The State of the Contact Center in 2021

Author: ICMI

Publisher: ICMI

Number of Pages: 48

Sponsor:

In this inaugural report, ICMI presents the current state of contact centers, focusing on staffing, skills, and salaries, operations, processes, and technology.

In this inaugural report, ICMI presents the current state of contact centers, focusing on staffing, skills, and salaries, operations, processes, and technology. Add these key findings and more to your contact center toolbox!

• 8 out of 10 contact centers plan to grow their workforces in 2022, with half filling roles as they come open and another half creating new roles; 17% of respondents’ contact centers are under a hiring freeze, but just 1% are planning to eliminate positions.
• 61% of respondents’ contact centers held salaries and hourly rates steady in 2020; in the coming year, 51% are planning to increase salaries and hourly rates.
• 72% of respondents have a quality management program and/or process in place in their contact centers.
• 66% of respondents have a performance management program and/or process in place in their contact centers.
• Most contact centers provide ongoing training at all levels (beyond new-hire training), but training time is limited. On average, contact centers allocate 10 days or fewer to ongoing training annually, across all levels.
• 90% of respondents feel that new agents receive adequate training in their contact centers. Two-thirds of respondents have a program or curriculum in place for grooming existing agents to take on supervisor/leadership roles in the future.
• More than two-thirds of respondents require supervisors to complete a formal training program; the majority (84%) feel that their supervisors receive adequate training to be effective in their roles.
• Nearly two-thirds of respondents are outsourcing some or all of their contact center services/interactions; 70% of those who are outsourcing aren’t planning to make any changes to their current arrangement in the coming year.
• Contact centers that are investing in new or upgraded technology are doing so for three main reasons: improve the customer experience, control costs, and support a growing customer base.