Faced with a turnover rate that sometimes exceeds 30%, call centres need to find innovative ways of build employee loyalty. Telecommuting, performance bonuses and a pleasant work environment, to name but a few, are all being implemented.

Gone are the days when salary alone guaranteed employee loyalty. According to a recent HRM Group poll revealed during a March conference on revitalizing the management of customer contact centres organized by Les Affaires, only 37% of employees considered it their main source of motivation. “We also need to be competitive in our management practices, our work environment and our benefits,” explains Cédric Landuydt, National Director - Channel and Corporate Care at telecommunications firm Telus.

The telecommuting option

Telus has chosen to explore telecommuting to incite employees to stay with the company. One out of five employees currently enjoys this perk, and the proportion is set to go up over the year. “It helps  us attract candidates,” says Mr. Landuydt. “They won’t be tempted to go to Rogers or elsewhere if they can take advantage of telecommuting with us.” This is important, since the competition between call centres is stiff, especially in large cities like Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.

Delocalizing

Some players have gone as far as to set up shop outside large urban centres to avoid having their staff tempted by the competition’s working conditions. “We moved our outsourcing centre to Abitibi,” explains Proximedia manager Maude Gaudreault. “Our turnover rate is low because we are the only call centre in the area.”

Comfort and flexibility at work

The quality of the agents’ work environment is also essential. At Telus, employees have access to video game rooms and several rest areas. “We’ve invested in creating a warm environment. The climate at the office is very important,” says Cédric Landuydt. Workers need to feel that their comfort has been taken into consideration. At Gexel, which has more than 500 agents in Montreal, the nicest areas were set aside for staff. “Our sunniest rooms are the cafeteria and break rooms,” says Gexel President Paul Trihey.

The quality of life at work is also a key issue in government agencies like the CSST and  SAAQ. “We need to accept more scheduling flexibility to accommodate our employees as much as possible,” says Pierre Gagnon, SAAQ Director of Customer Relations. This is an observation shared by Pierre Côté of ING Direct: “We have done away with controlling the schedule. Employees themselves decide when they take their breaks and their meals, as long as they work 7.5 hours a day. It’s a very popular measure.”

Reward performance

Another way to build employee loyalty is through performances bonuses. ING Direct rewards its employees with financial incentives if they reach the company’s objectives. The result is clear: “We have an absenteeism rate of only 5% in our call centres,” observes Pierre Côté, Director of Sales and Services at ING Direct.

New management methods

The type of management approach used in call centres has greatly changed in the past few years. Management by the stick no longer has its place. Déclic Coaching President Anick Lemay says, “You can’t manage employees using the same methods as 20 years ago, or they’ll simply quit. You have to bank on their self-reliance and empowerment.” A good way of doing this is to bring the management team closer to the employees. “There are only four levels between the office of the president and the agents. Managers are also very present on the floor,” says Gexel’s Paul Trihey.

A climate of respect between managers and employees is essential for retaining agents. According to the HRM Group poll, this aspect was mentioned by 83% of respondents as a source of motivation.