Every company, no matter how big or small, strives to have a high employee retention rate. Having a high retention rate positively affects your bottom line by saving the time, money, and resources that it takes to train a new hire. Your onboarding process plays a critical role in whether employees stay with your company long-term or leave in mere months.
In fact, a study conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management found that half of employees leave within a year and a half. The cost of replacement is high, comparable to 6 to 9 months of the employee’s salary. Let’s look at how the onboarding process can impact call center employee retention and tips for strengthening your company’s strategy.
How The Onboarding Process Can Impact Call Center Employee Retention
What is the Purpose of an Onboarding Process?
New hire onboarding processes are designed to help call center employees integrate with your organization’s culture in every way. It involves making new employees feel welcome and providing the tools needed for them to be successful. Strategic onboarding shows employer dedication which helps to create a quicker and stronger loyalty from employees. In turn, employee retention increases.
How Long Should Onboarding Last?
Onboarding is often confused with orientation. Although orientation is a part of the onboarding process, it is just a small portion focused on completing the necessary paperwork, which typically only lasts a week or two. On the other hand, onboarding is a much more comprehensive process that should last anywhere from a few months to a year, depending on the position.
Onboarding’s Massive Impact (Numbers Don’t Lie)
Recent studies shed light on just how devastating a poor onboarding program can have on your company:
- A strong onboarding process can increase employee retention by an incredible 82%. This is crucial in an economy where job opportunities are high, and people have plenty of choices when it comes to where they work.
- Did you know that only 12% of employees believe their employer has a great onboarding program? That’s a meager number and leaves plenty of opportunities to become a preferred company to work for.
- Over half of organizations (58%) admit that their onboarding is primarily geared toward technical processes such as paperwork. In reality, it should go way beyond the legalities of hiring.
Make These Considerations Before Developing or Revamping
- When will the onboarding process begin, and how long will it last? The answer may not be one-size-fits-all but differ based on job titles.
- What is the best way to obtain feedback and measure progress on the program?
- Outline what new hires need to know about the culture and workplace dynamics to be successful.
- What is Human Resource’s role?
- What are the initial goals for new hires?
Strategies for Strengthening Your Onboarding Process
Follow these tips to take your onboarding program to the next level and improve employee retention.
Look Past the First Week
It takes longer than a week for a new hire to integrate into a new workplace. They have to not only navigate new job duties but a new culture, teammates, and supervisors. Ensure support is provided for at least the first 3 months and potentially longer if need be. By the time onboarding ends, new hires should be able to work at full capacity.
Before the First Day
Contrary to popular belief, onboarding should not begin on a new employee’s first day but instead on the day they are hired. Send out a welcome email. If possible, send the paperwork that needs to be signed along with the employee handbook and any other pertinent resources new hires will need on their first day, including access to employee portals.
By the time a new hire’s first day arrives, ensure you have their office space or cubicle set up. Alert the receptionist of their arrival and make sure that someone is there to greet them and guide them through their first through moments. Nothing will make an employee feel worse than feeling like they aren’t valued.
First Days are the Hardest
The first day on a new job is the hardest. There is a lot to take in, not to mention new hires want to make an excellent first impression and show they are an asset to your company. Ensure new hires are met on their first day with a warm welcome and a friendly tour. Introduce them to coworkers, supervisors, and other departments such as accounting that they will need to work with regularly. You want new hires to feel excited from day one!
Partner New Hires with a Veteran
Anxiety about doing a good job and impressing supervisors is entirely normal. Make first days, weeks, and even months easier by pairing new hires with a mentor until they are confident in their job responsibilities. The length of time will depend on the individual employee as well as the complexity of the position. Offering complete support as new hires become acclimated is vital to employee success and retention.
Lay Out Expectations
It is easier for employees to be successful when they know what is expected of them. As a part of the onboarding process, it is advisable to clearly lay out expectations, including setting key performance indicators (KPIs).
Walk new hires through opportunities for career growth. Nobody wants a job that is a dead-end. Employees are much more likely to stay when they know there is plenty of opportunity for growth.
Ready for Your Next Great Hire? Salem Solutions Can Help!
Creating a robust onboarding program is the key to getting every new hire off to a great start and improving employee retention. Salem Solutions is the nation’s leading staffing agency, specializing in the government call center, and commercial customer service industries, just to name a few! No matter how complex your staffing challenges are, we have you covered! Don’t waste another minute; request your next employee today!
