Poor pay blamed for high call center agent turnover

17.08.2006
When it comes to investing in call centers, staff benefits haven't always been a priority which is one reason why agent turnover has been so high.

In the past, blame for the high attrition rate has been directed at lack of training, technology, everything but pay rates. Finally, one contact center provider, Genesys, has come out with a call for increased pay for agents.

Speaking at the Genesys user conference G-Force, in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, the company's senior vice president James Brooks said agents could expect a 10 to 30 percent pay increase if centers heed the results of a new study.

Brooks said the increase would counter an annual 42 percent call center agent attrition rate.

The study blames high turnover on lack of work satisfaction and pay rates.

Dubbed Optimizing Agent Performance, the study surveyed nearly 100 call center executives, 420 agents and 700 consumers across 19 industries including government, telecommunications and finance.