Athletes of the Contact Center in The Great Resignation

Of late, there has been no end to buzzy terms like New Normal and Supply Chain. But with more than 10 million jobs left open at the end of July 2021 (according to Harvard Business Review), The Great Resignation may just be the buzziest of them all.

Compared to other areas, in the contact center, The Great Resignation has not been quite as stark, if only because its dismal 42% attrition rate in 2021 is not very far off from similarly dismal rates in previous years. Either way, this level of attrition means millions of dollars in losses for organizations from the cost and time of onboarding – not to mention the blow to company morale, continuity, and service.

So why do agents leave the contact center? Even in the best of times, it can feel like challenging, thankless work, without enough compensation. And yet, agents are soon developed into a kind of professional team athlete – accustomed to a certain energy, facing different challenges with every call, rolling with the punches, playing as part of a team, and driven by the competition and camaraderie.

Yet with more and more agents working remotely or hybrid now, these 'athletes' can flail without the live dynamic. A NICE survey shows that 44% are at a loss for not being able to compare themselves to their peers, 38% are challenged by not having the social aspects of the in-person group experience, and 36% feel a lack of coaching and guidance.

It’s easy to imagine the difference between playing an adrenaline-filled sporting match, surrounded by teammates experiencing the same thing… versus playing a one-dimensional video game of that same sport at home all alone. This is the difference in contact centers today, and organizations must respond to this reality with creativity and innovation.

The good news is that 98% of companies reported that they are taking various steps to reduce resignations including flexible scheduling and offering a clear career growth path. Such measures go a long way to helping logistically.

But what about the intangible elements that agents are missing – what allows them to be driven by their ranking and stats, and hopes of bringing home a trophy?

Interestingly, organizations are often also meeting the challenge of these times with the kind of sensibilities that are intuitive to the world of our ‘athletes,’ such as team building, creating internal games, competitions, and rewards – and offering soft skills coaching. These smart strategies understand the team spirit component and how motivation can be nurtured to achieve skills and excellence.

To understand more about attrition in the contact center, download the report.

Learn how NICE is working to recreate the contact center dynamic for remote agents with NPM.