Maintaining a work-life balance is a struggle for many professionals and many individuals fail to maintain it, which eventually leads to burnout. Burnout results from chronic workplace stress that has not been properly managed. Burnout makes an individual feel exhausted, distracted, or negative about their job while decreasing work productivity and efficiency.

Call centers around the world report a high number of agent burnout cases. With call centers’ main focus being on agent performance, high turnover is often a common trend.  An agent needs to be even-tempered at all times in order to deliver a good customer experience. Agent burnout cannot be ignored. It can have a major impact on a company’s production and effectiveness.

There is no cure for agent burnout but below are a few ways that can keep our teams healthy and happy.

• Open Communication: Senior management should emphasize open communication between supervisors and agents. The environment in the office should cultivate open communication where agents feel comfortable voicing problems or ideas.
• Reflective Meetings: The supervisor should schedule a meeting with each team member, at least once a week. The agenda of the meeting should be to identify areas of opportunity or any concerns agents are experiencing and discuss ways to find solutions together and resolve those issues.
• Fun Activities: Frequently plan fun activities where agents can interact with each other outside of work. Everyone needs a break from work to relax. Getting together outside of work can build rapport and help agents feel connected to their workplace, increasing the overall work efficiency of the team.
• Rewards and Recognition: Agents should be rewarded and recognized when performing extraordinarily at work or achieving beyond targets assigned. Rewarding agents makes them feel appreciated and excited to continue performing well at work while also setting new goals for improvement and growth. 
• Improve Training: Agent training should consist of both personal and professional development. If an agent is trained on how to manage challenging situations and maintain their composure during a crisis, agent burnout can be avoided. 
• Trust the Signs: Supervisors should personally speak with agents that show negativity with no motivation and are performing low on their tasks. Communication is the key to success. Pay attention and take action when an agent is slipping, as most issues can be resolved by properly communicating to find out what is wrong and find solutions together.

As the world keeps evolving and demands become more challenging, call center managers should set realistic expectations on performance for agents. Reducing the overall stress of agents increases their productivity. Take care of your agents and your agents will take care of your customer support!