Contact centers struggle with turnover. But before you put a revolving door in your lobby, try these three techniques to cut attrition. 
A growing number of contact centers have employed these tactics and have seen turnover rates shrink from year to year, according to contact center expert Bob Webb.
You might not be able to jump into all three ideas, but using just one should have an impact on turnover issues.
- Hire at-home agents. Or you might reward outstanding agents with at-home work. Certain agents fit the at-home mold: self-starters, disciplined, above-average performers. Another option is to work with outsourcing services that place at-home agents. One study found that turnover is around 40% lower for at-home agents.
- Keep agents informed. The more they know about the products and services they support, the company vision and progress, industry changes, department happenings and co-workers’ successes, the happier they are. That information needs to be disseminated daily, weekly and monthly both formally (perhaps through an intranet) and informally (through meetings, recognition programs and positive water cooler talk).
- Offer more flexible scheduling options. Agents are happier when they have more control on when they work and can keep a balance with work and their life outside of it. Plenty of vendors offer software that allows agents to:
- view their work schedules
- request modifications or vacations
- sign-up for overtime exchange schedules with other agents, and
- report absences over the corporate network or the Internet through a Web browser.
