A day in the life of a contact centre expert

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) November 25, 2009 -- Emma Cordiner is an expert in the contact centre business, her company Denalli is based in Sunderland’s Doxford International Business Park. Denalli is the only company in the North East of England wholly dedicated to staff retention and recruitment in the contact and call centre industry. Here Emma tells us about one of her typical days.

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A day in the life of a contact centre expert

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http://www.denalli.co.uk

7.30am - On the road early from my home in Gateshead to visit a client in Newcastle who has asked me to conduct a confidential survey amongst their staff about their training requirements. By analysing the results of the survey, I can make recommendations to the contact centre’s management team. This in turn allows them to make informed decisions about their staff’s training needs. Training is a massive motivator for staff and a very expensive commodity for contact centre managers. If you don’t get it right first time it can lead to low staff morale and a high turnover of staff which can cost a company many thousands of pounds.

There are more than 50,000 people employed in the contact centre business in the region and, despite the current economic climate, the industry boasts a staff growth of around five per cent each year. But the average cost to recruit, train and then lose a single person is more than £5,800. And when you look at just how many people are leaving their jobs across all industries across the North East, the costs to employer’s amounts to a staggering £1.2 billion.

1.45pm – After a light lunch with my clients, I’m back in my office to carry out a number of call screening telephone interviews for a Sunderland based contact centre. Many potential employees don’t realise that these interviews can be much more important than a face to face interview as I am able to listen objectively for voice tones, politeness and a general aptitude for contact centre work. If you don’t create that all important first impression you won’t progress to the next stage in the interview process.

3.30pm – It’s time to attend a management meeting with a contact centre that I have been working with over a number of weeks. Having already interviewed and observed their staff and provided a report to management with recommendations, it’s now time to implement the changes. Solutions for real and lasting change can vary from a mentoring scheme and better training to helping people feel more supported and valued. It is also vital to look at the health and well being of staff which is why I am trialling the use of a masseur to help ease some of the stresses away from the contact centre staff.
A Shiatsu massage for just 10 minutes can make all the difference in the world to a member of staff who is sitting at a computer for eight hours a day.

5.30pm – The latest development in contact centre working practices is home working or “Home shoring” and I’m due to present a short talk on the subject at a seminar evening in North Tyneside. After that there is only one place for me and that’s my home where I can finally relax and reflect on a good day’s work. Despite that however, I’m always mindful of the thousands of North East contact centre workers answering customer calls 24/7 365 days a year while we are at home watching TV with the family.

ENDS

More information can be found online at http://www.denalli.co.uk

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