2024 will be an interesting year for call centers. In particular, although providing top-notch user experiences will still be high on everyone’s priority list, service agents themselves may be in for a ride.
Many firms are already implementing AI tools to automate simple issues and offer customers self-service options for routine tasks, which means only the complex problems are left for live agents. This is increasing the demand for highly skilled and specialized agents, and we haven’t seen any signs of this slowing down just yet.
Meanwhile, the ever-evolving threat of cyberattacks also leaves call centers with a cat and mouse game of cybersecurity compliance regulations to deal with. Thus, if you run, manage, or work at a call center, it behooves you to stay ahead of the curve.
7 Contact Center Trends That Are Changing the Game
1. Call centers will focus on employee retention
53% of CX leaders view recruiting and retaining talent as their biggest challenge. This is no surprise since the average agent attrition rate for call centers in the US reached a staggering 83% in the first quarter of 2022.
High turnover rates are a big problem because they cause call centers to spend considerable time and resources recruiting and training a consistent influx of new employees. This can be really tough on smaller firms, as hiring and onboarding a single employee can cost a call center $5,000-$7,000 on average.
That said, expect agent attrition rates to be a top priority in any call center, leading to a renewed focus on employee well-being. As a result, more and more companies will look to offer more competitive compensation and flexible work schedules in their job listings.
72% of call center agents view better pay as the top factor…