Despite the phenomenal growth, Philippine call centers are still facing major challenges, one of which is the high attrition rate. According to a study, the average length of employment for full-time agents working at 34% of the call centers surveyed is 2 years. Agents working at 27% of companies surveyed left their jobs after only six months to a year.
This is a serious problem for call centers in the Philippines because hiring and training a new agent is expensive, and each time you lose an agent, you have to train a new one. This affects the bottom line, and with high attrition rates, it is a huge financial burden for any call center.
The top three reasons for call center turnover are better opportunities elsewhere, lack of career development, and repetitive work. Those who haven’t worked in a call center may say it’s a great job because you get paid to sit at a desk and talk on the phone all day.
But the reality is that it is a very stressful job. Dealing with customer service every day, having to reach quotas, and the pressure of making the numbers create a high burnout rate. And with so many agents working the same job in an inbound call center, it’s very hard to be recognized for their accomplishments.
So, what must call center management do? You need to understand what motivates employees and what de-motivates them; you then know which areas to focus on to improve attrition. Not only is the training investment lost with high turnover, but so is the knowledge that comes with experience. That’s why call centers must know how to manage their attrition rates to ensure that levels of service are optimal and consistent.