Genesys Study Reveals Path to Improving Recruitment and Retention for the Contact Center in the Face of the Great Resignation

Research Identifies Top Personal Values in High-Performing Contact Center Agents to Help Companies Improve Overall Employee Engagement and Customer Experiences

Genesys, a global cloud leader in customer experience, released “Human Values: The operating system for a high-performing contact center,” a study examining the values, desires and strengths among high-performing contact center employees worldwide. The report also provides a five-step process to turn these insights into actions to engage and motivate employees. By focusing on these core values, businesses can create the right culture to foster a strong sense of ownership and connection to the business. This leads to greater happiness and improves an organization’s ability to attract, retain and engage top talent.

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In what’s being called “The Great Resignation,” where 65% of people looking for a new jobⁱ, the competition for talent is intense. The pandemic drove a shift in the mindset of how people evaluate what they want out of their employers, leading them to seek companies that have cultures that align with their values, have a clear mission and embody customer-centric business. This type of empathetic culture has become the baseline for a desirable employer.

Organizations that take a business-as-usual approach instead of adjusting to meet these new standards will be at high risk for attrition. And that leads to the expensive task of replacing and training new staff — and the loss of organizational knowledge. Ultimately, that affects the quality of service customers receive.

“Now that personal and professional lives have blended more than ever before, people are discovering that what they want out of employers is different than the past,” said Merijn te Booij, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Workforce Engagement Management at Genesys. “When employees see their values integrated with their work environment, they feel seen and understood which, in turn, drives motivation and engagement. Elevating the employee experience will not only enable businesses to attract and retain talent but will also empower agents to deliver exceptional experiences to customers.”

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In experience economy, where consumers are always-on, looking for what they need — when they need it — and expecting to be heard and understood, contact center employees are often a customer’s primary point of interaction with a business. The volume of customer interactions agents handle is increased by nearly 20% on average, and spiked 35-40% in some cases during the pandemic, according to a poll among Genesys Customer Advisory Board membersⁱⁱ. Therefore, connecting with agents by providing the environment and tools that enable them to do their best work will be a differentiator in meeting the expectations of consumers.

Human Values study insights

• The top-five values identified among call center employees, classified as sales, tech support and customer service staff, are personal responsibility, family, relationships, financial security, and health and well-being.
• When it comes to what employees enjoy most about their jobs, learning new skills and earning recognition tied for first, globally. Respondents in Africa enjoy learning new skills the most (73%), while North American respondents appreciate recognition (61%) more than any other region.
• Employees also shared what they most love: advancement opportunities; hate: inconsistent compensation; and wish was different: increased compensation, about their jobs.
• When identifying strengths, over half of respondents classified thoroughness and completeness as their top abilities, while less than 10% thought empathy and listening were their greatest strengths.
• Personal growth and learning new skills were common themes among the findings. When partnered with respondents’ top value, personal responsibility, providing self-paced training opportunities will be a significant factor in enhancing the contact center agent experience.

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