Stress and Attrition

Life has been busy at the Call Centre. So much so, that I have been unable to blog. Finding time is a challenge when you work at a call centre. Burn out is common and people are just plain stressed out. Call Centre attrition rates can also be too much to contend with. Agents tend to just up and leave. This is because the stress has a trickle down effect. Some of the ways to deal with the stress and attrition is as follows:

• Breaks and Break Areas - Ensure your staff has excellent resting areas. Also make sure you give adequate breaks. Preferably every 2 hours.
• Play games - These can be done in between work to give their minds a break.
  
• Days off - Give adequate days off in a week. Truthfully, one day does not cut it in this industry.
• Leave - Regardless of how busy you are, ensure the team takes 21 days leave every year!
• Work hours - There is a tendency to work 12 to 14 hours a day at a call centre. Stop it! Cut it off at 10.

In addition to this, make sure you eat a balanced diet, get some exercise and at least 7 hrs of sleep a night.

Happy working!

Setting up a Contact Centre in Kenya - Site Selection and Equipment

Site Selection

When selecting the site for your call centre you need to factor in growth. Call Centres grow in spurts and a new account may need 20, 30 or more extra seats. It is important that you have enough space to manage growth without having to move.

Additionally, choose an area that is generally quiet. There is nothing worse than trying to sell or think over loud music, hooting and the like. Make sure that the area has a constant supply of water and very few power interruptions. The cost of running a generator can be quite high.

Care should be taken to ensure that there are sufficient bathrooms for the team. The "Ally MacBeal" bathroom situation does not work very well in call centres. Running water and air freshener is also important to keep the facilities clean and keep your staff comfortable.

Security is also very important seeing as your team will be working 24 hrs a day. Make sure that you have alarm systems in place if need be and security guards as well.

Equipment

When purchasing equipment for your call centre make sure that your desks are of the best quality. Everyone likes a beautiful work area. Old, chipped desks will make the place look shabby and even demoralize the agents. Additionally, give them comfortable seats with adjustable height and back for any build.

Make sure the PCs have the latest software and come fitted with an effective anti virus. For each PC, it is advisable to block all ports that could be used for data transfer devices like flash disks and floppies. This should be part of your data security strategy.

Make sure the server purchased also takes growth into account. There have been situations where the server purchased could not make more than 20 simultaneous calls. This means that should the account need to expand, or another account come on board, a new server will have to be purchased.

Switches, routers, firewalls etc should be of the highest quality and compatible with as many systems as possible.

Headsets should be the noise reducing kind and can be purchased from any plantronics dealer. Plantronics are the the best headsets in the market for call centres. Make sure you understand the intended purpose of each headset. Transcription headsets are different from voice head seats. Also, go for binaural vs monaural

Go for space saving equipment, foldable headsets, stackable switches, TFT screens and the like. This is great for call centre space utilization.

Setting up a Contact Centre in Kenya - Planning and Preparation

As discussed previously, planning and preparation is key in setting up a call centre or BPO operation among others. The old adage is true as many have discovered lately, fail to plan and you plan to fail.

Because of unrealistic expectations, many people are starting contact centers thinking that they will break even in less than 6 months. In reality, you should expect to break even in 3 to 5 years. As such, when planning, finances should be set aside to manage all costs for the next three years.

I have heard many people say that setting up a call centre is easy. All you have to do is put up work stations, get some second hand PC's and get an internet connection. Never mind that the company you are connected too, though cheap, has lousy service. Before you set up a contact centre, ensure you have done the following.

Business Plan

Put a business plan together. Gather your thoughts. Figure out why you are going into this business. Do your research and come up with facts. Many people look at the dollars to be made, convert that into Kenya Shillings and go for it without counting the cost. The result is that halfway through the project, they realize things were not as easy as they thought. A business plan, with the accompanying financials will help you figure out if this is really the venture you should be going into.

Marketing

I have heard noises made about the BPO society not getting the operators work. How would you trust anyone with the engine of your operation? Marketing is the responsibility of each individual company. Now granted, the society has a role to play in turning the eyes of the world towards us, as well as lobbying government for us, but each one of us must source for work for our own organizations.

• Make sure in planning you have a well defined marketing strategy and work it. Your strategy will only work if you work it.
• Find out how the rest of the world is marketing itself and follow suite.
• Make sure that your website is up to date and create web presence for yourself by raising your rank on search engines using Search Engine Optimization Techniques.

Operations

Operational know-how is crucial in outsourcing. Call Centre culture and operations are a whole other ball game. It is essential to have someone guide you on how to run the day to day operations of your accounts.

• Do you have well defined company policies?
• Have you put together specific account operations manuals?
• What are the supervisor : agent, or Quality Analyst : agent ratios?
• What are your employee retention strategies? How will you implement them?
• How will you motivate your agents on a day to day basis?

Having an experienced management team will make things run much smoother on the ground than they would otherwise.

Security

Employee and data security are a very important aspect of your business. Think in terms of:

• Physical Security - You will need an alarm system installed, security guards, identification badges for your staff etc...
  
• Logical Security - How will you keep your company data safe as well as that of your client.
  

Space

• Will you lease or buy. Do you have extra space you can use? Is there a cheaper location? Must you be in the CBD?
  
• Ensure that work stations are spacious enough and Isles have walking space
• Ensure an airy well lit room with proper ventilation and circulation
• If needed get an AC for your workers. Working in a hot room can be miserable.
• For call centers make sure the roof is high enough for sound not to bounce back. The quality of calls will be affected by noise if this is not taken care of.
• A break area for your staff members where they can relax is also important.
  

Contingencies

• You need a reliable internet connection. That means that you need between 97% and 99% guaranteed up time. In addition to that, you need a redundant link in case your main provider fails. Make sure that your two service providers do not in turn share a service provider, because if their service provider fails you will be down for sure.
• You need a generator in case power fails.
• Data backup - onsite and offsite, onshore and offshore.

Take into account your growth strategy and how many accounts you want to start with, employing how many agents. Then do your math diligently anticipating to break even in year 3 at the earliest. This done, you will be in a better position to make it than most.