United Kingdom - 2 July, 2009 - New research from the Professional Planning Forum on Absence, Attrition and Recruitment in contact centres show that those organisations that do focus on their people reap the benefits through lower absence and attrition rates, improved knowledge retention and a better customer experience.

• Robust absence management policy (78%)
• Employees are treated consistently (51%)
• Work-life balance and flexibility (43%)
• Right people recruited for the job (42%)
• Staffing levels are better (29%)

Typical comments included:

"The introduction of flexible working has assisted in keeping levels low and also giving staff breaks and understanding the different needs of staff. You help them in return they help you."

"The quality of team management matters. Good team managers have better attendance rates and in most industries I have worked in this conclusion has been true."

Attrition is a more positive story with 68% achieving their internal targets and an average attrition rate industry wide of just 23%. The main reasons for attrition improvements include:

• Right people recruited for the job (60%)
• Skills development opportunities (44%)
• Work-life balance and flexibility (37%)
• Management/employee comms (34%)
• Management style/ethos (33%)

72% regard their attrition rates as either excellent or satisfactory, however this figure drops to 54% when looking at attrition within the first 12 months. Recruitment and induction were the key areas to focus on when looking to improve short term attrition rates. Typical comments included:

"We have a robust recruitment policy which attempts to ensure we have the right people and commitment coming through the door."

"Be open and honest with new starters, don't try to sell the job through rose tinted spectacles as new starters will quickly become disillusioned and will lose trust in you."

The research clearly demonstrates the value of investing in people, even in recessionary times.

The Professional Planning produce regular research to benchmark best practice in contact centre planning.

About Professional Planning Forum (PPF):
The Professional Planning Forum is the independent industry body for effective resourcing and planning in the contact centre industry, working across all industry sectors to provide specialist support for contact centre professionals. Championing the importance of these critical skills, the Planning Forum is widely recognized for its best practice research and case studies, as well as the results-focused nature of its professional development training and in-company workshops.