Agents who don’t show up put a real crimp on contact center operations. Here are three ways to reduce no-shows.
Avoid the tolls absenteeism can take on morale and service levels by:
- Involving agents in the scheduling process. Agents won’t likely always get their “dream schedule.” But if they have some say in when they work and when they’re off, they’ll be more likely to schedule their personal lives so they’re at work when they’re supposed to be.
- Building agents’ commitment to their schedules. In one study, when people repeated back the date and time of their scheduled appointments, no-shows decreased by 6%, according to researchers Steve Martin and Craig Barratt. So ask agents to go over their schedule with you to confirm their hours each time they change.
- Praise agents for promptness. Positive reinforcement of any good behavior will almost always encourage it to continue.
