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BPO Workforce: Absenteeism

By: Jems Hug


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Let’s start with a brief introduction on how things tick in the BPO when it comes to human resources. As we know, call center units generally work round the clock. The answering service agents are allotted shifts to cover the 24-hour cycle. Now we can talk about the topic. The trouble shoots up when a call center services agent is absent. A man down is like a spoke of the wheel falling out. The others in the same process have to stand up and cover the gap. But that is easier said than done. Let’s check out how.

Call volumes for the BPO agents are divided according to the strength of the workforce. The calls are evenly distributed so that the answering service agents share the pressure. When an agent is absent, it means that his/her quota of calls will have to be handled by others on the team. This adds up the number of calls handled by each agent. The inbound call center agents need to take a short break between consecutive calls. This becomes necessary to take a breather and also to collect their thoughts back again. Higher volume of calls would mean that the break-time between calls shrink down. This acts as additional burden for the agents.

An absent BPO agent may not be desired but there is a slight catch here. If an answering service agent is sick, it’s better that the agent does not report to work. An underperforming agent can be more damaging to the team than an absent one. There is little margin for error when it’s inbound call center we are talking about. The agents have to be spot on each time they press the button to receive a call. A physically weak agent will not be able to bear the burden of working under a pressure cooker situation. Straining oneself can lead to further health complications. In such cases, it’s best to stay home and come back with all cylinders blazing.

As a BPO human resource manager, you have to make sure that your call center agents do not suffer from excessive stress. It’s obvious that the worries of a demanding job will get to them at some point in time. The answering service agents are prone to bouts of depression, emotional tension and lack of mental alertness. These are fatal symbols for an inbound call center agent. Burnout is a major cause of attrition in a business process outsourcing outfit. As a human resource manager, you have to make sure that employees are not taking their work back. Agents need to unwind and there are so many ways of doing so. Ideally, it’s best if the company provides for recreational activities like movies and sports.

Yoga and other meditative means are working well for many BPO agents. These measures are necessary not just for the employees. The call center itself benefits from these measures. The risk of losing a trained inbound call center agent to burnout should hang heavy on the minds of the managers.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

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