Business Cycles

By Peter DeHaan

December 17, 2008

As a publisher, December is a slower time for me.  It's not that I have less work to do, but that I have far fewer interruptions in the form of ancillary email messages and phone calls.  For most call centers, the winter holidays present the opposite scenario, with the days leading up to Christmas being busier - and for some call centers, significantly busier.

The extent of December call activity varies with the industry and the purpose of the call center.  A few call centers see little change or even a slight drop in call volume during the winter months, but most see an increase.

In cases where the increase is moderate, it is often handled using existing staff, either with non-agent employees being pulled in from other departments or agents working more hours and additional shifts.  Their goal is to not increase the employee count if at all possible and to avoid having to let people go when the Yuletide rush is over.

For call centers with a greater influx of calls, existing staffing levels are inadequate to cover the projected need.  In these instances, temporary staff is required.  For some call centers, their agent ranks may swell 20, 50, or even 75% at this time of year.  I have known of call centers that have needed to double or triple in size to process holiday phone orders.  One call center reported an annual agent ramp-up in the fourth quarter, culminating in a 500% staff increase by December.

Although hiring temporary holiday staff, be it directly or indirectly through a staffing agency, is daunting, demanding, and draining, there is an upside.  The benefit is that you are afforded an opportunity to evaluate and consider these temporary agents, picking out the best of the best for possible permanent status come January.  This may be the ultimate agent-screening tool: one that produces the best possible evaluation.  In fact, one call center typically uses their December influx of temporary agents as the pool from which they draw permanent staff for the next 11 months.

Regardless of which type of call center you are - the one seeing a slight drop, no change, a moderate increase, or an insane increase - one thing is certain: January will be a slower month, requiring fewer agents.  This year it's compounded by concerns over the economy and wondering how long the recession will be.

With this in mind, I offer the following considerations come January:

• Staff morale will become an even bigger issue.  In December, you need to keep staff motivated among an ongoing avalanche of calls, complaints, and fatigue, whereas in January, you need to keep morale up in the face of reduced hours, fewer shifts, terminations for temporary staff, and possible layoffs for permanent staff.

• Slower times are a great opportunity to renew quality initiatives and provide training.  Side-by-side coaching and silent monitoring can once again be given the attention and priority they deserve.

• The weaker staff might need to go.  Some agents may not have what it takes to excel, while others might have given up and are coasting.  Terminating the obviously weaker agents, sends a message to stronger agents that their good work is noticed and appreciated.

A slower January is not a time for fear, but of opportunity; don't let it pass you by.