Leaders often go with their gut when hiring in contact centers. But following advice from software might be the better bet these days.
It’s a formula built on personality tests. Now it’s a lot more high-powered, using algorithms to determine the best people for contact center jobs at places such as Xerox and IBM. Even smaller companies, such as local waste management providers, are using customized software to pick new employees.
Xerox has already cut turnover with the new approach, according to new reports.
Software from vendors such as Kenexa and SuccessFactors can help contact centers figure out the type of person and personality who succeeds in their organization. Then they design questions that will help those candidates rise to the top in applications.
Many companies have even stopped looking for agents with backgrounds in their industry or service.
Going with the gut may not be a thing of the past, but one thing contact center leaders can do to avoid hiring mistakes is get more people — agents included — involved in the hiring process. The more people who feel a candidate will or will not fit in, the more likely they’ll be right.
