The Great Resignation has upended the entire customer service world.
Rising call volumes, pandemic-driven workforce management (WFM) issues, and unpredictable supply chain patterns are just a few of the factors adding to the stress on customer service operations.
Statistics show that the mass exodus of employees is not just a growing trend, but one that can’t properly be addressed with traditional WFM strategies.
Learn more about the impact of the Great Resignation, and the trends driving the rise of AI automation to rescue contact centers in 2022.
1. Work-life balance is harder than ever to attain for employees.
69% of employees say they have been experiencing burnout symptoms while working from home. (Monster)
2. But remote employees don’t want to return to an office.
Despite the challenges of working from home, 81% of employed adults say they either don’t want to return to a traditional workplace or would prefer a hybrid schedule. (Harvard Business School)
3. Resignation trends are setting all-time records, and it’s not a flash in the pan.
A record 4.5+ million people voluntarily left their jobs in November of last year, up from 4.2 million in October. (NYT)
4. Call center agents are among the most heavily impacted employee groups.
96% feel acutely stressed at least once a week. Almost half cite ‘too many calls’ as their biggest challenge. They’re being asked to manage 7.2 more calls per day. (Calabrio)
5. Disengaged employees are costing companies more than just productivity.
It costs $9,000 a year to keep a disengaged worker and between $25,000 and $100,000 to replace them. (Gallup) For a company of 10,000 employees with an average salary of $50,000 each, disengagement costs $60.3 million a year.
6. Traditional solutions aren’t working – because they’re feeling the impact too.
Call center outsourcing vendors have disclosed that training class show rates are down to 40%-50%, some as low as 20%. (Customer Contact Central)
7. The talent pool is considering other, less mentally taxing lines of work.
The psychological impact of the coronavirus pandemic has many unemployed workers reassessing their occupations and how they want to earn a living. 66% of unemployed adults are seriously considering changing their field of work. One-third say they have already taken steps to do so. (Pew Research)
8. Agents are feeling the stress of skyrocketing call volumes.
83% of agents in our study cited a lack of data and/or appropriate tech tools as the largest barrier to resolving customer issues. (Calabrio)
9. Automation plans are being accelerated.
AI-driven automation alleviates staffing challenges by resolving tier-1 customer requests and allowing agents to focus on more engaging requests. It also provides analytics that result in better decision-making. 74% of executives anticipate AI will deliver more efficient business processes. Over half believe it will help to create new business models and enable the creation of new products and services. (HBR)
10. AI will be a competitive differentiator as early adopters get a leg up.
86% of business leaders said that AI became a “mainstream technology” at their company in 2021. 55% of companies reported they accelerated their AI strategy in 2020 due to Covid, and 67% were expected to further accelerate their AI strategy in 2021. (HBR)
