Is the BPO fort crumbling under attrition fire?
BPOs all over India are reeling under high attrition rates. According to Nishchae Suri, consulting leader, Hewitt Associates, attrition rates in the industry vary from 24 per cent to 40 per cent. HR managers are under intense pressure from international clients to increase and maintain the count on the floor. Says C K Taneja, managing director, Green Field Online, a market research BPO: "Sometimes the executive hired and trained for process A, is shifted to process X, Y or Z at the end of his training. It's highly unethical and unfair to the employees. But reality is cruel."
Attrition has a tremendous impact on the DMoQs (Delivery Model of Quality) that require an agent to pick up a phone within three rings. DMoQs goes down sharply. The C-Sat (Customer Satisfaction) scores also deteriorate. The AHT (Average Handling Time) shoots up when an entirely new person is kept to handle calls. Says Ian Stern, co-promoter, Holistic Enterprises, a voice and accent training firm: "An executive starts becoming 100% productive only after six months of taking calls. And if he is replaced by a new trainee, the productivity levels depreciate suddenly."
Employees leave due to monotony of the job and fear of stagnation. Social perceptions also matter. Most parents don't know what happens in a BPO. Some wrongly perceive it as a receptionist's job. Says Hewitt's Suri, "BPOs can curb attrition by offering a better work-life balance. They should concentrate on leadership and brand building as people prefer to be associated with a brand." Respect for the job should be created by BPOs. The youth should feel proud to be a part of the billion-dollar industry. Make the work challenging, provide opportunities for vertical and horizontal g ...