The North East of England is widely regarded as the “Contact Centre Capital of the UK” and with the wide variety of positions on offer, many companies suffer from staff moving from job to job in search of better pay, opportunities or conditions of employment.
There are more than 50,000 people employed in the contact centre business within the North East alone and despite the current economic climate, the industry boasts a staff growth of around 5% each year. However, one of the most expensive costs to the business is the 20% to 30% staff attrition rate which many contact centres cite as their biggest problem.
One Sunderland based expert who focuses her business in the South Durham and Teesside contact centre district is now offering her services and experience to the contact centre industry in a bid to stem the flow of staff moving from job to job.
Emma Cordiner, whose business Denalli is ideally placed at Doxford International Park for Peterlee and Teesside based contact centres, believes that the increasing demands placed upon contact centre staff can account for poor productivity, high attrition rates and spiralling costs. Her findings are based on her experience in recruitment for the contact centre industry. Seeing top quality staff leave their new jobs shortly after initial training made her realise that even hiring the best people can never solve the problems associated with excessive staff turn over.
“Contact Centres in our region literally waste £188 million on recruitment and the training of staff who stay with a company for a short period of time and then move on to other positions within the sector,” said Emma. “Unfortunately, sometimes without realising, these businesses let their staff down by not valuing their work, through bad management practice or simply by a lack of ongoing training. In many cases people move jobs for reasons other than for better rates of pay. It is vital that contact centres retain their best staff and I can help them to do that.”
Emma’s role as a trouble-shooter with a “one stop shop” solution helps to reduce these high attrition rates and increase staff motivation and productivity. Her business is unique within the region and involves a three step process to analyse the problem, make recommendations and then provide solutions. Working in partnership with training companies, universities and other experts in their field, Emma is confident that the contact centre industry will benefit from her expertise including the use of targeted and informed recruitment techniques.
“Because I am totally independent from the contact centre management structure, I have found that staff are willing to tell me in confidence what the problems are in an organisation,” said Emma. “I am then able to suggest solutions to the management which will ensure that dissatisfied staff stay with the company – in many cases with an increased sense of value and motivation.”
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More information from Keith Newman 07814 397951
Emma Cordiner 07980 467635
Emma at a local contact centre