Second of a five-part series on how to decrease attrition in a contact center. Originally Published in the Contact Center Pipeline April 2013

1. PART TWO:
Why
Onboarding
Matters
By Eric Berg
Doherty Customer Contact Solutions | 7645 Metro Boulevard | Edina, MN 55439
952-818-3257 | www/dohertycontact.com
ATTRITION-PROOF:
A Five-Part Series by
Eric Berg on Protecting and
Conserving your Workforce
Originally published in Contact Center
Pipeline magazine, April 2013.
A Doherty White Paper: Information
and advice from Doherty experts

2. We’re all rooting for the economy to recover, but greater
turnover can be a side effect of a healthy employment rate.
In this five-part series on limiting attrition, call center
staffing expert Eric Berg reveals five critical moments in your
employer-employee relationship, and explains how managing
those moments can curb the high costs of uncontrolled
attrition.
In this 2nd installment, Why Onboarding Matters, Mr.
Berg dissects an onboarding fail, examines the ripple effect
of a badly-managed onboarding stage, and provides clear
instructions and options for building your own effective and
successful onboarding plan.
Why Onboarding Matters: Does your culture say
“Welcome” or “Please leave”?
A few months ago I was onsite at a call center as temporary
employees were arriving for their first day of work. It was
apparent to me as soon as they got to the front door that
attrition was going to be high.
How could I predict high turnover before the new agents
were even on the job? The situation revealed itself two
different ways in the first hour.
1. The manager had asked the new employees to arrive
by 8:00 a.m. to start their day. One-by-one they arrived
on time, only to sit waiting in the building’s lobby until
8:35. The trainer hadn’t arrived yet!
The message from management? Our time is important.
Yours? Not so much.
2. Once the trainer was in the building, he rushed the
new agents to the training room and proceeded to
lecture them on the importance of arriving on time
every day. After all, absenteeism and tardiness were the
main reasons for termination.
Message? Do as we say, not as we do.
Sure enough, that particular call center struggled with
attrition for several months before they finally took action
to improve their onboarding process. The actions they
took empowered managers to reach out to new hires in
meaningful ways that inspired feelings of trust and loyalty,
even on Day One. But, first, let’s look at the ripple effects of
poor onboarding practices.
Attrition’s costs
According to Response Daily, the average contact center
spends $4,000 to hire a new agent and $4,800 to train them
in. It’s easy to imagine that in smaller call centers, a high
turnover rate can mean the difference between profitable
and unprofitable. But, wait there’s more bad news.
The long shadow of attrition
While it’s always been costly to have uncontrolled attrition,
it’s never been so easy to get caught in a “turnover tornado.”
In this day of social media and the ability to voice one’s
happiness (or discontent), people immediately
ATTRITION-PROOF: A Five-Part Series by Eric Berg
on Protecting and Conserving your Workforce
PART TWO: Why
Onboarding Matters

3. communicate their experiences with employers,
companies, products, friends—or anything else that comes
to mind—to everyone they know. Their impression is
often immediately validated by all their online friends
and, potentially, prospective candidates. One disgruntled
and well-connected employee can severely damage your
reputation and your workforce—and in less time than it
takes you to get home from the office.
Some employers respond to this very real threat by
enacting punitive social media policies—and adding
“Facebook Cop” to their list of responsibilities. Not only
is that a futile and unmanageable exercise, but it’s an HR
headache and does nothing to promote your business or
build your reputation. Is there a better way?
A process and workplace to be proud of (and brag about)
As employers in the contact center industry, we know that
our agents’ attitudes and behaviors have a direct impact on
each centers’ success. We also know that we seem to have
more than our share of absenteeism and attrition.
There’s a good reason why the late business visionary
Stephen Covey was fond of saying, “Always treat your
employees exactly as you want them to treat your best
customers.” Is it reasonable to expect employees to
approach a call with joy and enthusiasm when they are
getting a clear message from management that they are
unimportant?
See your center through their eyes
That first positive impression we make with our employees
has a lasting effect on their attitudes and behaviors, which
in turn affects the center’s culture. Before onboarding
your next set of hires, take a look at your organization
through their eyes. What is the culture and environment
they’re entering? Will they be supported in their desire
to be successful on the job? Is it clear they’re valued as
important members of the team? When they go home after
their first shift, will they tell their friends about their new
role and that they’re proud to be working there?
Remember, most employees want to do well at their
work and enjoy it. They understand that it makes the
According to Response Daily, the average
contact center spends $4,000 to hire a new
agent and $4,800 to train them in.
day go faster to be engaged with and contributing to the
goals of the group. Here are a few things I have done to
encourage those feelings of belonging and to ensure that
the employee’s initial experience is a positive one.
1. Roll Out the Red Carpet – Literally. In one of my
previous contact center positions I went to a carpet
store and bought a red rug that I put at the entrance
to the training room. Every new hire was required
to “walk the red carpet” into the training room.
Sure, it was corny but it was also a great ice breaker
that made the employees realize we were trying to
create a special experience for them. Perception can
be a powerful thing.
2. Give them Energy. I have always provided food for
my call center agents. After all, sustaining contagious
enthusiasm is hard work! Doughnuts are a great way to
sugar them up and get the energy in the room going,
but I also provide healthy options like granola bars or
fresh fruit to prevent an energy crash when the sugar
wears off. And, of course, I always have bottled water
or beverages available. Having these items around can
help people stay focused, and also shows them you
care.
3. Make it Social. Remember that when onboarding you
have a room full of people who don’t know each other.
The first weeks can be intimidating and opening up is
difficult, even for some of the most outgoing agents.
Plan an exercise that allows the call center reps to get
to know one another, perhaps a team building activity
or game. By getting to know their fellow trainees,
agents can build bonds with their coworkers and thus
have a greater likelihood of remaining an employee —
through the training process and beyond. This isn’t
just wishful thinking—Gallup polls consistently find
that employees who have close friendships at work
are correlated with higher customer engagement and
higher profitability. In fact having a best friend at work
is number 10 in their list of 12 key dimensions that
describe great workgroups.
©Doherty Employment Group, 2013

4. 1. More about Introductions. Put some thought into
your one-to-one introductions—behave like you
would if you were hosting a dinner party—and
share something you know about the people you’re
introducing. For example, instead of “Joe, meet
Sharon,” say something like, “Sharon’s been here for
two years and she’s a passionate racquetball player.
And Joe comes to us from Company X, where his role
was Y.” The benefits to this practice are considerable.
For one thing, you’ve demonstrated that you know
something you can share about your employees—as
people off the clock—a very valuable investment in
retaining them.
2. Drink the Kool-Aid. Brainwashing is a good thing!
Well, let me explain further. We need our newest
employees to start “drinking the Kool-Aid” and realize
they have a great job at a great company. That means
the first day is the best time to brag. Talk about your
company’s successes, benefits, opportunities and
culture – and don’t forget to mention the rewards and
incentives for the contact center team.
3. Stop and Say Hi. Want to make your new employees
feel valued? Have your executive or leadership teams
stop by on the first day to introduce themselves. Feeling
like a number is a big reason for attrition, so this
presence can have a great impact on new employees.
Plus, new employees will likely feel more comfortable
approaching leaders with ideas and issues if they’ve
already met.
Eric Berg is the Director of Doherty Customer Contact Solutions. An 18-year veteran of the contact
center industry, Eric also serves as Treasurer of the Midwest Contact Center Association (MWCCA) and
on its Board. Contact Eric at eberg@dohertycontact.com.
Doherty Customer Contact Solutions
7645 Metro Blvd | Edina, MN | 55439 | 952-818-3257 | www.dohertycontact.com
©Doherty Employment Group, 2013
Is it reasonable to expect employees to ap-
proach a call with joy and enthusiasm
when they are getting a clear message from
management that they are unimportant?
4. Do it Every Day. Although first impressions are critical,
we need to make the employee experience a positive
one every day. Ask yourself, “If I were a new employee
here, would I brag about the training? The supervisors
and trainers? The culture and company?” If the answer
is unclear, it’s time to make a change.
The cost of effective onboarding
The best part about implementing a strong onboarding
program is that tips 3 through 7 are 100% cost-free, and tips
1 and 2 are negligible, especially compared to the cost of
losing a trained employee.
Onboarding is a crucial part of an employee retention
program, but it is not an expensive part. This is a no-
brainer—onboarding costs are greatly outweighed by
benefits.
The takeaway
No matter how many years someone has been bringing
home a paycheck, the first day of a new job is a big deal.
As an employer, it’s also the perfect time to demonstrate
the enthusiasm and graciousness that you expect your
employees to show to your customers and prospects.
Give your new employees a reason to be excited and share
all the details of their first day, and their partners, spouses,
friends and families may become your new candidates—
assuming you ever have any openings to fill.