Phone jockeys aim to keep it cheerful

By ALISON HORWOOD

The advent of call centres has been referred to as the new era of work places, an era that began in the 1990s largely because of technological development.

Banks and other financial service providers are the leaders in the field of 24-hour, seven-day centres that customers can phone into instead of visiting.

Centres - physical or virtual, in-house or outsourced - mean New Zealanders often call an 0800 number and talk to someone in Australia, Indonesia or India who is able to connect them to their local bank manager.

Call centres employ 2 per cent of the workforce in developed countries, a number that is growing rapidly.

Although the internet can offer just as many services, research shows that banking customers like the voice contact a call centre offers.

Academics from the department of management and international business at Massey University at Albany (Carole Page, Janet Sayers, Andrew Barney and Bill Kirkley) have written a paper that looks at call centre workers' perceptions of their work and work environment.

The paper says that although call centres internationally have been referred to as sweatshops, plagued by high staff turnover, repetitive, boring work and monitored calls, New Zealand staff largely support the centres, their managers, and even the work.

The largely positive views of the staff interviewed for the research surprised the researchers.

Far from being sweatshops, the centres studied appeared to be attractive and worthwhile places to work, their report says.

The study of three call centres found that levels of employee wellbeing compared favourably with those of office workers and manufacturing shopfloor workers.

However, that's not to say call centre workers and management experience no problems.

The lack of control over the timing of calls and the way in which they could be handled, the nature of support offered by team leaders and managers, the level and type of monitoring and human resources practices, such as performance appraisal and training, were all seen as problems.

Monitoring (supervisors logging calls, and often listening in) had by far the biggest impact on wellbeing.

A high level of monitoring was associated with high levels of anxiety and depression and low levels of job satisfaction.

Staff believed that they were monitored too much, but stated that as long as it was to develop their skills and abilities, it was not too intrusive.

The researchers found that staff experienced higher anxiety and depression and lower job satisfaction when they had less control over their work.

Those with greater control over the timing of calls, and whose calls were less scripted, experienced greater wellbeing.

Training and coaching, payment, bonuses and appraisal systems all had a positive effects.

The researchers found that staff turnover and absenteeism were extremely high, perhaps as a form of stress self-management.

Internationally, the industry is plagued by high staff turnover, averaging 30 per cent, and reaching 300 per cent in the outbound calling area.

Overseas studies show a link between training and the level of people leaving.

Companies offering three days' training have staff turnover rates of 55 per cent or more, but the rate is 25 per cent for those offering a month's training.

Stimulating office design, quality amenities, team-based work, high levels of manager-employee interaction and the promotion of a fun environment are all techniques being used to raise staff morale and lower turnover and attrition.

The paper says call centres have largely moved from passively answering calls and solving problems to being active sales centres that cross-sell and on-sell services.

Although the work is attractive to some people because of the money, flexible hours, social contact with customers and (sometimes) the option of working from home, it does involve emotional factors.

Some overseas representatives were asked to put themselves in the shoes of the customer to develop empathy, which could lead to tension and stress. For instance, a call centre in India for British customers trains its operators to speak like Americans, rename themselves Brad and Chuck and learn to follow British soccer teams like Manchester United.

The BNZ's customer contact centre was a finalist in two awards this year, the Tuanz Innovation Award and the Startel Grand Prix customer service award.

Shona Bishop, BNZ head of sales and service, direct retailing and channel management, says that staff turnover has reduced considerably in the past two years as initiatives to retain staff have been introduced.

Turnover is now 20 per cent, compared with an industry norm of between 30 and 50 per cent, she says.

The initiatives include an innovative work/life balance approach that gives staff a choice of preferred start times, fixed shifts and a guaranteed two days off in a row. They can also work four 10-hour days.

A reward-based pay system is offered, the work environment features the latest designs, colours and furniture and there is an in-house radio, Best Place FM, for entertainment and training.

Gagau Annandale-Stone, ANZ contact centre manager, said when the bank's centres were established in 1994, they were largely to help customers with new technology.

Today, staff answer branch phones, sell products - including loans and insurance - and help with internet banking and credit cards.

In the past two years, staff levels at the bank's call centres have increased 38 per cent, she says, and turnover is below benchmark levels.

Company initiatives to retain staff include a choice of shifts, leave to do volunteer work, break-out rooms, a monthly awards evening and the freedom for staff to create their own working environment.