Business

How Businesses Can Reduce Contact Centre Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Being prepared means having contact centre stress management strategies in place to reduce the stress being experienced by staff members, including wellbeing plans, encouraging staff to take breaks when needed and letting staff know what is expected of them during a pandemic.

Businesses also need to prepare their contact centres to be ready for the pandemic with adequate training, additional staff support and replacements.

The workloads that call centre agents to carry and the clients they deal with can be stressful during COVID-19. Not only do they have to worry about pleasing their customers, but managers can get upset if customer satisfaction levels fall too low or too often.

One common solution is to begin work earlier than usual and stay later. However, because of this many employees found themselves working long hours with little rest.

On top of that, even though they are working longer their wages stayed the same – because of the pandemic, the business is operating on a skeleton crew.

This of course has led to stress. More workers are now leaving their jobs before their contract is up – some even within the first few days. These workers often left with no warning or notice- they simply stopped coming into work for no apparent reason.

This all came as quite a shock for many people, however, what is truly shocking is just how common it is. Many businesses reported an increase in stress-related illness, this comes at a particularly difficult time for businesses – many are already struggling to cope with the rise in prices after COVID-19 was first announced. With wages stagnating and costs rising, it is no surprise that so many have been forced to declare bankruptcy.

5 Ways Businesses Can Reduce Contact Centre Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

1. Entertainment

Though the situation looks bleak, there are still things that contact centres can do to reduce stress. One thing they can do is ensure that workers have access to some form of entertainment – this doesn’t necessarily mean giving them time off, but it could be as simple as providing a television or radio in the canteen, or relaxing music playing over the speaker system.

2. Provide better facilities

Another method they can use is to provide better facilities – some contact centres are reported to have no canteen, while others only provide vending machines for food. By providing them access to hot drinks and snacks, it will of course lead them to feel refreshed and ready to work again.

If you are already in this situation then don’t panic – there are always ways to solve these issues. Just remember that your employees are the most valuable thing that you have at a company – without them, you would have nothing at all, so it is important to ensure that they both feel comfortable and safe.

3. Don’t overload your employees

You should also remember not to overload your employees with excessive amounts of work – it is easy to fall into this trap, especially if you are struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic on your own.

However, it is important not to do this – workers need some time off to rest and recuperate, which will lead to them being more productive overall.

4. Use the buddy system

Use the buddy system to expand your support network in the workplace. Get to know your employees better so that when they are stressed or overwhelmed, you can offer support and help them bounce back faster.

Being acquainted with several people will expand your workers’ support group, which can reduce feelings of isolation and increase efficiency on the job. Once they feel like they’ve built connections with some people on their own, the chances to reduce call centre stress during the COVID-19 pandemic increases further.

5. Encourage them to re-energise

Allow your employee to take a few minutes during lunch break to stretch and re-energise. This will help keep them from feeling drained at the end of a long day.

If all else fails, remember that contact centre stress can have a huge impact on your business. If it continues to grow, you may find that your staff become so stressed out that they leave altogether. This will lead to the entire business collapsing – which nobody wants in struggling COVID times, of course.

Nevertheless, this should not be cause for alarm – all businesses experience some form of contact centre stress during their lifetime. It is simply a matter of learning to deal with it.

Conclusion

If a call centre has a high customer satisfaction rate, then that means that agents know that they are doing their job well, thus improving call centre agent wellbeing and morale. Moreover, if a call centre has low customer satisfaction rates, it means something is wrong – agents aren’t doing their jobs properly or quickly enough to please customers.

The key difference between the two aspects could be down to the levels of stress call centre agents face and it’s up to call centres to consistently find ways how they can reduce stress levels to help their agents move forward and perform to the best of their abilities.

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Business

PepsiCo Reduces Revenue Projections As North American Snacks And Key International Markets Underperform.

(VOR News) – In the third quarter of this year, Pepsi’s net income was $2.93 billion, which is equivalent to $2.13 per share. This was attributed to the company.

This is in stark contrast to net income of $3.09 billion, which is equivalent to $2.24 per share, during the same period in the previous year. The company’s earnings per share were $2.31 when expenses were excluded.

Net sales decreased by 0.6%, totaling $23.32 billion. Organic sales increased by 1.3% during the quarter when the effects of acquisitions, divestitures, and currency changes are excluded.

Pepsi’s beverage sales fell this quarter.

The most recent report indicates that the beverage and food sectors of the organization experienced a 2% decline in volume. Consumers of all income levels are demonstrating a change in their purchasing habits, as indicated by CEOs’ statements from the previous quarter.

Pepsi’s entire volume was adversely affected by the lackluster demand they encountered in North America. An increasing number of Americans are becoming more frugal, reducing the number of snacks they ingest, and reducing the number of times they purchase at convenience stores.

Furthermore, Laguarta observed that the increase in sales was partially attributed to the election that occurred in Mexico during the month of June.

The most significant decrease in volume was experienced by Quaker Foods North America, which was 13%. In December, the company announced its initial recall in response to a potential salmonella infection.

Due to the probability of an illness, the recall was extended in January. Pepsi officially closed a plant that was implicated in the recalls in June, despite the fact that manufacturing had already been halted.

Jamie Caulfield, the Chief Financial Officer of Pepsi and Laguarta, has indicated that the recalls are beginning to have a lessening effect.

Frito-Lay experienced a 1.5% decline in volume in North America. The company has been striving to improve the value it offers to consumers and the accessibility of its snack line, which includes SunChips, Cheetos, and Stacy’s pita chips, in the retail establishments where it is sold.

Despite the fact that the category as a whole has slowed down in comparison to the results of previous years, the level of activity within the division is progressively increasing.

Pepsi executives issued a statement in which they stated that “Salty and savory snacks have underperformed year-to-date after outperforming packaged food categories in previous years.”

Pepsi will spend more on Doritos and Tostitos in the fall and winter before football season.

The company is currently promoting incentive packets for Tostitos and Ruffles, which contain twenty percent more chips than the standard package.

Pepsi is expanding its product line in order to more effectively target individuals who are health-conscious. The business announced its intention to acquire Siete Foods for a total of $1.2 billion approximately one week ago. The restaurant serves Mexican-American cuisine, which is typically modified to meet the dietary needs of a diverse clientele.

The beverage segment of Pepsi in North America experienced a three percent decrease in volume. Despite the fact that the demand for energy drinks, such as Pepsi’s Rockstar, has decreased as a result of consumers visiting convenience stores, the sales of well-known brands such as Gatorade and Pepsi have seen an increase throughout the quarter.

Laguarta expressed his opinion to the analysts during the company’s conference call, asserting, “I am of the opinion that it is a component of the economic cycle that we are currently experiencing, and that it will reverse itself in the future, once consumers feel better.”

Additionally, it has been noted that the food and beverage markets of South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa have experienced a decline in sales volume. The company cut its forecast for organic revenue for the entire year on Tuesday due to the business’s second consecutive quarter of lower-than-anticipated sales.

The company’s performance during the quarter was adversely affected by the Quaker Foods North America recalls, the decrease in demand in the United States, and the interruptions that occurred in specific international markets, as per the statements made by Chief Executive Officer Ramon Laguarta.

Pepsi has revised its forecast for organic sales in 2024, shifting from a 4% growth rate to a low single-digit growth rate. The company reiterated its expectation that the core constant currency profitability per share will increase by a minimum of 8% in comparison to the previous year.

The company’s shares declined by less than one percent during premarket trading. The following discrepancies between the company’s report and the projections of Wall Street were identified by LSEG in a survey of analysts:

SOURCE: CNBC

Business

Old National Bank And Infosys Broaden Their Strategic Partnership.

(VOR News) – Old National Bank, a commercial bank with its headquarters in the Midwest, and Infosys, a firm that specializes in information technology, have recently entered into a strategic expansion of their link, which has been in place for the past four years.

This expansion is more likely to take place sooner rather than later, with the likelihood being higher.

For the purpose of making it possible for Old National Bank to make use of the services, solutions, and platforms that are offered by Infosys, the objective of this expansion is to make it possible for the bank to transform its operations and processes through the application of automation and GenAI, as well as to change significant business areas.

This lets the bank leverage Infosys’ services, solutions, and platforms.

Old National Bank Chairman and CEO Jim Ryan said, “At Old National, we are committed to creating exceptional experiences for both our customers and our fellow employees.”

This statement is applicable to Old National Bank. Infosys is carefully managing the business process innovations that it is putting us through, putting a strong emphasis on efficiency and value growth throughout the process to ensure that it is carried out efficiently.

This is a routine occurrence throughout the entire operation. Because of Infosys’ dedication to our development and success, we are incredibly appreciative of the assistance they have provided.

Old National has been receiving assistance from Infosys in the process of updating its digital environment since the year 2020, according to the aforementioned company.

Ever since that time, the company has been providing assistance. The provision of this assistance has been accomplished through the utilization of a model that is not only powerful but also capable of functioning on its own power.

Infosys currently ranks Old National thirty-first out of the top thirty US banks.

This ranking is based on the fact that Old National is the nation’s largest banking corporation.

It is estimated that the total value of the company’s assets is approximately fifty-three billion dollars, while the assets that are currently being managed by the organization are valued at thirty billion dollars.

Dennis Gada, the Executive Vice President and Global Head of Banking and Financial Services, stated that “Old National Bank and Infosys possess a robust cultural and strategic alignment in the development, management, and enhancement of enterprise-scale solutions to transform the bank’s operations and facilitate growth.”

This remark referenced the exceptional cultural and strategic synergy between the two organizations. Dennis Gada is the one who asserted this claim. This was articulated explicitly concerning the exceptional cultural congruence and strategy alignment of the two organizations.

We are pleased to announce that the implementation of Infosys Topaz will substantially expedite the transformation of Old National Bank’s business processes and customer service protocols. We are exceedingly enthusiastic about this matter. We are quite thrilled about this specific component of the scenario.

Medium-sized banks operating regionally will continue to benefit from our substantial expertise in the sector, technology, and operations. This specific market segment of Infosys will persist in benefiting from our extensive experience. This phenomenon will enable this market sector to sustain substantial growth and efficiency benefits.

SOURCE: THBL

Business

American Water, The Largest Water Utility In US, Is Targeted By A Cyberattack

The largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States stated Monday that it had been the target of a cyberattack, forcing the company to halt invoicing to consumers.

American Water, The Largest Water Utility In US, Is Targeted By A Cyberattack

American Water, based in New Jersey and serving over 14 million people in 14 states and 18 military facilities, said it learned of the unauthorized activity on Thursday and quickly took precautions, including shutting down certain systems. The business does not believe the attack had an impact on its facilities or operations and said employees were working “around the clock” to determine the origin and scale of the attack.

water

The corporation stated that it has alerted legal enforcement and is cooperating with them. It also stated that consumers will not be charged late fees while its systems are unavailable.

According to their website, American Water operates over 500 water and wastewater systems in around 1,700 communities across California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

SOURCE | AP