5 Reasons for Contact Centre Employee Burnout

Cameron Smith of Genesys explores the danger of advisor burnout in the contact centre, before highlighting five key sources.

Even though psychologist Herbert Freudenberger first coined the term “occupational burnout” in a 1974 medical journal, the complex psychological syndrome probably has existed since the Stone Age.

Defined by physical, emotional or mental exhaustion, combined with feelings of insecurity about work competence and value, burnout can happen in any occupation or industry. Yet it’s a particularly common workplace hazard for call centre agents and contact centre employees.

Tasked with creating rapport, trust and empathy with callers while continuously striving to meet quotas on call volumes and sales, agents experience chronic stress, fatigue and anxiety.

It’s no surprise that burnout is a leading cause of call centre agent turnover. And this common problem can have a devastating effect on sales, brand reputation, customer satisfaction and profits.

But the first step in preventing contact centre employee burnout is knowing the reasons behind it.

1. Poor Hiring Decisions

Call centre work isn’t for everyone. Individuals who aren’t cut out for the role are far more likely to have difficulty on the job and suffer burnout.

It takes effort and skill to hire effectively based on an application and an interview. Assessments and competency tests can help identify the candidates with the specific skills and abilities to succeed in this role.

2. Insufficient Training

With a lack of training, agents may be overwhelmed by the workload and make errors that affect customers. Whether you’re hiring entry-level employees or highly skilled specialists within your call centre, proper training on products, processes and technology is essential to their success.

Think beyond the one and done. Training should be considered an ongoing process guided by the goal of improving performance outcomes and reducing turnover.

3. Repetition Overload

Albert Einstein once said: “The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.” However, in a call centre, the monotony of tasks over time only stimulates agent burnout and turnover.

Performing the same task day after day – with few challenges or opportunities for autonomy or creativity – mentally and emotionally exhausts agents.

By giving them the ability to work in different capacities or within a variety of communication channels, you can help them learn new skills while getting sufficient variety of tasks to stay engaged.

4. Outdated Technology

Working with software and tools that are complicated and poorly integrated affects agent productivity in every interaction. Frustration can quickly build when time is spent on tedious tasks like toggling between different systems and screens to obtain a customer’s profile and history.

These activities also pull the focus away from the customer and into processes, which increases agent stress and reduces service quality. All tools that agents use should support their process.

If outdated technology is hindering agents, it might be the time to consider moving to a customer experience platform that enables you to orchestrate engagement across all touchpoints, channels and resources.

5. Lack of Recognition

Contact centre work is challenging under the best of circumstances. Without verbal and written praise, perks, rewards and celebrations, it can feel like a thankless task. Taking the time to recognise and reward agents is a simple yet highly effective way to minimise employee burnout and attrition.

Author: Genesys