East vs. West in Contact Centers

Attrition is a major problem in North American Contact Centers. Retention is a top priority. A group of employees from a New York call center visited centers in Japan and found a very different scenario. Although there are no bonuses and few parties and other perks, Japanese contact center workers often stay in the job for 25 years! The secret: a deep understanding of the purpose of the position. Helping customers is a venerated role and those who are selected are honored.

Instead of handing the next recruit a headset and a script, consider a month or more of training and rotational assignments that include learning about the entire organization and how customer support fits into the grand purpose and direction.

For the complete story, see Customer Relationship Management magazine August 2008 page 26.