{"id":79921,"date":"2023-09-06T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.talogy.com\/?p=79921"},"modified":"2025-11-17T12:05:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T12:05:17","slug":"the-importance-of-hiring-and-retaining-customer-service-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/talogy.com\/en-gb\/blog\/the-importance-of-hiring-and-retaining-customer-service-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"The importance of hiring and retaining customer service staff"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In an age when our lives are dominated by Artificial Intelligence and technology<\/a> \u2013 whether it is to create art, help write articles, or assist customers through the use of chatbots \u2013 there is still a need for a human element in support roles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can a computer programme understand a person\u2019s confusion over a contract? How can it empathise with someone who is struggling to pay their bills during the cost-of-living crisis?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The importance of contact centre employees remains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It is human nature to want to talk through our issues and concerns with someone who can relate. Having a familiar voice on the other end of the phone provides much more comfort and compassion to those in need. You have probably been in a situation where you have an issue that you need resolved and fast. These instances seem to always coincide with getting bogged down trying to navigate the various automated responses on the website, or repeating yourself to the electronic voice on the phone when it is asking for your passcode. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve ever caught yourself hitting zero or yelling \u201crepresentative!\u201d into the phone, then you understand why it is key to have skilled customer support agents within your organisation. They are there to assist customers throughout their buying journey, ease their troubles, and resolve any potential issues. However, this is a tough job. Many \u2013 if not most \u2013 calls are not nice, and often the support staff have to deal with frustrated customers in situations that result in stern words, shouts, and even insults being thrown at them. No one likes to be shouted at, particularly when you are a third party to the situation and not the direct source of their frustration. The reality is that in this role, you endure a lot of negativity and misguided anger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest challenge of contact centres<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, the question is, how do you ensure that you have a skilled customer support team? And when you do have them, how do you keep a hold of them? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main challenge within contact centres is attrition. Research<\/a> has indicated that 53% of customer service agents who report experiencing significant levels of stress are likely to leave their current job in the next six months. These numbers are staggering and paint a grim picture of what life can be like not only for staff in the support role, but for those charged with recruiting and retaining these employees<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attraction to role is no longer an issue. The current job market freeze has meant fewer roles and in turn, more applications for the roles that are available. But you can\u2019t just expect to hire and then rehire every 12 months. This costs a lot of time and resources year in year out. You need to bring in talent that you can retain<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to hire the best contact centre employees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\nIt all starts by using a tailored assessment process, which allows you to not only find the most skilled talent for a customer support role, but you are also able to leverage that data output and begin honing their resilience<\/a> from the very start of their tenure.  You can then continually develop it throughout their career within your organisation.\n\nThree key points to keep in mind when hiring contact centre employees are:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n