Contact Centers: Nature of the Beast

   Although contact centers typically place representatives into jobs that emphasize a particular skill set, such as customer service or sales – nearly all of these jobs require representatives to interact with an assortment of customers while using a computer to access information necessary to provide assistance. Contact centers pressure representatives to move quickly from one customer to the next and track almost every aspect of performance electronically. Constant pressure, continuous monitoring, and an endless line of customers can overwhelm unprepared representatives and may lead to undesirable and costly outcomes, such as absenteeism, turnover, and dissatisfied customers.

Here are some other leading factors of stress:

Industry Growth
 
The call center growth into a $300+ billion industry has forced many centers to evolve in order to support a variety of jobs that can be performed in different environments (physical centers and home offices) and across multiple channels (voice, email, and chat or instant messenger). Unfortunately, little detailed information is publicly available about most contact center jobs’ competencies – causing the difficulty of hiring new employees to increase for managers.


Monotonous Work 

These jobs are often highly scripted, routine, and do not give employees control. A contact center employee sits for extended periods in front of a computer and may be required to wear a hands-free headset. The more customers with whom a representative interacts during a shift – either via voice or other medium – the more routine and potentially boring each interaction becomes. 


Stress
 
The high-stress environment of a contact center often places emotional, as well as mental demands on employees. Often, employees must be ready at a moments notice to respond to any number of issues, resolve them quickly, and do so while maintaining a friendly demeanor. These jobs are often associated with high levels of psychological and physiological strain, which lead to burnout, absenteeism, turnover, and other withdrawal behaviors. 


Multitasking

Employees perform multiple tasks with frequent interruptions, engage in repetitive movements, and process complex information in noisy environments – often under time pressure, while their performance, communication, and efficiency are continually monitored.





FurstPerson Solution:

In order to keep up with the daily struggles of the contact center industry –  FurstPerson has turned to realistic multimedia simulations! This allows job candidates to play the part of a fictitious contact center representative, giving hiring managers a chance to evaluate a candidate’s contact center skills (computer, multitasking, and data entry) before hiring. 

Why does it help letting the candidate play the role of a representative..?

• Creates an engaging experience for prospect employees.
• Presents a realistic preview of the job.
• Provides a company’s talent acquisition team greater visibility into the candidate’s likelihood to perform well in training and on the job. 

Leading simulations have evolved from quasi-interactive situational judgment tests to microcosms of modern centers. This evolutionary practice is complete with training, interactive dashboards, timers, and branching that allows candidates to escalate, or deescalate a customer’s emotional response based on the skill with which they manage the interaction.  To find out more visit FurstPerson.com.

 
–  How do you make sure prospect employees can handle the stress at your contact center? Please submit your opinions in the comment section below. 

All information compiled in this blog post was gathered from "How to Measure Contact Center Skills Using Multimedia Simulations." – compiled by FurstPerson.

To read the full text and discover more solutions that help candidates find a job they will love and enable clients to hire people that will perform well, be satisfied, and stay with the company – visit www.furstperson.com.


Hire Furst, Hire Right – FurstPerson