Study Shows Australian Contact Centers Struggling to Recruit
August 03, 2007
Like every company in every industry, contact centers must be able to staff their centers with qualified individuals who are skilled enough to ensure that the center can run smoothly and effectively. And, while it may not be the most difficult job to fill when comparing it across industries, contact center managers and their human resources departments still struggle to find and keep quality individuals.
Kelly Services and callcentres.net have recently released the
2007 Contact Center Industry Recruitment Index report. Documenting responses from 114 contact centers in Australia, representing around 11,000 contact center employees, this report captures the struggles and the successes in the industry in this part of the world.
Key findings from this study indicate that 61 percent of contact center managers are struggling in the area of recruitment for their centers. Those industries that are suffering the most include the Outsourcing and Travel & Hospitality industries.
Contact center managers face a variety of challenges in trying to properly staff their centers, the key among them being a shortage of candidates with the right skills, a shortage in the number of potential candidates and the contact center industry offering salaries that are not competitive when compared to other industries.
While the establishment of a call or contact center can mean economic stability and job security to many communities, the same cannot be said for all of Australia. In fact, this report found that 47 percent of all contact centers in the country are now experiencing candidates declining job offers.
"The Australian contact centre industry is in a recruitment crisis. With unemployment in Australia being less than 5% and contact center salaries having only increased by a net 3% since 2006, this industry is struggling to attract and retain resources. One-third of all agents who leave contact centers are leaving because they do not want a career in the contact center industry," said James Bowmer, Country Manager, Kelly Services, in a company statement.
"With agent turnover now 22% per annum across the industry and with a cost of $14,956 to replace an agent, there is no other issue of such critical importance being faced by the industry currently," commented Dr Wallace, Managing Director, callcentres.net, in the same statement.
The reality for these contact centers and others throughout the world is that in an economy that is not otherwise struggling to survive, these organizations will have to offer wages and benefits that are necessary to attract and retain qualified personal. Individuals with skills are out there – the organization just may not want to offer what that person feels they are worthy of making, given their qualifications.
