People issues such as high staff turnover and absenteeism are a major cause of contact centre under performance, according to research conducted among UK call-centre managers by management recruitment specialists, Executives Online.
Norrie Johnston, managing director of Executives Online, said: "This new report shows that the UK's top contact centre managers understand the vital role staff play in a well-managed and effective contact centre.”
Linda Will, managing director at Yorkshire Building Society subsidiary, Accord Mortgages, said of its call-centre’s wide-ranging employee incentives schemes, that processing mortgages and talking to brokers endlessly was unlikely to be enough to keep staff morale up.
“Trying to make our ten-day service promise a bit of a laugh has its place,” said Will. “Ten-pin bowling or £10 note giveaways all help, alongside reward schemes where staff can nominate each other for going that extra mile. All staff have individual training logs and some want to take the CeMAP qualification.”
“Staff are also welcome to take on flexible working hours, which helps to retain staff after all the hours spent training them up,” said Will.
Contact! is available free of charge from Executives Online's dedicated website www.callcentremanagementonline.co.uk
