Making the Case for Lower Turnover
by Jay Minnucci
In most contact centers, the executive team recognizes agent attrition as a necessary
evil. They know there is some expense associated with it, but the general opinion
is that the cost of the cure is likely greater than the benefit. It is your challenge
to change that line of thinking. Building a case stands on three credible arguments:
Argument No. 1: Cost
I know, you want quality to be the top argument, but accept the reality: Cost is
more tangible and, therefore, garners more executive attention. There are some pretty
straightforward elements to the turnover cost:
SNAPSHOT — Nicor National
by Susan Hash
Companies with high engagement typically place a high priority on employee input,
and they tend to solicit their feedback more frequently than others. At Nicor National,
management firmly believes that employee feedback is the cornerstone to creating
a positive, open culture. "The environment that you create for your employees is
the environment that your customers will experience," says Barbara Porter, VP of
business development and customer service. The call center uses Voice of the Employee
tools to collect unsolicited questions, suggestions and concerns from employees
online. In addition, culture surveys, or "pulse checks," are sent out to random
employees on a regular basis. Their responses make up an employee engagement index,
which is tracked on a weekly and monthly basis to help management identify trends.