HALF BRITAINS CALL CENTRE STAFF NOW BEING OFFERED STRESS COUNSELLING, STUDY REVEALS

OVER half the UKs call centre workers are now being provided with on-site counselling to deal with callers phone rage, a report reveals today.

Britains 650,000 call centre staff are now typically each getting one abusive call every day, the Voice Report, commissioned by Vocalis, shows.

This is one of the major factors in the growing staff morale issue faced by the industry.

Two in five (42%) call agents told Vocalis researchers they are suffering increased anxiety and worry this year. Over half of call centres (52%) now say that morale is a major concern.

This training only helps staff to handle abusive calls, it doesnt put a stop to them. says Paul Wright, CEO of Vocalis,

In addition, other factors are bringing morale down, such as the need for agents to perform repetitive and unchallenging tasks.

A wider range of solutions is needed to deal with these recurring daily issues. The challenge is that these solutions will need to meet the differing and sometimes contradictory requirements of customers, agents and companies.

Analyst Teresa Jones, of the Butler Group, says voice driven systems can help cut phone rage. She said: They remove complicated menu options and can cut waiting time so callers receive a more efficient service.

This in itself means the customer is less likely to be irritated and vent their spleen on the poor call agent.

Paul Wright added: Voice solutions can also reduce the mundane and repetitive tasks that are contributing to lower morale in call centres.

Vocalis Voice Report, to be published in full later this year, will examine a range of call centre issues from costs and targets to staffing and business development.

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* Research commissioned by Vocalis, Summer 2002