Are better audio tools the answer to contact centre churn?

Contact centres have been battling high turnover rates for years. According to the Quality Assurance and Training Connection (QATC), contact centres in the US have an average turnover of 30-45%. This is nearly three times higher than the national average.

As a knock-on effect, this is damaging the customer experience and, in turn, KPIs.

Engaging with customers over the phone should be met with clarity, not barking dogs or loud colleagues. And, as companies grapple with the acceleration towards virtual communications, it’s time to consider how we improve both the agent and customer experience to battle the attrition crisis.

The good news is that there are audio tools out there that can bring clarity to the contact centre industry.

Wellbeing:

One of the key factors affecting contact centre retention is declining employee wellbeing. Our recent survey shed some light on the situation.

Sixty nine percent of contact centre workers said that background noise has a negative effect on their mental health and wellbeing. The impact of disruptive noise reduces concentration and productivity, while also increasing the possibility of workplace stress — all of which will naturally contribute to employee churn.

Prioritising heightened and distraction-free audio can promote employee wellbeing and reverse some of the effects of mental fatigue and agent burnout. This naturally leads to less stress in the workplace, more enjoyable — and productive — calls, and a better employee-work relationship.

Flexible software:

Contact centres, like many industries, were part of the pandemic shift to a remote working culture. Background noise changed from office chatter to crying children and unending home improvements blaring from the flat next door. With all its pros and cons, it’s clear that hybrid working is here to stay in some shape or form.

As such, it’s crucial for businesses to invest in technology that gives employees the flexibility to deliver no matter where they’re working. If contact centres prioritise better audio — both at home and on the call centre floor — agents may be less likely to jump ship.

Flexible AI-driven background noise cancelling apps that are easy to use and widely compatible — on any operating system and for any voice conference app or VoIP platform — might make a real difference for both contact centres and their agents.

Job satisfaction:

The first step towards decreasing attrition rates in call centres is to address the important issue of job satisfaction. Contact centres revolve entirely around communication. And to have successful communication, you need quality sound.

Our survey found that 85% of contact centre agents say noise results in both agents and customers wasting time repeating themselves. How can call centre employees be satisfied in their positions if they’re not even able to have a simple, clear conversation? Not to mention, making it easier to have clear and productive conversations will also improve customer satisfaction. This will in turn boost agent KPIs, and, you guessed it, increase their sense of accomplishment and fulfilment in their role.

Creating this positive and productive environment for both call centre agents and their customers is within reach, and audio technology could be the key to securing it.

Background noise cancelling tools like IRIS Clarity are a great way of instantly improving the quality of your conversations, wherever they’re taking place. The stats are clear: background noise is a major pain point for everyone involved, and AI-powered noise cancelling tools that removes background noise on both sides of a call can help people focus on what matters most: the conversation.