In every business, providing outstanding and excellent customer service is critical. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, call centre agents are responsible for dealing with more work, as well as processing them with fewer resources. The result of this is that the employees experience tremendous stress.
In a bid to understand the effect of COVID-19 on the employees, a study found that between March 11 and March 26, when the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, there was a dramatic increase in the level of customer emotion and anxiety in service calls, making a job that was already difficult for agents regularly even more difficult, proving the importance of call centre stress management.
What Factors Contribute To The Call Agents Stress In the Pandemic?
Call centre Agents are generally known to use a lot of mental capacity, leaving them at a higher risk of mental illness than workers in other fields. With the pandemic outbreak and the need for social distancing, more call centre agents are working remotely and this has undoubtedly increased the pressure that already existed. The following are some factors that lead to a diminishing in agent well-being;
Lack of Morale
With the Work-From-Home development, there is a decline in the motivation for employers to work. Call centres are typically busy places that are often teeming with activities where employees form a team spirit and rub minds together to work and find solutions to pain points. They also no longer have access to some infrastructure like a reliable phone connection which they once enjoyed. Agents now are struggling to adjust as well as help their customers.
Increase In Customer Calls
The number of calls received by the agents’ increases during the pandemic. Agents have to deal with a variety of issues, including requests, complaints, enquiries, and even their customers’ emotions. Employees are subjected to a great deal of stress as a result of this.
Ways HR Teams can Provide Support For Call centre Agents During the Pandemic
With the knowledge of the effect of the COVID-19 on Call Agents, HR Teams can show support to call centre agents by relieving their stress and keeping them motivated to continue providing great customer service.
Provide Agents With Techniques That Help Them Reduce Frustration of Customers
One way to do this is by equipping thecCall centre agents and representatives in ways to make exceptions in order to solve the customer’s problem. This could be in the form of showing empathy to the customer and using statements that show you are walking through the problem with them. Statements such as “We will figure this out together, okay.” “Thank you for providing helpful information.” This technique has proven to keep the customers patient and cool-headed and less frustrated as opposed to comments from the agents such as “a redirect” where the customer is required to wait and go over their problem again to the agent they were redirected to. Previous studies show that such advocacy language (technique) reduced customer effort by up to 77%.
Create avenues for a stronger relationship among employees
The significance of fostering connections and collaborations among employees cannot be overstated. Regardless of how dispersed the staff is and how infrequently they communicate with one another, it is critical to find ways to maintain the bond and relationship.
Collaboration tools such as instant messaging, Slack, and others provide a channel for employees to stay in touch and draw on the wisdom of their colleagues when needed. The cordial relationship established will ensure that the organisation thrives even during difficult times such as in the pandemic.
Creating a Reward and Incentives System for All Staff
Creating a staff incentive and reward system is a great way to support the Call centre agents. The call centre agents are the first encounter customers have and can contribute to their overall experience of the organisation.
Making staff feel valued and appreciated can go a long way most especially during rough times like in a pandemic. A voucher for groceries, A meal ticket, a voucher for online shopping, and so on can boost the morale of staff and ensure they give their best.
Creating a Safe and Positive Environment for Employees
Every employee requires a sense of security and positivity to encourage them, especially during the pandemic. Employers must recognise that the employees will be pressured even more in such a time due to a variety of distractions and changes as work that was once performed in an office space is now performed at home or with fewer people in a real office.
If employers can succeed in creating a safe and positive space for employees, not only will the business continue to flourish in these unpredictable times, but it will thrive.