Social Media Study: Stress Hurts Call Center Employees and the Customer Experience

Rhea-AI Summary

Jacada recently published insights revealing increased stress among contact center employees and its adverse impact on customer experiences. Using social media analysis, Jacada noted a 77% rise in online community memberships and a 75% increase in conversations since January 2020. The findings highlighted critical operational issues, suggesting that companies should engage with their employees' feedback to improve work conditions, leading to enhanced customer service. A webinar discussing these insights is scheduled for July, featuring experts who will explore these concerns in detail.

Positive

• Increased awareness of employee stress may lead to improved operational practices.
• Jacada's insights could enhance customer experience by addressing agent pain points.
• The rise in online community engagement may foster better communication and support among agents.

Negative

• The findings indicate significant stress among contact center employees, which could lead to high turnover rates.
• If companies ignore employee feedback, it may exacerbate existing operational issues and negatively affect customer service.

ATLANTA, July 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jacada, a leading provider of AI and RPA powered virtual assistants, recently released key insights on why contact center employees are stressed and how their stress negatively affects the customer experience.

“We wanted to get an unfiltered, insider look into how contact center employees view their roles, what their pain points are, and what solutions they feel could help them consistently deliver great customer experiences,” said Kumaran Shanmuhan, Chief Growth Officer at Jacada.

There have been many studies that document the state of the contact center and the mental health of contact center agents during the pandemic. Rather than run another survey, Jacada sought to analyze conversations between contact center employees on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Quora. It then used the stories it collected, along with key statistics and supporting research, to create an illustrative snapshot of call center life.

Jacada reports that contact center employees are increasingly resorting to social networks to vent and to seek help from peers. Online communities that enable call center workers to commiserate on their struggles and share best practices have grown by 77% in membership and by 75% in daily conversations since January 2020.

Findings reveal fundamental issues with how contact centers operate today, covering a wide range of knowledge management and workforce engagement management topics such as hiring, onboarding, training, quality management, performance management, and coaching.

“Increasingly, companies listen to their customers on social media, but what about their employees?” Sheila McGee-Smith, President & Principal Analyst, McGee-Smith Analytics, LLC, asks. “As Jacada has done with this research, it turns out that agents are quite clear about conditions and practices that prevent them from doing their jobs well. Instead of tuning them out, if companies lean in and listen, they can actually learn a lot about how to make the employee experience better, which in turn creates a better customer experience.”

In addition to the insights it’s sharing online, Jacada will be offering a guided “deep dive” into its social media findings in its July webinar, What Your Call Center Agents Rant About On Social Media. CX and contact center operations experts from Arise Virtual Solutions and Jacada will join Sheila McGee-Smith to explore the surprising insights lurking beneath the frustrations of real contact center agents.

To sign up for this webinar or for more information on all upcoming webinars, visit our webinar library. For press inquiries, contact Drew Pizzini at dpizzini@jacada.com.

About Jacada
Jacada is the leading provider of contact center automation software, recognized for its unified intelligent virtual agent and robotic process automation capabilities. Contact center and customer experience leaders at Fortune 1000 companies trust Jacada with assisting customers and customer service employees during moments that matter. Business analysts and developers use our low code automation platform to build and launch real-time assistance solutions leveraging AI and RPA in weeks and realize return on investment in months.

FAQ

What insights did Jacada provide regarding contact center employee stress?

Jacada's analysis highlighted increasing stress among contact center employees, impacting customer experience, with significant online community engagement.

When is the webinar discussing Jacada's findings on contact center agents?

The webinar titled 'What Your Call Center Agents Rant About On Social Media' is scheduled for July.

How much did online community memberships for contact center employees grow?

Online communities for contact center workers grew by 77% in membership since January 2020.

What does Jacada suggest companies do to improve employee experience?

Jacada suggests companies should actively listen to their employees' feedback to create a better work environment, which can enhance customer service.