Hello Mr Joshi,
Please assist me in addressing this vexed issue of improving retention of geographically dispersed employees ?..
I know you are tied up but would appreciate your views/ideas on this subject please.
Regards,
Bhawana
From India, Mumbai
Please assist me in addressing this vexed issue of improving retention of geographically dispersed employees ?..
I know you are tied up but would appreciate your views/ideas on this subject please.
Regards,
Bhawana
From India, Mumbai
Hi Bhawana,
Am extremely sorry for delayed response on account of pressure on work front..
Retaining good employees is always a challenge in today;s competitive environment but keeping employees who are geographically dispersed adds even more complexity..
There are three ways to handle this vexed issue:-
1. Make the supervisors responsible for the achieving the retention goals esp to the leaders. Am sure you have heard that people don't leave the company but the bosses..so set the retention goals for the leaders and the track the same by way of rewarding or consequences..
2. Provide the leaders retention training & coaching to achieve their goals.
has anyone analysed as what do people want from their bosses..?..TRUST..have the ability to to share credit and not blame..
3. Ensure that supervisors have the retention discussions with the far flung employees..by asking the following
*as what they expect from them..
* what are the grey areas/issues that needs to be resolved..
* By asking question..what would make you leave this organization?..
Hope this provides some pointers to start with.
To provide you some insight please refer to the article on Call Centre Attrition..
Cheers,
Have a great day..
Rajat Joshi
Now You See Them. Now You Don't. The Facts About Call Center Attrition
A Call Center Q&A with Richard Finnegan, TalentKeepers
Is your agents’ disappearing act dragging down the performance of your call center? Getting to the root cause of agent attrition is the first step toward resolving one of the call center’s biggest headaches. Richard Finnegan of TalentKeepers talks about what draws people to our industry, what keeps them here, how satisfied they are and why they may leave your center.
Call Center Magazine: Estimates for industry turnover are all over the map. What do you think is a realistic expectation of turnover in a good, reasonably well-run call center?
Richard Finnegan: Realistic expectation” is hard to reduce to a number because conditions vary so much from center to center. For example, urban locations tend to have higher turnover, as do outsourced centers. But I’m sure we would all agree that annual attrition of 20% to 30% would be very desirable, although some centers would see that as a dream. More important than targeting a number is to set an ongoing attrition reduction goal.
CC: Do incentives and morale-boosting programs have any significant impact on turnover, or do they just reward those who are most likely to stay anyway?
RF: Yes, incentives and morale-boosting programs do impact turnover, but they are only a part of the solution. Our TalentKeepers research makes clear that the main reason agents stay or leave is their relationships with their immediate supervisors. So good supervision with good programs will cause agents to stay with your centers longer, whereas good programs with ineffective supervision is at best a very short-term retention fix. Or said another way, poor supervision will trump good programs every time.
CC: Given the immense cost of hiring, training and then incenting agents, what tools are available to automate or improve the pre-hire assessment process to get the right person in the seat in the first place?
RF: After ineffective supervision, we find many agents quit because they didn’t understand the nature of the job. For some applicants, job conditions such as sitting for long periods of time, speaking through a headset, and in some instances selling services all sound easier to do in an interview than post-hire, day after day. We find that the best hiring practices include putting applicants on the floor with an agent to monitor calls and learn the real nuances of the job.
CC: Where should a new manager concentrate his or her own training – on learning about technology, or on learning about people management?
RF: People management for sure, particularly retention leadership skills. Most managers come up through the call center ranks and have strong job-relevant technology backgrounds, whereas we find they have little people management training. Frontline supervisors have the least, as they are usually promoted from agent positions. These frontline supervisors are the primary drivers of agents’ stay/leave decisions, and they can learn the right skills for retention. For example, we find the number one talent that agents want in their supervisors is to be trustworthy. Supervisors can learn to meet their commitments, avoid blaming, share credit, admit mistakes and apologize – all of the behaviors that build trust between and leader and team. But most must be trained on how to build these talents.
CC: What are the real career-path options for agents and supervisors? What percentage of agents go on to become supervisors, and ultimately, how many of those go on to management positions? Is there a sense of what skills an agent should have to progress, rather than just to excel as an agent?
RF: All of these questions relate in this way. While some agents will be promoted to higher-level jobs, we would probably all agree that there are too few career path options for agents overall. As a result, supervisors on all levels must develop retention talents so they can keep those agents whom they don’t plan to promote for a longer period of time in their current agent jobs.
So those agents who are promoted to supervisory positions must have retention talents so they can retain their subordinate agents longer. Our research indicates that supervisors who develop ten specific retention talents keep their agents longer, talents such as building trust, increasing flexibility, and monitoring their teams for clues they might be leaving and taking appropriate action.
CC: If you had to identify three main “best practices,” what would they be?
RF Centers that approach attrition best do these three things well:
1. Set retention goals at the supervisor level and establish retention as a very important key performance indicator (KPI). Centers that look at attrition on the center-level only are “old school,” as they fail to realize that attrition usually varies greatly from one supervisor to another and these patterns remain consistent until action is taken to improve supervisors’ retention talents.
2. Measure retention talents with inputs from the agents. For example, agents stay longer for supervisors who demonstrate trust, are reasonably flexible with policies and the ways work get done, and who build a day-to-day climate where agents want to come to work. Most operations managers don’t know how their supervisors conduct themselves with their agents, and most supervisors don’t know how their agents perceive them. Everyone wins if centers survey their agents on their supervisors’ retention talents, and supervisors then learn their blind spots and can build plans to improve.
3. Increase the amount, frequency and quality of people management of retention leadership skills training in call centers. Based on feedback from agents, identify the retention talents supervisors need most and train them to improve. Present the training as tools to help supervisors achieve their retention KPI and then track their progress. Those who learn and apply new retention skills will see their attrition improve and all of their KPIs will improve as well.
From India, Pune
101Am extremely sorry for delayed response on account of pressure on work front..
Retaining good employees is always a challenge in today;s competitive environment but keeping employees who are geographically dispersed adds even more complexity..
There are three ways to handle this vexed issue:-
1. Make the supervisors responsible for the achieving the retention goals esp to the leaders. Am sure you have heard that people don't leave the company but the bosses..so set the retention goals for the leaders and the track the same by way of rewarding or consequences..
2. Provide the leaders retention training & coaching to achieve their goals.
has anyone analysed as what do people want from their bosses..?..TRUST..have the ability to to share credit and not blame..
3. Ensure that supervisors have the retention discussions with the far flung employees..by asking the following
*as what they expect from them..
* what are the grey areas/issues that needs to be resolved..
* By asking question..what would make you leave this organization?..
Hope this provides some pointers to start with.
To provide you some insight please refer to the article on Call Centre Attrition..
Cheers,
Have a great day..
Rajat Joshi
Now You See Them. Now You Don't. The Facts About Call Center Attrition
A Call Center Q&A with Richard Finnegan, TalentKeepers
Is your agents’ disappearing act dragging down the performance of your call center? Getting to the root cause of agent attrition is the first step toward resolving one of the call center’s biggest headaches. Richard Finnegan of TalentKeepers talks about what draws people to our industry, what keeps them here, how satisfied they are and why they may leave your center.
Call Center Magazine: Estimates for industry turnover are all over the map. What do you think is a realistic expectation of turnover in a good, reasonably well-run call center?
Richard Finnegan: Realistic expectation” is hard to reduce to a number because conditions vary so much from center to center. For example, urban locations tend to have higher turnover, as do outsourced centers. But I’m sure we would all agree that annual attrition of 20% to 30% would be very desirable, although some centers would see that as a dream. More important than targeting a number is to set an ongoing attrition reduction goal.
CC: Do incentives and morale-boosting programs have any significant impact on turnover, or do they just reward those who are most likely to stay anyway?
RF: Yes, incentives and morale-boosting programs do impact turnover, but they are only a part of the solution. Our TalentKeepers research makes clear that the main reason agents stay or leave is their relationships with their immediate supervisors. So good supervision with good programs will cause agents to stay with your centers longer, whereas good programs with ineffective supervision is at best a very short-term retention fix. Or said another way, poor supervision will trump good programs every time.
CC: Given the immense cost of hiring, training and then incenting agents, what tools are available to automate or improve the pre-hire assessment process to get the right person in the seat in the first place?
RF: After ineffective supervision, we find many agents quit because they didn’t understand the nature of the job. For some applicants, job conditions such as sitting for long periods of time, speaking through a headset, and in some instances selling services all sound easier to do in an interview than post-hire, day after day. We find that the best hiring practices include putting applicants on the floor with an agent to monitor calls and learn the real nuances of the job.
CC: Where should a new manager concentrate his or her own training – on learning about technology, or on learning about people management?
RF: People management for sure, particularly retention leadership skills. Most managers come up through the call center ranks and have strong job-relevant technology backgrounds, whereas we find they have little people management training. Frontline supervisors have the least, as they are usually promoted from agent positions. These frontline supervisors are the primary drivers of agents’ stay/leave decisions, and they can learn the right skills for retention. For example, we find the number one talent that agents want in their supervisors is to be trustworthy. Supervisors can learn to meet their commitments, avoid blaming, share credit, admit mistakes and apologize – all of the behaviors that build trust between and leader and team. But most must be trained on how to build these talents.
CC: What are the real career-path options for agents and supervisors? What percentage of agents go on to become supervisors, and ultimately, how many of those go on to management positions? Is there a sense of what skills an agent should have to progress, rather than just to excel as an agent?
RF: All of these questions relate in this way. While some agents will be promoted to higher-level jobs, we would probably all agree that there are too few career path options for agents overall. As a result, supervisors on all levels must develop retention talents so they can keep those agents whom they don’t plan to promote for a longer period of time in their current agent jobs.
So those agents who are promoted to supervisory positions must have retention talents so they can retain their subordinate agents longer. Our research indicates that supervisors who develop ten specific retention talents keep their agents longer, talents such as building trust, increasing flexibility, and monitoring their teams for clues they might be leaving and taking appropriate action.
CC: If you had to identify three main “best practices,” what would they be?
RF Centers that approach attrition best do these three things well:
1. Set retention goals at the supervisor level and establish retention as a very important key performance indicator (KPI). Centers that look at attrition on the center-level only are “old school,” as they fail to realize that attrition usually varies greatly from one supervisor to another and these patterns remain consistent until action is taken to improve supervisors’ retention talents.
2. Measure retention talents with inputs from the agents. For example, agents stay longer for supervisors who demonstrate trust, are reasonably flexible with policies and the ways work get done, and who build a day-to-day climate where agents want to come to work. Most operations managers don’t know how their supervisors conduct themselves with their agents, and most supervisors don’t know how their agents perceive them. Everyone wins if centers survey their agents on their supervisors’ retention talents, and supervisors then learn their blind spots and can build plans to improve.
3. Increase the amount, frequency and quality of people management of retention leadership skills training in call centers. Based on feedback from agents, identify the retention talents supervisors need most and train them to improve. Present the training as tools to help supervisors achieve their retention KPI and then track their progress. Those who learn and apply new retention skills will see their attrition improve and all of their KPIs will improve as well.
From India, Pune
Hi Rajat,
That was an excellent article. Looking forward to the next one!!! Also i need help in preparing a nice induction manual, hence would u pls guide me in this process. Am working for an MNC Bank.
Regards,
Farshid.
That was an excellent article. Looking forward to the next one!!! Also i need help in preparing a nice induction manual, hence would u pls guide me in this process. Am working for an MNC Bank.
Regards,
Farshid.
Dear Mr Joshi,
Please share some ideas on controlling the attrition rate during the first six months of the CSR. Any tips during the induction period would be appreciated.
Look forward to your response. :D
Regards,
Bhawana
From India, Mumbai
Please share some ideas on controlling the attrition rate during the first six months of the CSR. Any tips during the induction period would be appreciated.
Look forward to your response. :D
Regards,
Bhawana
From India, Mumbai
Hi Bhawana,
Let me be honest am not from the BPO industry though have written this article to provide the fresh perspectives to control the attrition rate
Before they join the company one must do the following:-
Before joining Activities
* Provide material/information about the company's Business plans & growth plans..to be sent to them prior to their joining date.
* Arrange for work station/cubicles to be in place - it's very awkward for the new joinees when such things are not in place..well for our senior positions we ensure that they get the visiting cards prior to their joining the organization.Among this includes their email-Ids in place as well.
* Take them out to lunch with their new colleagues to get to know others on their first day. Afterall all new employees come with the hope and little bit of apprehensiveness which is natural..one must be sensitive to this issues.
* Plan their first day meticulousy..if possible hand over to them their typical work plan/orientation for the day/week.
* Arrange for one of your members to be their buddy with prior planning.
* Make sure all employees know that the new person is joining the organization on such a date alongwith their brief profile..very often when the new employees join..they wait for the known HR person to welcome them..while none of the operation staff members are generally aware of the details..it provides a high for the new joinees when the operational staff call them by their names especially on their first day..adds to the enthusisasm among all..
Hope this provides some food for thought..
Shall post more on this later..
Cheers,
Rajat
From India, Pune
Let me be honest am not from the BPO industry though have written this article to provide the fresh perspectives to control the attrition rate
Before they join the company one must do the following:-
Before joining Activities
* Provide material/information about the company's Business plans & growth plans..to be sent to them prior to their joining date.
* Arrange for work station/cubicles to be in place - it's very awkward for the new joinees when such things are not in place..well for our senior positions we ensure that they get the visiting cards prior to their joining the organization.Among this includes their email-Ids in place as well.
* Take them out to lunch with their new colleagues to get to know others on their first day. Afterall all new employees come with the hope and little bit of apprehensiveness which is natural..one must be sensitive to this issues.
* Plan their first day meticulousy..if possible hand over to them their typical work plan/orientation for the day/week.
* Arrange for one of your members to be their buddy with prior planning.
* Make sure all employees know that the new person is joining the organization on such a date alongwith their brief profile..very often when the new employees join..they wait for the known HR person to welcome them..while none of the operation staff members are generally aware of the details..it provides a high for the new joinees when the operational staff call them by their names especially on their first day..adds to the enthusisasm among all..
Hope this provides some food for thought..
Shall post more on this later..
Cheers,
Rajat
From India, Pune
Hi Rajat,
Very informative artricle by you mst say.
here i would like your guidance in the same area. I am an MBA student, doing my summers at one of the :) good construction company. i am working on its retention strategy. the attrition rate here is @35% and i have to design retention strategy for the company. please guide me in this direction. :)
Thank you.
Regards,
Dwija Oza
Very informative artricle by you mst say.
here i would like your guidance in the same area. I am an MBA student, doing my summers at one of the :) good construction company. i am working on its retention strategy. the attrition rate here is @35% and i have to design retention strategy for the company. please guide me in this direction. :)
Thank you.
Regards,
Dwija Oza
Six Truths about Employee Turnover
By F. Leigh Branham
Truth No.1: Turnover Happens
Achieving zero percent turnovers is not realistic, especially in today’s job market.
Truth No. 2: Some Turnover Is Desirable
Zero percent turnovers are not desirable for a couple of reasons. First, if all employees stayed and the organization grew steadily, most employees would be at or near the top of their pay ranges and salary expenses would be extremely high. Secondly, new employees bring new ideas, approaches, abilities, and attitudes and keep the organization from becoming stagnant.
Truth No. 3: Turnover Is Costly
Most managers know that turnover is expensive, but two-thirds of 1,290 managers were unable to quantify the cost of turnover when asked in a recent poll. The cost of hiring and training a new employee can vary greatly—from only a few thousand dollars for hourly employees to between $75,000 and $100,000 for top executives. Estimates of turnover costs may range from 25 percent to almost 200 percent of annual compensation. Costs that are more difficult to estimate include customer service disruption, emotional costs, loss of morale, burnout/absenteeism among remaining employees, and loss of experience, continuity, and “corporate memory.”
Truth No. 4: More Money Is Not the “Silver Bullet”
Talented workers want to feel they are being paid comparably to what other companies pay for similar work in the industry. They also care about being paid equitably with others in similar positions making comparable contributions. When these two conditions exist along with interesting and meaningful work, acceptable working conditions and good management practices, the prospect of making a little more money in an another organization where these softer factors are unknown is usually not enough to pull the employee away.
Truth No. 5: Managers Hold Most of the Keys to Keeping the Right Talent
One recent study showed that 50 percent of the typical employee’s job satisfaction is determined by the quality of his/her relationship with the manager. Many companies are floundering today in their attempts to improve employee retention because they have placed the responsibility for it in the hands of human resources instead of the managers. Many companies have begun to measure managers’ turnover rates and vary the size of their annual bonuses accordingly.
Truth No. 6: Reducing Turnover Starts with Commitment
The organizations that achieve the most dramatic reductions in turnover and maintain those lower levels are usually the ones where the top executive or owner makes it a priority. Even when the top executive is not committed, however, one committed manager can still make a difference.
10 Ways to Retain Generation X’ers
Let them know that you are committed to helping them achieve their goals within the context of the company’s goals. Don’t mention climbing the corporate ladder or paying their dues. Too many X’ers have seen their parents lose their jobs after years of ladder climbing and dues-paying.
Let them know that you will provide as much training as possible to help them develop new skills while they are there. Allow them some input into what training they will receive.
Tell them you will challenge their creativity, and then keep your promise by giving them a challenging assignment or problem to solve.
Provide opportunities for them to work in spirited team situations, but with opportunities for individual achievement and recognition.
Make the work environment fun and informal. Introduce them to others and encourage the development of workplace friendships.
Allow them to experience a daily sense of tangible achievement.
Give them opportunities to reinvent themselves within the organization by learning new skills, moving cross-functionally, redesigning their jobs, reporting to a different mentor, working different hours, or working from a new location.
Open a dialogue with them on their first day about how you want to keep them and how you are willing to work with them to make that happen.
Look for opportunities to engage them in short-term, goal-oriented projects.
When X’ers says they want to leave, give them the option of continuing to contribute as a part-timer, flex-timer, telecommuter, periodic temp or consultant.
Adapted from KEEPING THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP YOU IN BUSINESS: 24 Ways to Hang on to Your Most Valuable Talent by F. Leigh Branham (AMACOM; October 2000).
From India, Pune
By F. Leigh Branham
Truth No.1: Turnover Happens
Achieving zero percent turnovers is not realistic, especially in today’s job market.
Truth No. 2: Some Turnover Is Desirable
Zero percent turnovers are not desirable for a couple of reasons. First, if all employees stayed and the organization grew steadily, most employees would be at or near the top of their pay ranges and salary expenses would be extremely high. Secondly, new employees bring new ideas, approaches, abilities, and attitudes and keep the organization from becoming stagnant.
Truth No. 3: Turnover Is Costly
Most managers know that turnover is expensive, but two-thirds of 1,290 managers were unable to quantify the cost of turnover when asked in a recent poll. The cost of hiring and training a new employee can vary greatly—from only a few thousand dollars for hourly employees to between $75,000 and $100,000 for top executives. Estimates of turnover costs may range from 25 percent to almost 200 percent of annual compensation. Costs that are more difficult to estimate include customer service disruption, emotional costs, loss of morale, burnout/absenteeism among remaining employees, and loss of experience, continuity, and “corporate memory.”
Truth No. 4: More Money Is Not the “Silver Bullet”
Talented workers want to feel they are being paid comparably to what other companies pay for similar work in the industry. They also care about being paid equitably with others in similar positions making comparable contributions. When these two conditions exist along with interesting and meaningful work, acceptable working conditions and good management practices, the prospect of making a little more money in an another organization where these softer factors are unknown is usually not enough to pull the employee away.
Truth No. 5: Managers Hold Most of the Keys to Keeping the Right Talent
One recent study showed that 50 percent of the typical employee’s job satisfaction is determined by the quality of his/her relationship with the manager. Many companies are floundering today in their attempts to improve employee retention because they have placed the responsibility for it in the hands of human resources instead of the managers. Many companies have begun to measure managers’ turnover rates and vary the size of their annual bonuses accordingly.
Truth No. 6: Reducing Turnover Starts with Commitment
The organizations that achieve the most dramatic reductions in turnover and maintain those lower levels are usually the ones where the top executive or owner makes it a priority. Even when the top executive is not committed, however, one committed manager can still make a difference.
10 Ways to Retain Generation X’ers
Let them know that you are committed to helping them achieve their goals within the context of the company’s goals. Don’t mention climbing the corporate ladder or paying their dues. Too many X’ers have seen their parents lose their jobs after years of ladder climbing and dues-paying.
Let them know that you will provide as much training as possible to help them develop new skills while they are there. Allow them some input into what training they will receive.
Tell them you will challenge their creativity, and then keep your promise by giving them a challenging assignment or problem to solve.
Provide opportunities for them to work in spirited team situations, but with opportunities for individual achievement and recognition.
Make the work environment fun and informal. Introduce them to others and encourage the development of workplace friendships.
Allow them to experience a daily sense of tangible achievement.
Give them opportunities to reinvent themselves within the organization by learning new skills, moving cross-functionally, redesigning their jobs, reporting to a different mentor, working different hours, or working from a new location.
Open a dialogue with them on their first day about how you want to keep them and how you are willing to work with them to make that happen.
Look for opportunities to engage them in short-term, goal-oriented projects.
When X’ers says they want to leave, give them the option of continuing to contribute as a part-timer, flex-timer, telecommuter, periodic temp or consultant.
Adapted from KEEPING THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP YOU IN BUSINESS: 24 Ways to Hang on to Your Most Valuable Talent by F. Leigh Branham (AMACOM; October 2000).
From India, Pune
Dear sir :) ,
Please share with us more tips on retaining the senior management staff.
Also, how do we deal with the situation where most customer service staff who wait for bonus during festival time like Diwali and then quit. :(
Look forward to your valuable suggestions/ideas.
Cheers,
Bhawana
From India, Mumbai
Please share with us more tips on retaining the senior management staff.
Also, how do we deal with the situation where most customer service staff who wait for bonus during festival time like Diwali and then quit. :(
Look forward to your valuable suggestions/ideas.
Cheers,
Bhawana
From India, Mumbai
Dear Bhawana,
Am extremely sorry for reverting late to your query as am coming to this forum almost after a month.
Senior Management Staff – as you work closely with them , one would come to know if they are feeling out of sync with the organization or fishing for the suitable openings .
As I had emphasized earlier, like in the war conditions, we HR professionals must have a red book on key staff as how to retain and motivate them to stay on with the organization. One must maintain the file on their growth and achievements and also the possible growth options and assignments within the organization. Here one must be aware of the possible poaching by rival companies and therefore one must be attuned to the market movements.
Remember the maxim – that the key relationship in retention is the relationship between the employee and his/her Manager. Get it right and acceptable retention is assured. Get it wrong and everything else would count for nought.
Here one must focus on the following areas :-
Acclimation
Integration
Dialogue and
Expectation Management.
Since these people report to the CEO/MD and meetings needs to organized between whereby the following issues is addressed viz :-
Set the right conditions
Monitor the key relationships and
Enforce the sensible milestones.
Hope this provides some pointers.
Second query - shall revert later with ideas.
Have a great day.
Regards,
Rajat Joshi
From India, Pune
Am extremely sorry for reverting late to your query as am coming to this forum almost after a month.
Senior Management Staff – as you work closely with them , one would come to know if they are feeling out of sync with the organization or fishing for the suitable openings .
As I had emphasized earlier, like in the war conditions, we HR professionals must have a red book on key staff as how to retain and motivate them to stay on with the organization. One must maintain the file on their growth and achievements and also the possible growth options and assignments within the organization. Here one must be aware of the possible poaching by rival companies and therefore one must be attuned to the market movements.
Remember the maxim – that the key relationship in retention is the relationship between the employee and his/her Manager. Get it right and acceptable retention is assured. Get it wrong and everything else would count for nought.
Here one must focus on the following areas :-
Acclimation
Integration
Dialogue and
Expectation Management.
Since these people report to the CEO/MD and meetings needs to organized between whereby the following issues is addressed viz :-
Set the right conditions
Monitor the key relationships and
Enforce the sensible milestones.
Hope this provides some pointers.
Second query - shall revert later with ideas.
Have a great day.
Regards,
Rajat Joshi
From India, Pune
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Effective employee retention strategies-BPO. doc
Attrition Control and Retention Strategies for Changing times.ppt