The second edition of the UK Contact Centre Operational Review has found that 63% of respondents -- directors and managers of contact centres -- in telemarketing and outsourcing contact centres reported problems with agents lacking product knowledge.
The report, by ContactBabel, analyses the performance of UK contact centres in eight vertical markets and has found that telemarketing and outsourcing contact centres report the most skills gaps.
However, the amount of staff training carried out by these contact centres has increased by 37% this year.
The report covers the performance, operational, HR and technology aspects of 190 contact centres in eight vertical markets: finance, outsourcing and telemarketing, telecoms, utilities, IT, public services, transport and travel, and retail and distribution.
Steve Morrell, principal analyst at ContactBabel and author of the report, said: "The outsourcing and telemarketing sector is unlike any other in the UK. Costs are very closely managed, because unlike other industries, the contact centre is the only source of revenue, so contact centre efficiency and profit maximisation is critical to the success of the overall business."
According to Morrell, the desire to cut costs as much as possible leads to low salaries and stringent working practices in some contact centres, which will lead to high attrition rates and absence rates. These are compounded by the difficult job of outbound calling.
"The excellent efficiency of outsourced contact centres can be seen in the average call handling times, which are far lower than the UK average, and calls are less likely to be passed around as well, which is good for the customer. Outsourcers tend to invest heavily in technology solutions which will improve efficiency, but recently they seem also to be paying more attention to staff training, which will be positive for the agents and customers, and in the long run, for the outsourcers' profits."
A free summary of the report is available from . The full report costs £895 excluding VAT.
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