What Are the Most Common Challenges in Contact Centre Management?

No one said management was easy, but what are the most common challenges in contact centre management?

So when Gabriela reached out to our community of industry professionals for information on this, we thought it would be helpful if we put together their top insights for you.

Common Challenges For Call Centre Managers

Managing a contact centre involves many different challenges, and we have put together some of the most common challenges our experts suggested:

Managing Agents, Customer Expectations, and Performance

Some common challenges in contact centre management that I have experienced include:

• Managing and reducing response and handle times.
• Ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Managing a large and potentially dispersed team of agents.
• Maintaining a good work–life balance for agents.
• Meeting and exceeding service level agreements (SLAs) with customers.
• Keeping up with evolving customer expectations and preferences.
• Ensuring that agents have the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively handle customer enquiries.
• Managing and reducing operational costs, such as those associated with technology and infrastructure.
• Dealing with high levels of turnover among agents.
• Providing effective training and support for agents to help them improve their skills and knowledge.
• Maintaining staff morale in both good and bad times.

Contributed by: Paul

Balancing Financial Goals and Metrics

Reducing call volumes, improving response times, and enhancing client experiences are crucial for managing costs while meeting financial goals and SLAs.

Contributed by: Imad

Turnover and Burnout

Outdated technology, insufficient analytics, and traditional customer service approaches can create significant challenges for contact centre management.

To address burnout and turnover effectively, a comprehensive approach is required, including:

• Developing robust training programs to build agent confidence and competence.
• Providing accessible knowledge base resources to support agents in real time.
• Balancing metric expectations with the need to maintain agent morale.
• Capturing customer feedback thoughtfully to gain insights without causing survey fatigue.
• Ensuring access to sufficient data for informed decision-making.
• Striking the right balance between viewing the centre as a revenue generator versus a cost centre.
• Monitoring the efficiency ratio impact to optimize operations.
• Investing in the right equipment and tools to support agent productivity.
• Addressing the root causes of burnout to create a more sustainable and supportive work environment.

By addressing these areas, contact centres can mitigate agent turnover, improve performance, and foster a healthier workplace culture.

Contributed by: Shaye

Balancing CX With EX

Engaging teams and creating a sense of belonging can be challenging, particularly in high-turnover industries or organisations with rapidly changing products or services.

Ensuring contact centre teams are integrated with other departments is equally important to align goals and recognise contributions.

Contributed by: Meggyn

Workforce Management Optimisation

One of the key challenges in contact centres is optimising workforce management (WFM) tools. This is crucial for streamlining operations and improving efficiency, especially in 24/7 environments where scheduling and resource allocation can become complex.

Contributed by: Mellissah

Bringing People and Processes Together

People are key to success.

Bringing together people and processes is crucial for delivering consistent customer experiences. While automation plays a role, the human element remains essential to success.

Contributed by: Michael

Performance Management

Consistent performance management practices are necessary to meet targets, optimise systems, and address issues like agent attrition. This ensures that the contact centre continues to meet organizational and customer needs effectively.

Contributed by: Sam

24/7 Contact Centres Face Other Challenges

Running a 24/7 contact centre comes with unique challenges that require careful planning and proactive management. Scheduling is a significant hurdle, necessitating a highly optimised WFM system to prevent overwhelming staff and ensuring seamless coverage.

Regular team engagement is equally critical; managers must make visibility and daily interaction with agents a priority to maintain a sense of connection and ensure agents aren’t close to burnout.

Additionally, aligning with stakeholders is essential. Providing timely updates on performance and engaging stakeholders meaningfully ensures transparency and supports informed decision-making, both of which are vital to the centre’s success.

Contributed by: Jason

This article was made possible due to the great community of experts we have at Call Centre Helper, to get involved just join our LinkedIn Community and and if you aren’t already make sure you are following us on LinkedIn to see our latest content.

For more challenges in contact centres, read these articles next:

• Contact Centre Performance Challenges and How to Fix Them
• The Top Scheduling Challenges and How to Fix Them
• Top Call Centre Security Challenges and How to Fix Them

Reviewed by: Robyn Coppell