Should you build a hybrid working model in 2022?

By Susan Ysona
0 min read

This blog was first published in CXM.
It would be fair to say that business leaders have faced more questions than they had answers for over the past 18 months.
While at the time this might have felt like chaos, the pandemic opened our eyes to a completely new way of working. Now, CX businesses around the world are exploring new opportunities for more flexible working models and for many, 2022 will be a period of readjustment.
Here, Susan Ysona, Vice President of Marketing at Talkdesk draws on recent research to explore how CX businesses considering building a hybrid working model can ensure great employee engagement.
Will hybrid working hinder employee engagement?
Earlier this year, Talkdesk conducted research and interviewed over 650 global CX professionals working in SMEs across healthcare, financial services, insurance, retail and e-commerce. The research aimed to highlight the challenges and opportunities CX businesses may face in the coming months, as flexible working arrangements become more common.
The research found that a hybrid workforce model appears to be the “best fit” for the majority (61%) of contact centres, while nearly half (45%) plan to implement flexible shifts, allowing employees to work varying hours and days each week. Only 4% intend to leverage a fully remote workplace. While these working models are sure to bring greater flexibility, agents need to continue feeling supported and engaged with their roles.
Supportive employers recognise the changes in working practices that agents have experienced as a result of the pandemic and the importance of new habits. But they also make hybrid working possible so that agents can interact and engage with colleagues professionally and socially when together on-site. This can drive stronger employee satisfaction which has a positive impact when it comes to retaining and attracting talent.
Currently, just 53% of organisations report their contact centre employees to be “highly engaged”, while 54% expect the average level of agent attrition to be 20% or higher over the next three years. As the industry progresses into a new and more flexible era, this is the perfect opportunity for agent retention to be taken seriously.
