When a job is posted for a call center position, a flood of applicants is sure to follow. There are times when entry-level applicants are well worth considering, but more often, centers need people with experience in the fast-paced and stressful world of customer service. Experienced agents bring knowledge and savvy to the table that is difficult to train into a green employee, however, it’s often difficult to find those experienced applicants in today’s market. Is there actually an effective way to locate call center candidates with more than three years of experience?
“Mastering the phone and having passion to retain your companies client base is a skill in high demand. Call centers having amazing opportunity for advancement in an industry that is growing in demand. Employers need to create an environment that is paying their employees above average during this climate of a candidate driven market. You also need to be out of the box with benefits, culture and making it easy to balance “work family” life.” Says Stephanie Rush, Sr Recruiter, Contemporary Staffing Solutions.
The Best Customer Service Agents Are Already Employed
Advertising a job opening is important, but it is an unfortunate fact that those postings rarely make it to the eyes of the best and brightest in the industry. Why? Because they are already employed. Some experienced reps are actively looking for new opportunities, but the vast majority likely are not scouring job boards to see what’s out there. Experienced call center agents won’t knock down your door, you’ve got to go out and find them.
The Best Companies Engage in Passive Recruiting
If you think outreach to employed talent and recruiting passive candidates is reserved for upper-level positions, think again. Zappos has earned a reputation for providing some of the best customer experiences in the business. They know that in order to deliver that experience, they have to have great people on board. Therefore, they have widely publicized their efforts to recruit passive talent. They have a strong outreach program to ensure they can access the best and the brightest at all levels so they can continue to deliver the service they are known for.
Building a pipeline of passive candidates ultimately saves time, money and resources while increasing the chances of landing top talent. Weeding through active candidates who are not fully qualified and who require extensive training can drain the company of important resources and will negatively impact service delivery. Passive recruiting allows hiring teams to focus on people with the precise skills and qualifications necessary for success.
Tips For Passive Candidate Recruiting
Recruiting passive candidates is a process, not a task. It takes time and it requires a variety of outreach and relationship building strategies because it can take months, if not years to land your ideal people. Successful strategies include:
- Employee referral programs;
- Employer branding;
- Showcasing company culture on your website;
- Getting active on LinkedIn and social media;
- Blogging;
- Hosting industry events; and
- Keeping in direct contact with potential candidates.
However, outreach isn’t enough. You must be prepared to offer passive candidates something bigger and better than their current employer provides. Every candidate’s priorities will be different and may include salary, benefits, perks, flexibility, opportunities for advancement, and a chance to contribute. It’s important to tailor offers to the candidate if you want to turn their head.
Landing passive candidates is a long game that requires patience, great timing and strong sales skills. Many HR teams don’t have the resources to engage in strong passive outreach. Partnering with a top customer service recruiting firm can get you directly tapped into a network of great talent. If you are looking for effective customer service agents for your company, contact the call center recruiting experts at Contemporary Staffing Solutions today.