Contact center representatives shape an organization’s reputation in today’s contemporary business world. They represent the brand through millions of interactions and can influence the customer experience (CX).
The stakes are high, and agents must deliver the highest caliber of service because almost two-thirds of customers leave after just one negative encounter.
Ensuring the wellbeing of the agent is essential for achieving effective agent performance. Our recent research reveals a worrying trend: 53% of contact center workers report having symptoms related to stress, which makes it difficult for them to maintain critical job skills.
Stress and disengagement among agents can lead to a decline in critical thinking, empathy, and adaptability, which are crucial for providing high-quality customer service.
A hard-earned reputation can be damaged when an agent’s wellbeing deteriorates because of the effect it has on the CX. Agents who experience burnout, overstress, or lack of support are less likely to interact positively with clients.
In today’s digital age, clients that quickly detect poor service are even more likely to criticize. Unfavorable customer feedback can spread quickly and have detrimental effects that make it difficult to attract new business and retain existing clients.
Moreover, the downward spiral of understaffing and the additional strain on existing staff can emerge from the negative effect on agent productivity and retention rates, worsening concerns, and lowering service levels.
Agents who experience burnout, overstress, or lack of support are less likely to interact positively with clients.
When these problems are put together, agent wellbeing becomes a strategic business requirement, not just a matter of ethical hiring practices.
Using Technology to Promote Wellbeing
Recognizing warning indicators of poor health is not always an easy task.
Despite the flexibility and potential productivity gains that come with the shift to remote and hybrid work models, for example, managers may struggle to see when co-workers are facing some issues.
The usual signs, like changes in appearance or body language, may not be noticeable. So, managers must produce new ways to monitor and support their teams. Key signals in this context could be behavioral shifts like a sharp decline in performance or an increase in absenteeism.
Technology can be quite helpful in this situation. It can be beneficial in recognizing stressors and acting before problems worsen.
For example, analytics tools provide information on call disposition, average handle time (AHT), and after-call work time: all of which can indicate signs of stress or disengagement.
By tracking behavior and performance metrics, patterns that might point to these and to burnout can be recognized, enabling prompt and beneficial intervention.
...contact center managers can establish a positive work environment...
Furthermore, communication patterns in both internal and customer interactions can disclose shifts in agents’ emotional states. Managers can spot struggling agents even in the absence of conventional visual cues by using tools that analyze sentiment and voice tone.
Contact center managers can effectively use an array of other solutions to promote the wellbeing of agents.
- Helpful technologies. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, for example, can automate repetitive tasks. They can relieve agents of some of their workload, freeing them up to concentrate on more intricate and fulfilling customer interactions. This can lower stress levels and increase job satisfaction.
- Flexible scheduling. Employees’ overall wellbeing is enhanced both immediately and over time when work-life balance is improved by agents using workforce management (WFM) systems that provide flexible scheduling.
- Virtual visibility and engagement. To keep a sense of team cohesion and support even in remote settings, make use of video conferencing and collaboration tools. Managers can assess individual and team wellbeing through virtual team-building exercises and routine check-ins.
- Focused training and development. Make use of eLearning platforms to give agents access to continual training and development opportunities that will make them feel important and involved. Training in resilience building and stress management may also fall under this category.
- Empowerment and self-service. Provide agents with self-service portals for personal development and scheduling, enabling them to take charge of their career advancement and work-life balance.
By prioritizing agent wellbeing with the smart use of technology, contact center managers can establish a positive work environment that boosts employee satisfaction, enhances CX, and protects company reputation.
In the era of digitalization, where customer feedback is immediate and widespread, frontline employees’ wellbeing is more than an HR (Human Resources) issue: it is a prerequisite for overall business success.