Call centers are the beating heart of a business. They’re essential for maintaining strong sales and customer service elements, providing a direct connection to your customers. But call centers have a significant risk of staff being absent, which is something that can have a detrimental effect on a business. Known as a ‘no call, no show’ (NCNS), it’s a common event within companies that have a call center function.

Some of the risks that come with call center staff absences include the impact on resource management, workflows and a decline in customer satisfaction. Left unaddressed, businesses could face further absences, something that could have an impact on revenue and more.

So what can be done to reduce these risks? In this guide, we’ll discuss the concept of an NCNS, why they happen as well as provide you with a framework to help handle the situation should it occur, helping you to protect your business’ future.

What Does ‘No Call, No Show’ (NCNS) Mean in a Call Center?

The term ‘no call, no show,’ is used when an employee fails to turn up for work, and doesn’t inform their employer. In a call center, this would mean that an employee fails to turn up for their shift. An NCNS is different to other types of absenteeism, such as planned time off, or a sick day where the employee has notified their employer.

NCNS is particularly common in call centers. Absenteeism is one of the key challenges for call center operators, and can result in decreased productivity, customer service quality and team morale.

How No Call, No Show Can Impact Your Call Center

NCNS can have a significant impact on your business. Employee absenteeism costs businesses $1,685 per employee, per year, resulting in a huge financial burden for businesses. But it doesn’t end there. NCNS can affect the overall performance of a team, including leadership. Call centers are dependent on having efficient, knowledgeable workers to provide fast solutions for customers. When there are absent employees, this core function cannot be provided to customers.

Below, we’ll take a closer look at the negative impact NCNS can have on a business, focusing on what the issues are what the immediate impact is and what the long term impact is for businesses.

Operational Disruption

NCNS can cause unexpected gaps in staffing, which can impact a shift due to disruption in the planned schedule. It also means workloads can’t be distributed as expected.

A sudden disruption to a schedule will lead to resources being rearranged, which could result in increased pressure on staff and delayed response times for customers.

If NCNS incidents happen regularly, it can put strain on resources, making it difficult to schedule effectively. This can cause standards to suffer, and could mean that businesses fail their targets, including areas such as service level agreements (SLAs).

Increased Workload for Present Staff

When someone is absent, it’s the staff who are present that have to deal with the increased workload, taking on their absent colleague’s duties as well as their own.

With fewer people on duty, customers may experience longer call wait times, decreased call resolution efficiency, as well as a lower overall standard of service quality due to increased workloads.

When faced with increased workloads on a regular basis, employees risk burnout, while turnover rates may also increase. It could also be difficult to recruit new staff if your business becomes known for having overworked employees.

Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty

Fewer staff can lead to increased waiting times and a drop in service quality, providing a poor customer experience.

A decrease in service levels can impact customer satisfaction, with a risk of increased complaints and the loss of loyal customers to competitors.

With decreasing customer satisfaction, a call center’s reputation could suffer, making it more difficult to attract new customers. This can also impact marketing activities and budgets, with cost per acquisition increasing.

Employee Morale and Engagement

Employees faced with increased pressures and workloads can begin to feel resentful, and experience decreased job satisfaction.

Your workplace environment can soon suffer, with employees feeling overworked and undervalued. This can lead to decreased productivity and even further absenteeism caused by decreased mental health at work.

Employees experiencing low morale and engagement may look elsewhere for opportunities, leading to high turnover rates, and the added costs of recruitment and training adding to the financial burden for companies. A deteriorating workplace culture can also be difficult to recover from.

Financial Implications

NCNS can lead to both direct and indirect costs, including losses caused by decreased productivity, overtime pay for employees covering additional shifts, and reduced revenue caused by customers looking elsewhere for products and services.

Businesses may face challenges due to the effects on their bottom line, with budgets needing adjustment to cover these unexpected costs.

Long-term financial challenges caused by NCSN could lead to cutbacks across the business, including marketing budgets, investment in new technology and employee initiatives such as training and development and employee benefits. This can make it difficult to attract top talent in the future, and lead to further customer dissatisfaction.

Common Causes of No Call, No Show in Call Centers

In many cases, NCNS is caused by issues that affect call center staff. Some of the most common causes include:

Burnout and Overwork

When faced with constant high-pressure situations, usually without breaks or support, employees can experience burnout. This can happen when employees are experiencing high call volume, excessive overtime and not enough downtime.

Even when fully-staffed, call centers can be high-pressure environments. Employees deal with performance targets, which can be key to their earnings and lead to stress at work. Workloads may be mismanaged, while breaks can be disrupted, leading to exhaustion amongst employees. At least 74% of call center agents are at risk of getting burnout, which could have a huge impact on your business.

Lack of Engagement and Connection

Your employees can begin to feel disconnected from their roles, their teams and even the company. Those who don’t feel connected to the company could then find themselves lacking the motivation to turn up to work, resulting in further NCNS incidents.

Call center work can feel repetitive, and can even be isolating – especially for remote workers. If employers fail to actively engage employees and make them feel as though they belong, they risk employees becoming less committed to their roles and to the wider organization.

Inadequate Work-Life Balance

Excessive hours and demanding roles can take their toll on employees’ work-life balance. This could lead to NCNS as a way to cope with these pressures.

Call center workers typically work shifts, which can include nights, weekends and holidays. This can make it difficult to manage personal commitments, resulting in absenteeism without notice to cope with these demands.

Poor Communication and Support from Management

If employees experience poor communication from management or a lack of support, they can find themselves feeling undervalued and may decide to take an NCNS approach to their shifts.

Job satisfaction and engagement largely depend on a positive workplace culture and strong management. If an employee feels as though their concerns aren’t being addressed, they may feel less connected to the business and therefore less inclined to follow attendance rules.

Mental Health Issues

Individuals can experience a range of mental health issues such as depression, stress and anxiety which can leave them unable to show up for work, and potentially create NCNS situations.

There continues to be a stigma around mental health and a fear of repurcussions, while many workplaces lack adequate mental health support. This can mean employees fail to provide notice of an absence when they are struggling.

Transportation and Logistics Issues

Sometimes practical issues such as transportation or emergencies can make it difficult for employees to get to work, resulting in NCNS incidents.

Employees who use public transport or carpooling can face unexpected travel issues such as delays or cancellations preventing them from getting to work. A personal emergency could also prevent an employee from notifiying their employer of their absence in time.

Strategies for Preventing No Call, No Shows

Understanding the different causes of NCNS can help employers put measures in place to reduce potential no-call, no-shows. Below we discuss the different strategies you can put in place to mitigate problems.

Flexible Scheduling

Introducing flexibility in schedules can help employees balance their working and personal lives, helping to reduce stress.

Flexible policies can help employees manage their work-life balance, making them less likely to have unexpected absences.

Use scheduling software solutions such as Sage, Planday and Clockify to allow employees to swap shifts and allow a range of shift patterns that employees can choose from. Ensure conversations about scheduling are open.

Ensuring Optimized Staff Scheduling

Creating smarter working schedules can help juggle business needs with what employees are capable of. Using data, it’s possible to identify busy periods to ensure there are enough workers without affecting morale or leaving staff overworked.

Effective schedules can prevent employees from becoming overloaded, while respecting their shift preferences. It can leave employees happier and less likely to skip work. It can also prevent stress in the workplace, making sure employees aren’t called upon last minute to cover shifts.

Use scheduling software that can identify your busiest periods, making sure shifts align with this. Work with employees to assign shifts that work for them, and monitor closely. Teach shift managers the importance of effective schedules and the need to prioritize employee wellbeing. Be prepared to discuss scheduling with employees openly to resolve problems quickly.

Wellness Programs

Initiatives that support employees’ mental and physical health such as fitness programs, counseling services and stress management workshops.

These programs can help identify and address the causes of stress, helping employees feel supported and less likely to cause NCNS issues.

Partner with health providers, introduce regular wellness activities and challenges in the workplace and offer subscriptions to online wellness programs.

Clear Communication of Expectations and Consequences

Help employees understand expectations around absences with clear policies around attendance and consequences of NCNS incidents.

Employees with a better understanding of the consequences of NCNS may be more likely to comply with attendance policies.

Create a detailed attendance policy and ensure it is communicated effectively through different channels such as meetings, email, employee handbooks, etc. It should also be discussed in detail during onboarding.

Supportive Culture and Employee Engagement

Establish a workplace culture that values open communications, contributions from employees and team cohesion.

Employees who feel more connected and engaged in the workplace can discourage NCNS caused by feeling undervalued or disconnected from the business.

Take opportunities to seek employee feedback, recognize and reward your employees and bring teams together through team-building activities.

Proactive Management and Early Intervention

Monitoring of attendance patterns and working with employees who show signs of potential issues that could lead to NCNS.

Early identification and addressing of problems can help prevent them from becoming NCNS issues.

Use attendance-tracking software to manage patterns, engage with employees regularly and create an action plan to address any concerns.

How You Can Leverage Analytics 365 to Identify and Prevent No Call, No Show

One of the simplest ways to manage NCNS is by using tools that can monitor your call center operations. Analytics 365 can work with Microsoft Teams for simple management with your existing systems.

Analytics 365’s call analytics tool can help identify various employee patterns, including overworking or potential burnout. Some key indicators can include metrics such as call volume trends and out-of-office frequency. Analytics 365 also features tools for collaboration analytics that can help highlight employee well-being, such as message sentiment, one-to-one overview, and direct report overview.

Using these tools can provide employees with valuable insights that could help identify and prevent NCNS in call center environments.

Managing a No-Call, No-Show: A Step-by-Step Guide for Call Center Managers

Despite all of your efforts to prevent them, NCNS incidents are inevitable. Having a robust strategy for handling NCNS can reduce the impact on your business, and we’ve outlined some of the steps you can take below.

Step 1: Immediate Response

Identify the absence

Identifying an NCNS situation quickly can help managers take swift action, preventing disruption to the workplace.

Assess the impact

Quickly assess the impact the NCNS will have on operations and prioritize tasks to mitigate the disruption.

Step 2: Communicate with the Team

Inform your team

Transparent communication with team members on shift can help them become aware of the situation and understand what’s expected of them in terms of temporary adjustments.

Redistribute workloads

Workloads should be distributed evenly to ensure continued productivity, while ensuring employees don’t become overloaded due to the increase in tasks.

Step 3: Attempt to Contact the Employee

Initial contact attempts

In the first instance of an NCNS, you should attempt to contact the employee to check the employee and understand their situation.

Document communication efforts

It’s important to keep records of any communication attempts to assist with management and for future reference.

Step 4: Evaluate the Situation

Understand the reasons

NCNS can be caused by various situations, and it’s important to not only establish what’s caused it, but the reasons behind it that may need addressing further.

Review attendance history

If NCNS is common with an individual employee, you should consider reviewing their attendance history to help identify patterns or ongoing issues.

Step 5: Implement a Resolution

Apply company policies

Company policies should be in place to help address NCNS in a fair and consistent way, including disciplinary actions if needed.

Offer support

Where possible, offer support to employees to help address issues contributing to NCNS. This should be done with empathy and understanding to help prevent further issues.

Step 6: Documentation and Follow-Up

Document the incident and actions taken

It’s vital that all incidents are carefully documented, in addition to any actions taken for both legal compliance and internal tracking.

Monitor for improvement

Monitor the situation regularly to assess whether the changes implemented result in fewer NCNS incidents going forward.

Conclusion

No call, no show is a common occurrence in call centers that can cause significant disruption to businesses. Understanding the causes of NCNS and implementing strategies to handle it can help employers reduce its impact and maintain operations. Using a solution like Analytics 365 can help employers monitor and assess attendance and identify possible NCNS to help reduce incidents for a more productive and effective working environment. Explore Analytics 365 in more detail to understand the benefits it can bring to your business.