One of the biggest hurdles to managing a call center is attrition. It is an inevitable beast that creeps up on this type of business, and adds up hidden costs across different departments, often where they are least expected. 

Here are 5 areas where agent attrition can impact a company. 

1. Human Resources

During the process of letting an agent go, HR must close them out of payroll, send them their last paycheck and revoke their access to the building. 

On the other hand, during the hiring process, HR has to also then add new hires to payroll, give them an ID and get them set up within the company's system. All of this work must be paid for, and takes time away from what might be considered more productive work. 

2. Recruiting

Within a call center, new agents must always be found in order to keep up with, or ahead of those who leave. Therefore, either an external or internal recruiter must be paid to post job openings, comb through applications, handle interviews, do background checks and follow-up calls for potential CSR canidates. 

3. Training & "Nesting" Period 

Each time a new agent is hired, they have to be put through training before they can be put on the floor to handle calls. This training period is usually the highest risk period for losing new CSR's. It is, therefore, also the area of highest cost for the company, because they are paying agents to attend the training class, who may leave before they reach the call center floor. 

Beyond the training period is the "nesting period" or the first 90 days, when CSR's are still learning and aren't as efficient as they might be a few months down the road. During this time of lower productivity, the company is not making as much as it could be on calls. 

4. Cost of Materials

If your company has hired a designer to create your training related materials, that is yet another hidden cost to take into consideration. Plus, the money it takes to get those materials printed. These materials could include anything from name cards to folders and quiz sheets. 

5. Extra Agents and Supervisors 

In order to make up for attrition, more agents need to get hired, which means superviors, and more salaries to add to the total cost.

In order to cut down on the expenses associated with attrition, we have to first understand why agents leave and what roles recruiting and training play in finding and keeping qualified agents. To find out the top 5 reasons why agents leave and how to keep them. See Attrition Part 2.