been revolutionised. It has become the norm to speak to someone in a Call Centre to buy anything from a holiday to a mortgage. Further to this, we have progressed into a new phase of off-shoring our Call Centres to places like India and Malaysia and yet one thing has not evolved and this is the image of A major factor when considering investment in coaching is the cost savings that it can bring a company. These cost savings are significant and will provide an excellent return on the investment in coaching. At the moment there are companies who are suffering losses due to increased absence, poor staff retention and the high cost of recruiting quality people for their organisation.

An employer with a workforce of 180 (fte) earning an average of ?12,500 pa will lose ?112,478 per year if the absence level due to sickness is 5%.

For many employers the reality of failing to invest in their internal customers is much worse than the figure quoted above with some industries quoting absence as high as 18%, attrition at 43% and the cost of recruiting one junior member of staff being ?10,000 before the company gains a return on investment. In addition to this, the stark reality is that this is only the tip of the iceberg with businesses also losing money due to lack of motivation and no true feeling of value at all levels within organisations.

For example, it is now twenty years since the first Call Centre was established and during this period how companies do business with their customers has been revolutionised. It has become the norm to speak to someone in a Call Centre to buy anything from a holiday to a mortgage. Further to this, we have progressed into a new phase of off-shoring our Call Centres to places like India and Malaysia and yet one thing has not evolved and this is the image of a

etention and the high cost of recruiting quality people for their organisation.

An employer with a workforce of 180 (fte) earning an average of ?12,500 pa will lose ?112,478 per year if the absence level due to sickness is 5%.

For many employers the reality of failing to invest in their internal customers is much worse than the figure quoted above with some industries quoting absence as high as 18%, attrition at 43% and the cost of recruiting one junior member of staff being ?10,000 before the company gains a return on investment. In addition to this, the stark reality is that this is only the tip of the iceberg with businesses also losing money due to lack of motivation and no true feeling of value at all levels within organisations.

For example, it is now twenty years since the first Call Centre was established and during this period how companies do business with their customers has been revolutionised. It has become the norm to speak to someone in a Call Centre to buy anything from a holiday to a mortgage. Further to this, we have progressed into a new phase of off-shoring our Call Centres to places like India and Malaysia and yet one thing has not evolved and this is the image of

al customers is much worse than the figure quoted above with some industries quoting absence as high as 18%, attrition at 43% and the cost of recruiting one junior member of staff being ?10,000 before the company gains a return on investment. In addition to this, the stark reality is that this is only the tip of the iceberg with businesses also losing money due to lack of motivation and no true feeling of value at all levels within organisations.

For example, it is now twenty years since the first Call Centre was established and during this period how companies do business with their customers has been revolutionised. It has become the norm to speak to someone in a Call Centre to buy anything from a holiday to a mortgage. Further to this, we have progressed into a new phase of off-shoring our Call Centres to places like India and Malaysia and yet one thing has not evolved and this is the image of

e tip of the iceberg with businesses also losing money due to lack of motivation and no true feeling of value at all levels within organisations.

For example, it is now twenty years since the first Call Centre was established and during this period how companies do business with their customers has been revolutionised. It has become the norm to speak to someone in a Call Centre to buy anything from a holiday to a mortgage. Further to this, we have progressed into a new phase of off-shoring our Call Centres to places like India and Malaysia and yet one thing has not evolved and this is the image of

been revolutionised. It has become the norm to speak to someone in a Call Centre to buy anything from a holiday to a mortgage. Further to this, we have progressed into a new phase of off-shoring our Call Centres to places like India and Malaysia and yet one thing has not evolved and this is the image of a Call Centre.

Working in a Call Centre in the 21st century still has the image of a “poor career option”, with many Call Centres trapped in a cycle of reduced investment in coaching, training and development, with an increasing number of customers served poorly by burnt-out advisors, who lack loyalty to the company they work for. The result is apathy, absence, poor performance and high staff turnover, with internal customers moving from one call centre to another hoping that the next one will be better than the last.

In this environment career progression is limited, as the structure within the industry is very flat, with opportunities for supervisory or management roles being the only option. This contributes to high attrition rates with the average ‘shelf life’ of a telephone advisor being two years, unless their skills base is broadened to include variety in their role.

Sporadic sickness costs the industry millions of pounds each year and is a symptom of the anonymity and lack of value felt by employees. For telephony staff, the work can be hard, dealing with long queues of customers, all with important issues to be dealt with. Some customers are frustrated, and this can be taken