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Burnout is a problem in almost any profession and sector of the economy today — and that includes agents working in call centers. These work environments are notoriously stressful, with high rates of burnout and staff turnover. The work-related mental health toll that many call center employees experience even has a name: “call center stress syndrome.”
So, what can be done about this issue? Quite a lot, as this post explains. And addressing the problem head-on should be a business priority for call center operators. No business wants its workers to be consumed by stress and suffering physically and mentally as a result of it. There are real bottom-line impacts for the company, too, if this issue is left to fester.
For one, delivering a standout customer experience, including excellent customer service, is a must for today’s brands, and burned-out agents aren’t likely to provide that. That can lead to unhappy customers and lost business. There’s also the issue of staff churn: Currently, call center agents stay in their jobs for just over 14 months, on average — and replacing them can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Imagine the customer satisfaction levels your business could achieve if your call center teams weren’t grappling with consistently high stress levels in their work environment? Your agents would have more energy plus the right frame of mind to focus fully on your customers’ needs and deliver a standout experience. And, if your employees were happier and healthier generally, you’d be more likely to retain them for the long term.
Now, before we examine seven strategies for improving mental health and stress among call center employees, let’s touch on the importance of mental health, generally, and the factors that can give rise to call center stress syndrome.
We hear the term “mental health” all the time, it seems — but what does it really mean?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that mental health is an umbrella term that includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The national public health agency says mental health “affects how we think, feel and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.”
The CDC also states that “Mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health.” Depression, which can be triggered by stress, can increase the risk of problematic physical health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. And moderate or severe depression can result in self-harm.
If call center managers need more motivation to pay closer attention to improving mental health and stress among call center agents, consider that employees feeling burned out are almost two-thirds as likely to take a sick day. That same research from Gallup also found that workers experiencing burnout have difficulty maintaining work-life balance and are more likely to have health issues that require emergency medical care.
Burnout and stress are serious issues that impact many people around the globe. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has categorized burnout as an occupational syndrome and added it to its official compendium of diseases. And a 2020 Gallup survey found that just over three-quarters of workers experience burnout at least sometimes in their jobs.
But why are call center employees so vulnerable to burnout, stress, and mental health issues? The nature of the work itself is a big contributor to call center depression and call center health problems. Agents are the front line of providing customer service, and the need for them to bring stamina and emotional strength to their jobs every day is great.
Call center work can also be repetitive, and it often involves enduring a relentless deluge of customer calls. Many customers will contact a call center because they have something to complain about — and unfortunately, not every person is calm or polite in their delivery of a complaint. Even the most resilient, people-oriented agents focused on customer satisfaction can get worn down by dealing with persistent negativity and frequent verbal abuse.
Call center agents are also expected to be highly responsive and consistent in their conversations with callers so that they can deliver a positive customer experience that’s also on-brand. That means working from scripts and having very little, or no, autonomy or ability to show initiative on the job.
Also, most call centers don’t offer agents an abundance of compelling amenities to help them relax or replenish their energy during a workday. More often, these workplaces are sterile and uninspiring, and they can feel isolating and lonely for workers at times, even when fully staffed.
While the nature of call center work “is what it is” to a large degree, call center managers can still help to offset many of the stress triggers agents face, thereby reducing instances of call center depression and call center health problems.
Here are seven effective strategies for improving mental health and stress among call center employees:
Most people will perform better in their work environment when they have the confidence that comes from appropriate training. Relevant and ongoing training is a vital tool for driving employee engagement, and it can be constructive for helping agents learn how to counter stress and preserve their mental health on the job.
Call center work involves high volumes of queries and complaints day in and day out, with no two calls exactly the same. That underscores why effective coaching from experienced managers is critical to agents’ success. Unfortunately, managers don’t often have enough time to coach every employee effectively or consistently.
Technology can help. Since agents spend all their time on the phone, often recording calls for quality assurance (QA), call center managers and agents have unparalleled access to valuable data that can be used to track work outcomes, personalize coaching, provide constructive feedback, and boost employee engagement.
Call center managers using conversation intelligence software such as Invoca can automate call quality assurance, providing scores immediately after calls are completed. In addition, Invoca provides call recordings and transcriptions minutes after each call ends. Listing to call recordings helps managers gain clear insight into how well agents are handling difficult issues and customers — or not. That knowledge allows them to provide timely, personalized coaching to either amplify agents’ strengths, or give them targeted advice for managing challenges more effectively.
Agents can also use Invoca to self-coach at their own pace. And they can flag calls that their colleagues may want to review to gain best practices and working strategies — providing them with exact timestamps for where in a call they should listen.
Call center work is vital, but it isn’t glamorous work — and the demands on agents are often heavy. Excessive workload is one of the most often cited reasons for stress in the workplace and a leading cause of call center depression, as well as call center health problems.
Employees aren’t likely to open up to their manager about feeling overwhelmed for fear of losing opportunities — or even their job. Managers need to be aware of how agents are coping with their workloads and make sure demands are realistic. Overworked agents aren’t likely to be productive or happy — and that’s bad for workplace morale (and business).
One way to avoid pushing unreasonable workloads onto call center employees is to actively promote work/life balance and make it central to your workplace culture. Initiatives that allow for more schedule flexibility are usually the most welcomed by call center agents and are likely to boost their job satisfaction. According to a 2022 report, 58% of employees believe a healthy work/life balance is worth more to them than financial compensation.
Flexible scheduling allows employees to set their own start and finish times rather than adhering to a rigid schedule. Flexible leave, such as unlimited PTO, is another option. It allows employees to bundle sick and other leave with paid vacation days. A 2022 global trial by 33 companies reported that a four-day workweek resulted in fewer employees taking sick time off or resigning; it also led to increased revenue.
While it may be challenging to create flexible schedules for the call center work environment, creating meaningful incentives — such as extra time off for employees who achieve productivity milestones or come up with a great idea for the workplace — can resonate, too.
Initiatives such as team-building exercises and allowing employees to arrange fun, company-sponsored events to enjoy with their coworkers can also go a long way toward fostering togetherness and boosting employee satisfaction.
Promoting health and wellness in the workplace has become a priority for many leading companies in recent years. These employers are recognizing the direct relationship between employee health, healthcare costs, and corporate productivity.
Anytime is a good time to promote mental health in the workplace — but May is an ideal month to kick off a program. It’s Mental Health Awareness Month, and organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) have resources for companies to use to help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health by raising awareness about the issue.
Going hand-in-hand with mental health awareness is support. Many companies are adding mental health support benefits to their corporate wellness programs. Amazon, for example, offers one of the most comprehensive packages for employees and their families and continues to expand these benefits.
Many businesses are also making mental health-focused apps like Spring Health, Talkspace, Twill, and Headspace available to their employees as additional, free resources.
Maintaining an open mind when it comes to mental illness is essential, but so too is keeping open eyes in the workplace. Managers should know the signs of call center burnout and anxiety and depression in their people so that they can move quickly to get them help.
There are often plenty of signs that something is amiss. Call center burnout can manifest in employees in many ways, such as an inability to concentrate, constant fatigue, recurring absences, or even cynicism or anger in the workplace.
Major mood swings can be a huge red flag that a worker is struggling with mental health and stress issues. And if a previously dependable employee suddenly starts making a lot of mistakes or a gregarious worker begins to isolate in the workplace, they may be suffering from depression or feeling burned out.
A final tip for improving mental health and stress among call center employees is to give them comprehensive tools that can help them do their jobs more efficiently. That, in turn, can help them reduce their work-related stress — and keep burnout at bay.
Invoca’s conversation intelligence software is one such tool. It uses AI to analyze phone conversations and glean insights at scale. It can track, record, and analyze thousands of calls coming into the busiest call center. In addition, Invoca uses AI to score every call objectively, based on your organization’s criteria. Its scores are available immediately after calls end, giving agents the ability to adjust their tactics “on the fly.”
The insights Invoca collects from calls help managers identify coaching moments that can help improve agent performance. Better-trained agents are more efficient and more likely to remain with the organization. They are also better equipped to deal with the day-to-day stress of call center work — and avoid potential burnout.
Want to learn more about how Invoca can help improve agent morale in your contact center? Check out these resources:
