{"id":953768,"date":"2020-01-27T06:12:45","date_gmt":"2020-01-27T14:12:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/customerthink.com\/?p=953768"},"modified":"2020-01-24T18:14:39","modified_gmt":"2020-01-25T02:14:39","slug":"how-to-let-seasonal-contact-center-agents-down-easy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/how-to-let-seasonal-contact-center-agents-down-easy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Let Seasonal Contact Center Agents Down Easy"},"content":{"rendered":"
Year after year, businesses around the world hire extra contact center staff for a holiday period that extends from roughly mid-October to February. Then, they have to let them go.<\/p>\n
Yet, despite the rise of work-at-home agents and the gig economy, finding, managing and retaining seasonal contract workers remains a challenge. If anything, the more virtual options have made the situation more confusing when staffing for a short-lived influx of customers. One thing is clear, though; the on-demand economy means that we all have to become accustomed to working with temporary, freelance and contract workers.<\/p>\n
Following are some of VXI\u2019s tips for cultivating long-term relationships with more transient employees and letting seasonal contact center agents down easy so they return for the next peak or the next year.<\/p>\n
Recruiting and onboarding short-term agents<\/strong><\/p>\n Establishing a long-term relationship with on-demand resources starts at the recruiting phase.<\/p>\n Planning for the Christmas rush, or for any anticipated extreme increase in volumes, typically begins for VXI six months prior. At that point, managers are able to define clear job descriptions that attract temporary workers, leverage employee referral programs and configure the applicant tracking system to optimize results (VXI uses Talent Match Pro<\/a> to automate recruitment).<\/p>\n Partnering with alternate organizations or departments with opposite resourcing needs or seasonality (e.g., schools, garden centers, tourist attractions or programs that are not busy at the same time) makes it easier to fill short-term work assignments. At VXI, we often target our recruitment marketing efforts at specific demographics that we know want part-time or short-term work (e.g., students, seniors, stay-at-home parents, military spouses, teachers, seasonal workers) to yield better results.<\/p>\n Seasonal job interviews are friendly and focus on meeting minimum requirements, understanding the motivations of the candidate, and setting expectations, particularly related to legal obligations (e.g., remuneration, shift\/stat holiday requirements), the temporary nature of the work and timelines. At VXI, we strive to pay reasonably and promptly, to be very honest and transparent about the goals for recruitment and to maintain a positive reputation in the community; hiring to address extraordinary peaks in volume is not a time for tricking people (it never is!) or being focused entirely on cost-savings.<\/p>\n Working with stakeholders, occasionally businesses can identify less complex transaction types, target specific easier call types and assign short-term staff to those interactions. This may require rejigging the organizational structure for a short period, but scaling back job responsibilities and simplifying the workload can also reduce the length of training, which means that short-term staff can start to be productive, faster.<\/p>\n Managing seasonal customer service representatives<\/strong><\/p>\n Trying to manage temporary employees with a view to the future at your busiest time of year is undoubtedly challenging. However, sowing the seeds for returning resources should not be limited to the last few days.<\/p>\n Embracing diversity, integrating contractors into the existing team, harnessing their strengths and providing context in the form of organization charts, workflows, meetings and goals is key to cultivating long-term relationships. Treating seasonal workers as integral, explaining how they support the goals of the company and encouraging them with praise and honest feedback conveys respect and appreciation. Making the experience memorable and fun, more so than just about deliverables, entices people to return year after year. At VXI, we strive to treat short-term resources just the same as the longer tenured staff \u2013 you never know who will take to the work and become a star performer!<\/p>\n Altering shift times to suit contractors and offering flexible and collaborative scheduling creates a positive, long-lasting impression of the company.<\/p>\n