You’ve hired talented people, yet many of your team members seem disengaged or aren’t reaching their potential. Your employees may be suffering from call center burnout. It’s a problem that’s intensified with companies shifting to remote work during the pandemic.
According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report , not engaged or actively disengaged employees cost US companies approximately $1.9 trillion.
Whether you’re an experienced or newer contact center manager , knowing how to identify agent burnout can help support your team, save costs in lost productivity, and keep employees engaged.
Read on to learn more about how you can navigate call center burnout and reignite your team.
What Is Call Center Burnout?
Call center burnout is defined as physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion from prolonged stress, usually work-related.
For call center agents, this stress builds from demanding performance quotas, difficult customer interactions, long working hours, and little control over high workloads.
Add on isolation and lack of boundaries in remote settings, and burnout creeps over workers, draining their capacity for empathy, decision-making, and effectiveness.
An SQM report found that over 63% of call center agents experience burnout, contributing to a 30-50% annual turnover rate. The cost of replacing and retraining workers is estimated to be 30-50% of an employee’s annual salary.
With nearly 3 million call center agents in the US alone, burnout remains a systemic issue no company can afford to ignore.
Via Gallup
Who Experiences Burnout?
Statistics from a Gallup study revealed that a significant 76% of workers experience burnout at some point, with 21% facing it very often.
While burnout can happen in many professions, call center agents are among the hardest hit for reasons that have worsened during the pandemic’s remote shift.
Isolated without camaraderie and lacking separation between work and life, agents juggle endless calls, messages, emails, and other digital tools — all while meeting strict efficiency metrics and facing emotionally draining customer situations.
Call center burnout has become ubiquitous across roles, industries, and demographics.
What Causes Call Center Burnout?
Despite how common burnout is, it’s essential to understand why it happens. Microsoft reported on workplace trends, where Dr. Mary Donohue, a social scientist, concluded the following:
“The exhaustion we’re feeling can be blamed on the speed and urgency of virtual work. In-person conversations give our brains a chance to assess things like tone, social cues, and body language to make meaning. But technology can create digital static: ‘the gap between what you try to communicate online and what the person receiving the message understands.”
Dr. Mary Donohue
Founder of The Digital Wellness Center
Looking at call center work, this “digital static” leads to higher rates of burnout in the profession. Contact center staff must be available for customers more than ever.
A company’s contact center software adds to the stress by rotating between several tools and data sources. This inefficiency contributes to a poor work-life balance and high anxiety, overworking, and exhaustion.
Here are some common causes of call center burnout:
1. Long hours and overworking
Many call centers have shifted to remote work so employees can work anywhere.
However, remote employees often feel pressure to work longer hours to cater to the always-on needs of today’s multi-channel customer experience. As call volume and hours mount, customer satisfaction scores tend to decrease among overworked employees.
According to Indeed’s 2021 Employee Burnout Report , 38% of remote employees feel pressure from managers to work more hours, while 21% feel pressure from customers. Working longer hours with less downtime is a recipe for employee burnout.
2. Digital overload
Virtual call center employees must adapt to a barrage of new business software and communication tools. Since the pandemic, time spent in meetings has more than doubled, chats per week are up 45%, and after-hours chats have increased 42%.
Analysis of collaboration activity across Microsoft 365 tools from February 2020 to February 2021
Despite the higher volume of unstructured meetings and messages, half of employees respond to chats within five minutes. With frantic workdays and enormous expectations placed on remote staff, it’s no wonder burnout levels are rising.
3. High call volumes and rude customers
Frontline call center agents must resolve a wide range of customer issues daily. Immersion in customers’ emotions and struggles can become emotionally exhausting, especially at high call volumes.
While strong customer service skills can turn around most uncooperative customers, hearing angry voices day after day taxes employees.
Leaders should acknowledge the taxing nature of frontline work and support staff appropriately.
4. Strict policies and micromanaging
Extensive schedule tracking, handle time monitoring, and customer service QA make call center employees feel constantly watched. This atmosphere erodes morale and trust in leadership.
Employees perform better when given autonomy over task completion.
5. Repetitive, scripted interactions
Call center work tends to involve having the same conversations and answering the same questions over and over. The lack of variety and creativity can lead to boredom and fatigue.
6. Lack of resources and technology
Smooth telework relies on updated, cloud-based technology. However, the rapid shift to remote work has left many employees without the right tools.
Outdated systems lead to disjointed customer experiences, which frustrates call center staff tasked with bridging the gap.
7. Insufficient support and coaching
Pressure to hit metrics can make call centers competitive or even hostile work environments.
Call center employees need positive feedback and incentives to stay motivated. Remote staff also require intentional team-building to avoid isolation.
When call volumes spike or difficult issues arise, agents need managerial support. Without enough coaching or backup, agents can feel overwhelmed.
Related Article
10 Call Center Coaching Best Practices To Maximize Untapped Potential
Signs of Burnout
With contact centers operating remotely, managers may not realize when frontline staff are struggling. Call center leaders should watch for these warning signs of burnout in agents:
1. Fatigue and work avoidance
Exhaustion and trouble sleeping are key symptoms of burnout. Physically worn-out employees may also experience deteriorating health alongside mental strain.
Burned-out staff are 63% more likely to take sick days according to Gallup. While occasional absences aren’t concerning, patterns of absenteeism merit attention.
Leaders should also note if employees consistently sign on late, leave early, take extra breaks, or skip team events.
2. Hopelessness and irritability
Call center agents experiencing burnout often feel pessimistic, hopeless, or quick to anger. If employees seem more prone to conflict or mood swings, investigate potential stressors.
3. Declining performance
Burnout frequently corresponds with reduced productivity and careless mistakes. While burned-out staff are unlikely to seek help, managers should proactively address performance changes through supportive check-ins.
4. Turnover
Burned-out employees are also six times more likely to quit than satisfied staff. Monitor turnover rates and exit interview feedback for signals of systemic issues.
High attrition damages organization morale and budgets. The remaining team members may feel overburdened training new hires who soon leave. Prioritize cultural improvements to retain talent.
Other red flags include withdrawal from colleagues, cynicism, lack of engagement, and difficulty concentrating. Leaders should check in with any employee exhibiting multiple worrisome behaviors to show support.
Related Article
23 Call Center Best Practices for Superior Customer Experience
How To Prevent & Overcome Call Center Burnout
Recognizing that employees are experiencing burnout is the first step.
Preventing call center burnout is a shared responsibility. By working together, employers and employees can create a healthy and supportive work environment that helps everyone thrive.
“Impromptu encounters at the office help keep leaders honest. With remote work, there are fewer chances to ask employees, ‘Hey, how are you?’ and then pick up on important cues as they respond. But the data is clear: our people are struggling. And we need to find new ways to help them.”
Jared Spataro
CVP at Microsoft 365
Encourage regular breaks
Allowing for short breaks throughout the day is vital for call center employees to mentally reset. Build breaks into the schedule, such as a 10-15 minute break every 2 hours.
Also, have supervisors regularly remind reps to step away to get a snack, stretch their legs, or briefly chat with a coworker. Getting up from the desk, even for a few minutes, can help prevent burnout over long shifts.
In addition, consider offering slightly longer meal breaks, such as 45 minutes instead of 30. This extra time goes a long way in allowing reps to fully recharge their focus and energy before tackling the second half of their shift. Make sure break areas are comfortable with access to food/beverages.
Promote workplace wellness
Consider offering short workplace wellness activities during the workday, such as group stretch breaks or mindfulness sessions.
You can bring in an instructor or have wellness champions lead 5-10-minute sessions right on the call center floor. Getting the team to stand up, move around, and focus on breathing/stretching helps boost energy and engagement.
Also, create spaces near the call center for employees to relax and recharge on breaks.
Designate an outdoor area with seating as a “breathing zone” or convert an empty office into a wellness room with yoga mats, calm lighting, and decor. Having access to quiet spaces to meditate or do light exercise can help greatly in coping with daily stress.
