In many ways, it’s never been harder to recruit and retain top customer experience (CX) talent. Brands are grappling with the harsh realities of rising labor costs and employee expectations and demands that have shifted drastically in this post-pandemic era.
The associate turnover rate is at a historically high average of 38%, research by SQM shows, with turnover rates among brands running the gamut from 20% to more than 200%. So much attrition is impeding brands’ ability to deliver strong CX, keeping customer satisfaction scores (CSAT) and first call resolution rates (FCR) stubbornly low for many companies.
There’s no doubt it’s a challenging labor landscape for contact center operators, but many brands are unknowingly making it harder for themselves by limiting their hiring pool. Too many companies continue to be guided by outdated hiring notions – namely, they’re set on hiring only associates who have prior contact center or CX experience.
Now is the time to expand your pool of potential employees by looking in places that might seem unlikely, including among the gaming community. Here are just a few of the ways it can level-up your gaming CX.
1. Gamers have skills that transfer well to CX
Traditionally, hirers have assumed that prior customer service and contact center experience should be a main prerequisite for candidates applying to be associates or team leaders. But the truth is associates don’t need prior CX experience to work well in the contact center; they need the personality, mindset, trainability, and skills to succeed once they’re there.
Prospective employees can gain valuable skills in unique ways, including through gaming. For starters, gamers are by nature extremely comfortable in a virtual environment. This means they’re quick to learn via virtual training sessions, so they are easy to onboard and bring up to proficiency quickly.
They’re also great at being self-directed and figuring things out on their own. A certain tenacity is inherent in gamers; when they lose a game, they typically don’t quit. Rather, they’re eager to improve and try again. This mindset can be very valuable in the contact center, where new challenges arise often.
Gamers are strategic thinkers, natural collaborators, creative thinkers, self-motivated, and resilient. Each of these attributes, continuously honed through gaming, can help you elevate CX in your contact center. You can teach people how to perform contact center tasks, but you can teach these intangible traits.
2. They understand technology
To thrive in today’s CX landscape (and tomorrow’s), a strong understanding of technology is critical. Technological advances and adopting new technologies will be one of the biggest drivers of business transformation in the coming years, according to the World Economic Forum.
Gamers understand technology. They can learn quickly how to navigate and optimize technology, because they’re so used to doing it during games. They also have a strong interest in, and understanding of, emerging technologies – which is especially helpful in the constantly evolving world of CX. They can help keep your contact center on the cutting edge.
Gamers also are an extremely innovative group. Their passion for trying and mastering new things, combined with their love and knowledge of technology, makes them prime candidates to help you innovate within your CX operation and stand apart from your competition. It also makes them a great fit for problem-solving roles.
3. Broadening the labor pool yields better talent
The employment landscape is changing quickly. In its report, The Future of Jobs 2023, the World Economic Forum predicts that about one-quarter of current jobs will no longer exist within the next few years. The jobs of the future, and the skills they’ll require, are evolving.
Amidst all this change, why are so many brands still clinging to outdated hiring notions? There’s so much talent out there, where you may not be thinking to look. It’s time to broaden your hiring scope, opening your brand up to a much larger, global labor pool that can bring unique perspective and skillsets to your company.
Previous CX experience is not important when it comes to filling jobs; the type of go-getter mentality that gamers possess is. Take a chance and explore this previously untapped group of prospective employees. You’ll not only gain access to top talent in a competitive labor market, you’ll also reap the many benefits these creative and innovative minds will bring to level-up your CX.
