Uncovering the Top Drivers of Agent Frustration in 2022

The goal of forming an engaged and happy workforce is nothing new — but there has been a shift surrounding its purpose. Prior to the pandemic, companies prioritized perks like stocked fridges and wellness days to ensure employees were happy to come in to work each day. Today, companies are going beyond the superficial day-to-day benefits and digging deeper to remove ongoing points of friction.

As they face a highly competitive and challenging labor market, companies have been forced to reassess their employee experience and establish policies that promote more meaningful work. CCW Digital’s latest Market Study, a ‘Customer Contact Industry Review’, confirms that modern labor challenges like rising wages and evolving work habits are the leading concern for 62% of customer contact executives. However, Principal Analyst Brian Cantor notes that this should not come as a surprise to anyone; agent attrition has long been considered one of the leading contact center challenges and the rise of remote work and career flexibility has made the threat of turnover even higher.

When considering other key challenges, it’s easy to see why employees are leaving at unprecedented rates. 56% of organizations noted they are failing to automate enough low-value work, 41% are operating under disconnected technology and 40% lack a cohesive channel structure. Without streamlined technology, the already complex role of the agent becomes even more difficult. Although companies continue to work toward a future where AI handles complex tasks to free agents up from unproductive work, it seems as though they haven’t quite mastered it yet.

However, the Market Study has a clearer indicator of what is causing agent turnover — when asked about the greatest drivers of agent frustration, 47% blamed compensation, including salary perks and incentives, 41% stated disconnected systems that were difficult to use, and 40% stated unclear career paths or a lack of future opportunities was the cause.

Cantor notes that agents now have more reason than ever to demand better pay. With companies focusing so heavily on the customer experience, the role of the agent has become much more critical to the success of the organization. Further, with increasing demands and heightened customer expectations, the day-to-day experience has become highly complex. But, a pay raise in itself is still not enough for many, individuals now desire greater purpose and promise of clearer career paths and success.

Brian Cantor furthers this stating, “They increasingly require assurance that the work they put forth today will bring them closer to a lucrative, fulfilling career down the road. Even with all the talk about ‘AI handling simple tasks so that humans can focus on complex ones,’ many contact centers are struggling to define a long-term trajectory for this ‘high-value’ agent. They continue to view frontline contact center work as an expendable ‘job,’ and they support and compensate accordingly.”

There is no one right answer or quick fix for keeping agents engaged in 2022. As employees begin to recognize their worth, companies must work harder to highlight their successes, fight for their futures and compensate them accordingly. For more about the state of employee engagement and other leading challenges in the contact center, check out the latest ‘Customer Contact Industry Review’ and download it here.

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk PEXELS