is paramount when aiming to retain call center employees. Ineffectively rewarding behaviors can lead to disengagement among agents. While these programs don’t necessarily have to be costly, incorporating ideas that evoke a ‘wow’ factor can make a significant impact. Consider unique team-building days at interesting locations such as the zoo, beach, function center, or local park. Mix up these events to maintain interest.

Hosting an extravagant annual Christmas party in an exclusive location with an open bar can create lasting memories. Investing substantially in the top prize for the best performers, such as overseas holidays, a new car, or a paid month off, can serve as a powerful motivator for employees. Explore gamification as it contributes to employee engagement, and consider its benefits in the workplace.

9. Introduce Complimentary Breakfast

Enhance employee satisfaction by providing a relatively inexpensive free breakfast each morning or on selected days. Utilize the canteen or set up stations with different cereals, fresh fruit, toasters, bread, muffins, crumpets, and other breakfast options. Starting the day with a full stomach contributes to a productive and positive work environment.

10. Prioritize Coaching Initiatives

To retain call center employees effectively, a commitment to coaching is crucial. Team Leaders should dedicate time to coaching agents regularly. Many contact centers overlook coaching, leading to employees not recalling when they last received coaching or how they measure their performance. Contact Center Managers play a pivotal role in ensuring Team Leaders are clear on coaching expectations, making them key performance indicators (KPI), and ensuring they have the bandwidth to fulfill this responsibility.

In summary, implementing these strategies can significantly contribute to retaining call center employees. Sharing insights and experiences within the industry fosters a collaborative approach to addressing challenges and implementing successful practices.