Take a look at our top five blog posts in September to see which topics your fellow contact center professionals were reading about: How to provide a realistic job preview to improve new-hire retention; insights on how an omnichannel approach will impact agents’ roles, skill sets and training; how to calculate occupancy correctly; ideas for staffing peak seasons; and tips for recognizing your staff during Customer Service Week.
Boost New-hire Retention with a Realistic Job Preview
In their eagerness to attract the best talent, companies often oversell the job during the recruiting process, which only increases early defections. Providing a clear, honest preview of the position will help to weed out those who are likely to leave—before making a significant investment in the candidate’s training.
Staffing an Omnichannel Operation
Our omnichannel series continues: In this post, our panelists offer their thoughts on how an omnichannel approach will impact customer service staff in terms of their role, skill sets and training.
The Ugly Truth About Agent Occupancy (Or Why 85% May Be Too Low)
All my talk about Occupancy makes me realize two things: First, many people may not know what exactly it is. Second, they may not know how to calculate its effects. Because of this, people make generalizations about what a good occupancy should be. For most of my career, I have heard that you never want to run much higher than 85% Occupancy, because that makes employees get back-to-back calls and work too hard.
Managing Seasonal Call Volume
It’s every contact center’s mission: Making sure that the right resources are in the right place at the right time. Things get a little trickier, though, when your center deals with seasonal surges in call volume. Whether your peak volume period lasts a few weeks or several months, there are several options to help you smooth out the workload.
Celebrate National Customer Service Week
Show your staff appreciation for the important work that they do! Customer service professionals work diligently all year to protect and enhance your brand. One week every year is set aside to recognize and reward these purveyors of positive energy. National Customer Service Week is celebrated annually during the first full week in October (this year, it falls on Oct. 5-9).
