Taking short breaks during work is important in most roles, especially in call centers. With the high volume of calls and services performed, agents need to rest for a few minutes to be at their best.
However, a lack of control over these interruptions harms productivity. If idle time is greater than desired, for example, there is a loss in production capacity. This is why pause control is so important. With proper management, it is possible to correctly assess these issues, in order to benefit the company's results.
Management can bring some challenges, so it is important to know how to act. Continue reading and learn practical tips on how to control pauses in the call center!
Know what the law says
Regulatory Standard No. 17 establishes how france whatsapp data telemarketing work should be carried out in call centers. In addition to addressing ergonomics, the NR determines that breaks must be granted in two ways.
The first establishes two periods of 10 continuous minutes each. This means that the agent is entitled to 10 minutes of rest after the first 60 minutes and again before the final 60 minutes of the workday.
It is also mandatory to grant a 10-minute break for every 4 continuous hours of work. As for the break for rest and food, the period must be 20 minutes. In total, therefore, NR -17 establishes 50 minutes of break during the customer service agent's workday.
All these periods must occur outside the workplace and must be recorded electronically or in print. In addition to ensuring full compliance with the law, adopting these practices helps to reduce stress and increase employee motivation. As a result, work during effective periods receives an important boost.
Be realistic when creating a schedule
After granting the legally required breaks, the break control management does not need to offer any other interruptions. However, it is not interesting to maintain unrealistic productivity levels. It is unlikely that employees will spend 4 hours straight on the phone, as there are several demands that impede this flow.
Therefore, the ideal is to assess the human and financial resources and the objectives that will be achieved. From there, it is time to set up production scales that can be applied in reality.
After including the mandatory tasks, check the availability of the agents and distribute the work with respect to the breaks in the workday. Setting up this scheme is a way to anticipate and prevent unexpected interruptions from occurring. With greater control and visibility, it is easier to develop effective management that brings good results.
Encourage productive breaks
Since employees probably won't be on the phone all the time, it's essential that break control considers how to make breaks productive. It's not a good idea for an agent to waste precious minutes talking to other employees after a call, for example. This reduces focus and productivity, compromising results.
Instead, it is best to encourage the use of productive breaks. These occur when professionals are not in direct contact with the client, but are performing important functions to achieve success.
This is the case of encouraging agents to make records in the CRM or study customers before making calls in an active campaign. In such moments, they remain productive and can obtain differentiated results in the tasks that arise later.