Devoted to the call center industry, the agents on the phones, and their managers

I’ve seen it so many times.  Agents either get sick or leave because they complain they don’t get to take their breaks.  Usually management starts to panic when they see there are a lot of calls waiting, get pressured by the client to get staffed, if service levels are not being met and the first thing they do is tell the agents to stay on the phone.

Poor people!

On a business perspective, it just makes sense because you think it’s going to get better in a matter of minutes.  Not entirely true.  Always remember that the source of your income is a huge group of people, not machines.  Don’t fire fight!  Short term solutions just don’t work anymore, because you know at the end of the day, you need to see the bigger picture.

So, I say, “Give the agents their breaks!”  You will notice that your absenteeism and attrition numbers will improve.

One important note:  When you schedule your staff, make sure you give an agent at least a 10 minute break every 2 hours.  This will help avoid any health risks in the long term.  So, don’t start whining about your numbers and blame it on people taking too many breaks, but start scheduling your staff effectively.  There is a scientific approach. Use it.

Remember, the agents are also customers in the organization.  Satisfaction is the goal.