So, you manage a Call Center, Help Desk or Service Center. Or you’re responsible for its Human Resources department.

It’s a great job (if only you didn’t have to deal with people!). Right?

But you do have to deal with people…every day of your life. And if you’re like pretty much every other call center administrator in the country, the issue of high staff turnover is one of your most critical. After all, since over 70% of call center operational costs relate to the human-capital factor, turnover is an issue that your organization should be addressing. If it’s not addressed – and addressed properly – it’s a real drain on your profits, as well as your time.

Statistics don’t lie. And, in the case of call centers, they paint a pretty ugly picture…the average turnover rate is about 40%. But even if you’re below average, don’t be too cocky. Turnover - at any rate - is costly to your bottom line. And it’s costly, as well, to your ability to provide good service to the company’s most important asset - its customers!

Improving your retention rate, obviously, can have a cascade-effect of good results…not the least of which are a happier boss, line managers and customers. But if you start off with the belief that high turnover is inevitable, and just a cost of doing business in this field, you’re defeated even before you start. It doesn’t have to be inevitable! Turnover rates can be reduced, and retention improved. But it takes a genuine commitment. It takes a commitment to start focusing on the selection process: “how to pick ‘em” (hiring practices), and then on the retention process: “how to keep ‘em.”

But you’ve got to find ‘em before you can keep ‘em. So – first things first – we’re going to talk about how to find ‘em.

But before we get into some specific suggestions, the following guidelines (a number of which are just plain old common sense) should already be basic practices at your company. If you aren’t doing them, I recommend you start now. And I recommend you do it by going back to the basics.

• At Comforce Corporation, we work with every type of inbound and outbound call center, all over the country. And while most call centers recognize that finding good people should be a primary goal, let’s face it…the business of running the day-to-day operations can really get in the way. However, no matter how busy you get, it pays to remember one thing: the success of your organization still depends on the people you employ.
  
  
  You must have a hiring plan in place. If you haven’t yet established an accurate set of job descriptions, educational and experience requirements, and any other job-specific requirements, you’d better start – now. After all, this is the baseline from which you’ll ultimately judge whether a candidate is qualified to proceed through the interview and testing process.
  
  
• Of course, you’ll need to test for technical and customer service skills. Just make sure you’re using valid assessment tests that relate to the job. The key to a “valid test” is simple…its reliability in determining whether a candidate is qualified. A validated test, to be reliable, must be constructed properly, and good test construction is usually the result of qualified test developers, psychologists, etc. Most reputable testing companies can provide validated test results to show how reliable their tests have been in forecasting whether a candidate is qualified, from a technical or customer service standpoint.
  
  
  Keep in mind that creating reliable tests takes time and money. But this is one place, however, where you shouldn’t try and do it on the cheap. If you choose this area as the one in which to cut corners, you might just get – much to your eventual chagrin – exactly what you paid for.
  
  
• Create an interview process with set questions that can be used as a springboard for more in-depth questioning.
  
  
• Require drug testing and background investigations to finalize the hiring process.

Having said the above, there are several specific things that successful managers are doing to enhance their hiring programs. The following tips are designed to help you select the best candidates.

While these tips will incorporate some obvious common-sense hiring basics, they’ll also remind you of the importance of assessing “soft” skills (communications skills, ability to work in a team, etc) instead of just focusing totally on “hard” skills (technical know-how). After all, your employees are people who are dealing with other people…all day long.

Tip #1: Since your people will be spending practically all of their time on the phone, the first time you interview them, it should be – guess what? - on the phone(!). If your company image is dependent on the impression made by your Customer Service Reps, Help Desk Personnel, etc., you should have the candidate impress you – or not - with his/her telephone skills. How does she sound? Does she come off as well-spoken, professional, and competent? This isn’t just theoretical. If you don’t like the way the candidate comes off on the phone, neither will your customer.

Also, use this as an opportunity to get some of the hiring basics out of the way before you bring them in for Step Two. For example, no matter how badly you may need people, you ignore possible red flags on their resume at your own peril.

• Ask about any gaps in employment. Verify month and date of hire and termination for each job. Many candidates only put down year-begin and end dates. This leaves it wide open for someone who was out of circulation for several months (behind bars?, etc.).
  
  
• If the candidate has bounced around from one job to another, that should raise some questions in your mind. In actuality, there might be good reasons for the job-hopping. But you’ll never find out unless you ask. Let your “gut” be your guide. Too many unexplained moves might indicate a lack of commitment - or something worse.

Tip #2: If they pass the phone interview, make sure the next couple of steps include some actual “tasks.” For instance, ask the candidate to bring in another copy of his resume. Make sure they know to bring three business references, with phone numbers and addresses. If you require an on-line test, have them do that prior to the interview. Basically, we’re asking the candidate to show that she can follow simple directions and work well with supervision. This is an extremely important “soft” skill that some people don’t possess (I don’t have to tell you this!). If a candidate can’t comply with your simple directions when she’s looking for a job, then why would she follow your work policies and procedures when on board?

This should be (but often isn’t) a “no-brainer.” If the candidate does not do exactly as you asked, don’t go any further (yes, even if you’re short on people).

In the press of business, with our constant personnel shortages, many call center hiring managers make the mistake of thinking that a warm body in a seat is better than no body at all. But that practice just doesn’t pan out in the real world. In fact, as many of you have learned the hard way, a “warm body with a pulse” generally ends up being far more costly than no “body” at all. Want proof? You’re reading this article, aren’t you?

Another tip: When they fill out an application, note how long it takes. You should have a fairly good idea of how long some of your better past candidates took to fill out the same application. This may give you some insight as to the candidate’s ability to complete simple tasks.

Tip #3: Multiple Interviews are a must. By multiple interviews, I mean that you can have two of your people present in the same interview, or have two different people do back-to-back interviews. Both interviewers, regardless of the format, should take detailed notes. Often, when two interviewers compare their notes afterward, it’s amazing which candidates “shake out.”

Of course, it always helps to make sure both interviewers are experienced themselves, and that they understand the requirements of the position being interviewed for. However, multiple interviews also help to assess other skills required in a call center environment: flexibility, adaptability and poise under pressure. Let’s face it, whether your center is inbound or outbound, taking difficult calls or making telemarketing or service calls can be very stressful. So the interview, to some extent, should be, too. How well does the person interview under the pressure of either two back-to-back interviews or two people in a “tag team” interview? If the person fades or is inconsistent, it might spell trouble during a much more rigorous day of receiving or making difficult calls.

Tip #4: “Pre-orientation.” This, you’d think, would be a standard practice for interviewing. However, you’d be surprised how often it’s overlooked. In fact, it should probably be classified near the top of the “tip” list, because it’s one of the first things you should do…probably during the phone interview. You should qualify candidates by discussing the following with them, to make sure they won’t have a problem later. Following are some examples of a pre-orientation:

• Do they have reliable transportation?
  
  
• Discuss the hours. Can they meet your training schedule, and then the shift to which they’ll be assigned afterward? If you’re going to require on-call hours, shift flexibility or intermittent weekend work, now’s the time to say it. There will be people who simply do not have the flexibility in their lives to meet your requirements.
  
  
• Make sure they understand that drug tests and background investigations are pre-hire requirements. (And make sure you understand that drug tests and background checks are pre-hire requirements!) If you aren’t currently doing these, I highly recommend they be implemented - immediately. If the candidate indicates that a problem may occur, it’s time to move on.

If you stick to these tips, the process will help you to cull out those candidates who will waste much more of your time and resources if you have to do them later!

Bonus Tip: This bonus tip is included because it is so obvious. Strangely enough – believe it or not – many call centers still don’t do reference checks. Never – ever – attempt to save time by skipping this step. In the real world, many a company has saved itself considerable time (as well as money) by actually doing this step. The sad reality is that people do lie on their applications and resumes. And because of today’s litigious environment, many previous employers will provide only dates of service, job title, and verification as to whether the employee is “eligible for rehire.” You might want to try getting a written release from the candidate, which would allow you to get a more detailed written reference from a prior employer. (And if you can’t get them to give you a release, you might want to wonder why.)

While some of these steps may appear to be simple common sense (and they are!), we at Comforce Corporation can see – on a daily basis – that many folks just simply don’t do them. Why? The usual reasons. Time constraints, needing to get the center filled quickly, etc. etc. However, as a manager, you probably already know in your heart that that a good hire will be a productivity- and money-saver over the long haul.

So if you have to scrimp…do it somewhere else! Hiring right will allow your retention program (“How to keep ‘em”) a chance to work...because even the best retention plan won’t work if you don’t have the right people to start with.

Let me be very blunt. It’s time to stop throwing anybody with a pulse into your seats! It just doesn’t work! It’s worth the time and effort – ten times over – to do it the right way.

Lastly, let me propose one final “tip” that you might want to think about: finding an experienced staffing partner that can do all these things for you. Hiring an expert allows you to focus on your core competency - running a call center.

If you do decide to utilize a staffing services firm, make sure you ask about their own hiring program…because if they don’t have the right people, you won’t have the right people. They should have a recruitment and selection program that includes the basics, in addition to the specifics outlined herein. After all, you want a partner who can distinguish between the candidate who’s just here for a quick paycheck (and will be gone soon), and the candidate who can be a true asset to your business.

When selecting a staffing partner, here are some indicators to look for:

• Choose someone who can explain how their program assesses both hard and soft skills. If they don’t truly understand the difference, they probably haven’t addressed these factors in their recruiting process. And if that’s the case, don’t be embarrassed about leaving skid marks in their parking lot.
  
  
• Think long-term savings, instead of just getting the cheapest now. Assess the overall cost of hiring good people and retaining them. Common sense (there’s that phrase again!) says spending a little more up front will yield great savings down the road.
  
  
• In the event you do decide to use your own internal recruiting resources, you may want to consider using a staffing services firm to become the employer of record for any candidate you find. This is a cost-effective way to “try before you buy.” Commonly called “payrolling,” this can be a very effective strategy to bring on candidates with an eye towards converting them to direct-hire status at some predetermined time. Make sure you work with a firm that truly understands this concept, and that offers a benefits plan to these people (thereby enabling them to get good people…people who will stay).
  
  
• This one may sound strange – but it works. Look for a firm that also hires professional level-employees. Ask them the difference between their qualification process for call center employees versus professional level employees (IT, technical, etc.). The answer should be that there really isn’t any. This may be a good indicator that they have a robust plan for assessing soft and hard skills across the board…..not just a “fog the mirror” approach to hiring customer service or help desk candidates.

We’re not talking about rocket science here. All you have to do is formulate a program – or get a good staffing partner to formulate it for you – and then sit back and watch the results. History shows that you’ll be very happy with what you see.

Call centers of America…awaken! You have nothing to lose but your poor hires.

About the author
Evan Burks is Senior Vice President of Comforce Corporation www.comforce.com, a $400 million public company involved in consulting and staffing for the call center industry. Based in Mesa, AZ, he works closely with major call centers all over the country. Evan Burks can be reached at (480) 897-2479, or at eburks@comforce.com.