Call Center Staffing Agency
Sparks Group is a national staffing and hiring agency specializing in placing in-demand top talent at leading companies.
Challenges Facing Call Centers
Call centers remain a vital avenue for customer communication and problem-solving. Even with rising technology to respond to customer needs, phone chat remains the most preferred channel for customer service in the U.S. as of 20191. In a multiple-answer survey conducted by The Northridge Group, 65 percent of respondents said they felt phone communications were the easiest channel to go through, followed by online chat at 63 percent and email at 61 percent.
Call centers face several challenges, such as high turnover rates and finding talent that has the necessary skills, including good communication, dependability, customer focus, empathy, and problem-solving.
Inbound customer service representative jobs consistently rank as one of the highest turnover jobs. On average, call centers in the U.S. have a 30 and 45 percent turnover rate, depending on size2. It can be expensive to replace a call center employee, typically costing between $5000 and $7500 to hire and onboard new workers3.
Overcome Challenges Working With A Call Center Staffing Agency
A call center staffing agency can help increase retention rates by identifying talent requiring little training, and have the necessary skills and aptitude to do the job well. Agencies can help reduce the number of employees a call center has to replace, promoting productivity and profitability.
Learn More: How to Get the Most Out of Your Staffing and Recruiting Services
Recruitment firms help fill positions including customer support specialists, help desk staff, call-center representatives, and inbound and sales specialists.
Benefits Of Working With A Call Center Staffing Agency
1. Reduce Hiring Costs
Recruiting agencies help businesses reduce costs associated with searching for new talent, interviewing new candidates, and training replacement workers. Recruiters can free up internal resources better used on other tasks or projects, reducing time and money spent on finding qualified candidates.
Also, call centers partnering with a recruiting firm typically fill open positions faster than on their own because of the increased talent pool reach and efficient hiring pipeline, enabling centers to continue achieving their business goals and staying profitable.
2. Increase Retention Rates
Recruitment agencies place candidates with longevity in mind instead of just finding the first person to fill the role. By carefully vetting job seekers and considering their ability to remain at the company, recruiters promote higher employee retention rates at call centers.
Agencies frequently screen candidates for positions based on skill sets or their ability to complete necessary work. A recruiter can run through scenarios with a candidate during the interview process to determine how they would handle a particular situation while on the job, providing the interviewer with insight into if the worker would be able to make the right decisions under pressure. For example, a call center employer can use this information to gauge how long a candidate would last in the open position and whether they would be a good fit.
Additionally, many call center staffing agencies utilize skills assessment and verification testing during the candidate screening process. By testing and verifying the candidate’s skills, call center managers can better ensure that representatives have the technical know-how and soft skills to process customer requests professionally and efficiently. Common assessments for Call Center positions include inbound/outbound sales, customer service scenarios, and multilingual testing.
3. Promote Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Employers working with a staffing agency can strengthen a call center’s key performance indicators (KPIs)4, such as:
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- Calls completed per hour
- Sales per agent
- Time on hold
- Active waiting calls
- Customer satisfaction
By having a conversation with the hiring team about which metrics matter most, staffing agencies can sift through candidates and rate the strongest job seekers against critical KPIs to better inform the employer in their decision-making process.
How To Find The Right Agency
When finding the right staffing agency to fill call center positions, there are several factors to consider.
Leadership interested in working with a staffing agency should determine their internal needs and what roles they need to fill, what skills they need to have to drive KPIs, and how long the hire is expected to work.
An agency specializing in temporary staffing can assist your company in filling short-term or seasonal needs, which can increase cost savings. If you want to fill a more permanent position, consider partnering with a firm with a long-term employment focus.
Choose Sparks Group As Your Next Call Center Staffing Agency
Sparks Group is a nationally-recognized recruiting firm experienced in effectively connecting talented candidates with your business to fill needed roles. At Sparks Group, we understand how expensive and time-consuming the hiring process can be. We identify ways to reduce turnover, increase your qualified candidate pool, and promote your business success metrics.
Interested in finding your next rockstar staff member? Connect with a Sparks Group recruiting expert to discuss how we can help.
Sources:
[1] https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8750-work-with-staffing-agency.html
[2] https://qatc.org/winter-2015-connection/exploring-call-center-turnover-numbers/
[3] https://www.avoxi.com/blog/call-center-attrition-turnover-rates/
[4] https://www.klipfolio.com/blog/kpis-for-call-centre-managers