How to Make Customer Service Workers Feel Valued

In the continuous era of the Great Resignation and ‘quiet quitting’ how can businesses make their customer service agents feel like valued members of the team? High attrition rates can be costly and may damage your business's reputation: with a poor reputation, the best talent will seek out other employers. McKinsey surveyed 16,000 people in Europe and found that one-third of respondents wish to quit their jobs in the next three to six months. At the 2023 CCW Europe Exchange, Alison Jaap, the Customer Director at Ovo, stated that the industry trend this year for retaining talent is to make contact centres a more desirable place to work. ‘We really need to have attractive, intrinsically motivating jobs that will attract people into the industry, get them to stay, and get them to really focus on delivering the best service for customers.’ Creating an appealing workplace begins with making employees feel valued.

Reducing Employee Turnover

Achievers Workforce Institute found that 27% of employees were more likely to remain at their jobs if they had work flexibility. This could mean flexible working hours or the ability to work in a hybrid or remote environment. Some other factors included a strong sense of belonging, a satisfactory working relationship with their manager, career progression opportunities, adequate compensation, fitting in with company values and the culture, and proper recognition for their work. Personalised benefits packages would influence the decisions of 59% of workers to remain at their company.

In a study conducted by Achievers, they asked employees, ‘What would help you feel more connected to the people around you at work?’ - 45% of respondents said ‘feeling meaningfully recognised.’ 70% said they were more likely to stay in a job longer if they felt supported, cared for, and valued rather than if they were paid 30% more but didn’t feel valued.

According to LinkedIn, half of the applications on their site are for remote roles even though less than 20% of jobs advertised on LinkedIn are remote. This signifies the eminent desire for flexibility in the workplace. In 2022, 61 companies entered a six-month trial of a four-day workweek. Of the companies that took part in this trial 92% opted to continue with the four-day work schedule. Also, 18 companies made the schedule permanent because they saw benefits like 71% of staff feeling less burnt out, 54% of employees had improved levels of work-life balance, 39% said they were less stressed, and 57% fewer staff left their companies. Most companies reported that they were satisfied with productivity and business performance over the trial period. Companies’ revenue stayed roughly the same with fewer working hours, rising by 1.4% on average. Concerns about cybersecurity or the need for in-person customer service can make remote and/or condensed work difficult to accommodate. If such accommodations can’t be made, listening to their needs, treating them with respect, and maintaining a positive company culture can help them feel valued.

Who’s Getting it Right?

Google

Google has been voted one of the best places to work on multiple occasions. Google, along with Bain & Company have made it on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work list every year for the last 15 years. Some employment benefits include a free onsite gym, a cycle-to-work programme, and free food three times a day. They also have generous sick leave policies, parental leave, pensions, and life insurance. You can even bring your dog to work!  Glassdoor features a number of comments from current and former employees who emphasise ‘[the] company really cares about its culture and its people’. According to a LinkedIn article, What Makes Google Employees Happy and Satisfied, maintaining the highest level of transparency with its employees around issues discussed in board meetings and creating a sense of psychological safety are just some of the employee-centric practices employed by Google that provide employees with high job satisfaction.

Google tries to foster communication and interaction and has one of the longest employment rate averages in the tech industry— which is an industry that has a notoriously high turnover rate. Google is so highly sought after as an employer that they receive 2.5 million job applications a year.

Delta Airlines

American airline provider Delta was ranked among the top 100 Best Places to Work on Glassdoor, as well as being named one of Fortune's ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’. Delta Airlines is considered one of the best places to work due to the company's culture of respect, diversity, and inclusion, combined with competitive compensation and benefits. One Glassdoor reviewer described Delta as a ‘Great work environment [with] good pay, stable company, [and] excellent benefits.’ Additionally, the airline offers ample opportunities for career development and growth, including educational programs, mentoring, and leadership training. Delta also has a strong focus on giving back to the community, providing employees with opportunities to volunteer and support various charitable causes. These volunteer opportunities cater to the 65% of employees who seek to work for an employer with a powerful social conscience. Overall, Delta's emphasis on creating a positive and supportive workplace culture has made it an attractive employer for those in the aviation industry.

High attrition rates in the customer service industry can be detrimental to a business's reputation and financial stability. To reduce employee turnover, businesses need to try their best to make customer service agents feel valued. Providing work flexibility, personalised benefits packages, and a supportive work environment are just a few ways to show appreciation for all their hard work. Companies like Google and Delta Airlines have successfully created a culture of employee satisfaction and engagement, which has contributed to their success. By prioritising the contentment of employees, companies can attract and retain top talent, maintain their reputation, and provide high-quality customer service.