Survey Finds Contact Center Agents Need Resources to Avoid Burnout

Recent advancements in digital technology make customer service operations much simpler for agents. For decades, consumers would call agents for every question or concern, as there was no alternative for addressing their consumer needs. Thanks to the internet and the rise of ecommerce, many of the responsibilities agents held in the past can be addressed with self service features. Although these advancements were intended to make contact center work much easier for everyone involved, contact center positions are still causing serious mental health difficulties for some workers.

Customer service has long held a reputation as a difficult area of work, largely to high demands from customers. Thankfully, many business leaders understand the mental exhaustion which arises from customer service, leading them to implement mental health resources to help valued employees. According to a recent survey conducted by Lucidworks, 7 out of 10 respondents stated their employer offers resources to deal with mental health and burnout.  At the same time, 80% of respondents stated additional resources would make them more productive and happier.

“Customer service teams are operating with fewer employees and greater demand,” said Sathya Raghavendran, SVP Technology, Lucidworks. “That puts a lot of pressure on the contact center. Companies have provided customers with multiple channels to find answers, but innovation and upkeep must continue to meet changing demands and unanticipated challenges. Companies that can connect insights from the consumer side with the contact center employee experience can create compounding value across the entire organization to drive customer satisfaction, increase revenue, and support happy employees.”

Business technology, while incredibly useful, will never be as valuable as human contact center agents. Consumers do enjoy self service features and virtual assistance, but complex and nuanced tasks can only be completed with a well trained employee. Offering mental health services to all employees should be a requirement for all departments, but is especially important for customer-centric positions. By doing so, agents are cared for and feel recognized for the hard work they do, making a notoriously difficult job more attractive for new talent. At the same time, customers will benefit from higher quality service, due to employees being treated with the respect and care they deserve.