Tips to reduce call center shrinkage: I

Call center shrinkage can be quite jeopardizing. So, the call center managers should consider taking measures to minimize it. Here, we have mentioned some tips that would help with the same:

1. Consider tracking the negotiable categories of shrinkage:

The non-negotiable category of call center shrinkage includes paid holiday time and paid breaks, as well as training, meeting time, and more. Since all these categories are fixed and can be defined clearly. On the other hand, the negotiable category consists of off-phone time, sick leave or unexplained absence. All these should be tracked closely to maximize productivity and minimize call center shrinkage.

Chris Dealy

Sick leave

Sick leave

2. Treat it as a critical planning assumption:

Shrinkage requires the same focus and analysis as workload forecasts and performance metrics. You need to know that shrinkage is the sum of the parts, so if you conduct two x one-hour communication sessions per week, per Full-Time Employee (FTE) , then you have to calculate what this number is for the week, the month and the year.

Plan
Plan

3. Split up the categories further:

While creating categories for shrinkage you need to be extremely careful. The best practice is to split categories down further. As an example, sickness may be split into long and short-term, annual leave may be split into bank holiday and annual leave, communication can further be split into one-to-ones and team meeting. Using this approach can help you monitor performance and identify specific areas for improvement. Thus, you can work on these areas and increase call center productivity.

Splitting categories
Splitting categories

4. Planned and unplanned shrinkage:

Consider split your shrinkage categories into planned and unplanned ones. Planned shrinkage would include holidays, lunches and training that can be planned in advance, while unplanned shrinkage would point out to last-minute meetings and unplanned training. This would make your categories more organized.

Planned- unplanned categories
Planned- unplanned categories

 

 

 

 

 

 

Types of sales promotions: II

1. Provide free shipping:

Providing shipping that’s free of cost is one of the greatest and most profitable sales promotions! Free shipping and return instill in the customers a sense of security that they won’t lose out if the delivered product did not meet their expectations and they wanted to return it back.

You can always incorporate the shipping cost into your product if you are worried about your margins. You may even think about offering free shipping when a customer spends over a certain amount.

Free shipping/free returns create customer security and make it hassle-free.

 Free shipping and returns
Free shipping and returns

2. Implement flash sale campaigns:

Flash sale campaigns are a great way to create a sense of urgency for the customers to buy. Many retailers are now adopting this strategy as a way to sell more products and get rid of surplus stock.

The more successful flash sales are ones that don’t last very long and 50% of purchases occur during the first hour of a flash sale, hence, helping the businesses clear the surplus stock.

3. Entice customers with holiday promotions:

Holiday promotions are the most enticing types of sales promotions as customers always like to spend more on the holidays, making it the perfect opportunity for you to get your brand out there and sell more products. You don’t have to overdo your offers, but enticing customers with slight discounts will always work in your favor. It basically requires your creativity to sell out the stock through holiday promotions.

Holiday promotions
Holiday promotions

4. Offer discounts for spending more:

This kind of deal attracts the customer to buy more of your stock. Giving them a discount if they spend more is one of the greatest types of sales promotions. It may further drive them in the right direction. You don’t have to offer a huge discount, but make sure it’s attractive enough to convert visitors into buyers.

Buy more save more
Buy more save more

5. Run a competition:

Running a competition will not only help raise your profile but every person that enters will then become an email contact that you can try and convert into a sale.

Clever way of triggering sales promotions, isn’t it?

Well, if people are entering your competition, chances are they are interested in your products, so running a competition is a great idea for deepening that interest, particularly for start-ups.