FEATURE
STAFFING IN THE AGE OF ANGST
HOW TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN HIGH QUALITY AGENTS IN THIS CHALLENGING ERA .
BY BRENDAN READ , CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY ADOBE IMAGES
We now live in “ The Age of Angst ”: of fear and insecurity , facing a bleak future with social upheavals , pandemics , natural- and human-caused or worsened disasters , and political chaos . All taking place in an uncertain economy amidst rapid [ and notably artificial intelligence ( AI-driven )] technological change .
So how is the tenor of and the issues in this age impacting the ability of contact centers to recruit and retain agents ? For insights , we had virtual conversations with Molly Clark , Managing Director , The Northridge Group , Brent Holland , Founder and CEO , Intelliante , and Mark Pereira , Trainer and On-Site Manager .
WHAT ARE THE TOP TRENDS AND CHANGES THAT YOU ARE SEEING IN CONTACT CENTER RECRUITING AND RETENTION ? WHAT ARE THEIR DRIVERS ?
MOLLY CLARK
MOLLY CLARK : There are four trends that are driving recruitment and retention in today ’ s contact center .
First , an increased demand for high-quality agents , specifically with the explosion of cloud-based solutions and omnichannel support . The complexity of customer interactions has increased , creating a need for highly-skilled agents : the result of exceptional training and solid tenure .
Second , a change in demographics as millennials and Gen Z workers enter the workforce looking for options that weren ’ t previously available in traditional contact centers .
6 CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE