USA - English German - Deutsch Arabic - عربي Australia - English New Zealand - English Singapore - English
Request a demo

What is the average tenure of a call center employee?

Call Center Turnover Statistics

What is the average tenure of a call center employee

Exploring the Average Tenure of Call Center Employees: Factors and Implications

Call centers play a crucial function in a variety of industries, offering essential support to customers, technical assistance and sales assistance. But, they tend to have high turnover. Understanding What is the average tenure of a call center employee? and the variables that affect it, is essential for both employees and employers.

Table of Contents

Average tenure of a call center employee

What is the average tenure of a call center employee?

What is the average tenure of a call center employee? The average duration of employees in call centers as all: 14.3 months, Sales 15 months, care/support: 13.7 months.

How to Calculate Call Center Attrition

The process of calculating attrition rate is a simple process. To determine the attrition rate, simply take the number of employees who were at attrition (or employees who quit the organization) then divide by the number of employees, and then multiply by 10.
Attrition rate = number of attritions/average number of employees x 100
If, for instance, you had 47 agents leaving within a year, and at least 340 people working the attrition rate is 13.82 percent. Over our 20 years of working with both outbound and with inbound contact centers, we often discover that this is among the largest costs that call centers have to face. Yet it’s also one of the toughest measures to increase.

Average Age of Call Center Employees

Age of call center employees is different by location however, there is one pattern that is pretty much the same throughout the entire spectrum. The majority of call center employees are younger because the stress caused by their job could make older workers quit.
  • Average age of call center agents in all sectors is roughly 30 years old, and the average age of call center subcontractors is roughly 27.
  • Employees who are 20 – 24 have an average tenure of 1.1 years at call centers.
  • Employees who are 25 – 34 have an average tenure of 2.7 years at call centers.

Call Center Absenteeism Statistics

The absence of call center workers is just as much of a problem as in other industries. Because a call center is dependent on employees who are available to take the phone and solve issues, workers who do not work can pose a serious problem. Absent work can lead to higher work for other agents, who could already be overwhelmed by calls.
According to research the contact center employees are absent for approximately 8.2 days a year. This is significantly more than other industries. This according to their study, was around 7.4 days per year.
According to their research, “Personal emergencies, elder and childcare, on-the-job harassment, routine health or lifestyle appointments, transportation access, and disengagement are all behind many absences.”
The research conducted in collaboration with Cornell University found that call center absence during a typical working day averages 6.6% and the highest percentages occur in call centers with outsourced services as well as retail (10 percent and 9.3 percent respectively).

Attrition Rates by Industry

The rate of turnover can be influenced depending on how big the company and the kind of industry that the service provider serves. As is to be expected, the bigger the company is, the greater the rate of turnover will be.

Call Center Turnover Rates

  • Small-sized call centers: 17%
  • Medium-sized call centers: 37%
  • Large-sized call centers: 44%
  • Entry-level – 27%
  • Intermediate agents – 20%
  • Senior agents – 12%
  • Team leads – 11%
  • Supervisors – 7%
  • Managers – 6%

Top Factors That Lead to High Attrition

There are other things to take into consideration when selecting the right call center software. Microsoft contact center application:
  • Improper training
  • There is no upward mobility
  • Low-paying jobs
  • Micromanagement
  • Morale is low

Why are Call Centers always hiring?

Many call center workers quit due to a range of factors they might have encountered. This is a common occurrence in all industries. Call centers are also subject to the unfortunate situation of having a high rate of turnover. If there are too many employees leaving, a call center company is constantly looking for replacements to fill the voids and ensure the call center can handle a multitude of calls while completing other duties.
Here are a few of the most common reasons and suggestions for what you could do to alleviate the impact of this inescapable fact.
  1. Burnout
    A stressed team means low performance. Agents who are exhausted are less engaged and are more likely to leave. To avoid this, make it a point to make sure your agents take breaks or utilize their vacation days to rest.

  2. Issues in team management
    Agents must have confidence in their superiors. Begin to think of methods to make the standard process more efficient. By doing this, everyone can achieve an end goal that is common to all and achieve.

  3. Lack of career development
    A lot of agents feel that they’re trapped in a field which doesn’t have clearly defined prospects for growth. However, by setting goals for them, they’re able to achieve their goals and gain more control over their career routes.

  4. Stressful working environment
    Being stressed or having to work for long hours creates stress for call center workers. To better manage this stress, create private spaces, create regular breaks during the working day and set flexible work schedules.

  5. No work-life balance
    Agents who do not have a balance in their lives are often tempted to believe that they have to sacrifice their own goals in order to meet the requirements of their job. To avoid wasting employees time, set limits and encourage them to develop efficient time management.

  6. Lackluster pay
    Being underpaid is a typical issue for agents who want to retire. One method of avoiding this issue while still being fair to all is to provide performance-based rewards and pay raises.

  7. Lack of sufficient training 
    Agents that require more training and experience might feel overwhelmed by their workload, and choose to retire. Implement regular training to ensure the capabilities of your agents are up to par.

Effects of Call Center Agents Quitting

If an agent is fired your business is faced with massive shifts. This affects the overall efficiency as well as your reputation and your management. Here are a few negative effects that you can expect to experience with higher turnover.
  1. Impact on vendor pricing 
    When you lose employees in your business, you’re forced to invest more money on recruitment programs and salary enhancements. To ensure profits there’s no other choice other than to raise the prices of your products.

  2. Undertrained agents 
    Untrained employees tend to perform poor results. They might also feel unappreciated within their roles, which can lead to discontent over time that can disrupt the flow of other team members and hamper the overall development of the team.

  3. Inconsistent customer experience 
    Customers who are not satisfied with your services tend to not turn into loyal customers. When you lose customers you aren’t able to make sales. This also indicates that your staff members aren’t devoted to the company’s objectives.

  4. Longer resolution times 
    If experienced agents quit the company, you’re left with younger members who will have to learn about the process. This means that troubleshooting can take longer, which can cause frustration and frustration among customers.

  5. A decline in empathy 
    Agents in call centers who constantly are under pressure and have inadequate management eventually end up losing interest in their work. They are less sympathetic in providing customer service, which will increase the number of customers who are dissatisfied with your company.

  6. Reduced credibility in the market 
    Without a solid team of people to run your business You risk losing the trust of your customers in the capabilities of your business in turn losing their business rivals.

  7. Increased reliance on automation 
    Customers will have to manage automated processes and responses as new recruits are being taught. The heavy dependence on these tools can make the experience of customers less personal and less memorable.

Call Center Burnout: How to Prevent Agents from Quitting

The increased turnover rate is a problem for your business. To keep this issue under control, you have to create incentives that encourage agents to remain. Here are some ideas to keep your employees satisfied.
  • Focus on stress reduction
Overworked employees are more likely to leave their positions. To help reduce this occurrence, help your agents find ways to relieve stress. You may also adjust their workload to make it more balanced for the whole team.
  • Conduct mentoring programs
If an agent needs to improve in a particular area, mentoring programs help guide them toward improvement. At the same time, you’re also setting a measurable standard they can strive for.
  • Offer incentives
Benefits and other incentives help motivate your agents to stay with your company longer. You may also produce loyal workers who can lead and train new recruits.
  • Create team-building programs
Team building exercises help each department understand one another and their needs. It encourages teamwork and allows everyone to work cohesively towards common goals.
  • Encourage a healthy work environment
While call centers are known to be stressful, you must take a few measurements to ensure agents are happy. Some examples include providing flexible work hours and building a no-tolerance policy on workplace harassment and discrimination.
  • Create opportunities for career development
Help your agents reach their professional goals by providing career growth opportunities. It can be anything from promotions to training programs.
  • Provide the right tools
When you provide the right tools needed for the job, your agents perform their tasks more efficiently and accurately. This saves you time and money in the long run, as you can use it to solve queries faster and improve customer service experiences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Call center attrition refers to the process of employees quitting their positions in a call center. It’s a significant problem for call centers since it can result in higher turnover rates, higher costs, and lower satisfaction of customers./p>

A variety of reasons contribute to the short time-to-return of employees in call centers as well as the stress of the job, high-pressure performance metrics and the irregularity of working hours.

Yes, a lot of call center workers decide to stay on for many years, particularly in fields that require specialist skills and allow for advancement in the department.

The business that a call center is operating can have a significant impact on the length of time it operates. In fields such as finance, healthcare, as well as technology where specific expertise is required, workers tend to stay for longer.

Request a Demo