The challenge of effective call center recruiting practices comes down to seeking the best talent in the industry while avoiding rising costs. Fortunately, today there are several best practices and creative ways to help you find the best talent available for your call center with few resources or even without spending a single penny on job postings.

Here are some ideas that you can add to your staffing efforts to help you save money:

 

Especially in the call center industry, where turnover rates average from 20%-50% a year and generate an expensive problem, it's a good idea to maintain a database of employees who have left the Company, but have the potential to return. We never know where they may be now and, many times, former employees are not aware that they can rejoin the Company. Maintaining a database of all those "re-hirable" employees lets you pick up the phone and invite them to be part of the Company again. Not to mention that training costs are kept to a minimum. It's just a matter of smart managing of your former employees.

Take advantage of any industry event, not necessarily recruiting events or job fairs, to attend and strategically promote your Company's job opportunities. These are great forums to locate potential candidates or even key contacts that can connect you with other sources or institutions where potential candidates are available.

 

Why not supplement your recruiting efforts with a little bit of social into your day. Having a Company Page on Linkedin or Facebook is essential today, as well as joining the conversation on interest groups. Just like attending any industry event, these channels give you the opportunity to seek, meet, and interact with a large number of potential candidates and key contacts. Invite all your employees to share and promote your Company's culture and great job opportunities. Employees talking about their professional success with the Company on social media will have far more impact to attract the best talent than any paid newspaper ad or billboard.

This is a great way to highlight your company culture and the quality of your call center agents. We all love success stories by real people. By giving recruiters and top employees a way to talk about the Company, the positive aspects of your organization and how it has changed their lives, or sharing their expertise on topics related to your industry, you are also attracting top quality talent that will want to work in your call center. The resources used are minimal and you will reach more qualified candidates.

Here's another way to cut staffing costs:

Consider utilizing a nearshore service provider to establish and staff a satellite Contact Center. Baja California, Mexico has become one of the most attractive locations for establishing a contact center for several key factors. First, it is adjacent to San Diego, California. Second, because of its close proximity to the U.S., the workforce is bilingual (Spanish and English) and bi-cultural (understands U.S. culture). Third, with a population of over 1.2 million people, finding and retaining professional agents is easy. Lastly, per hour dollar saving over U.S. agent costs are typically between 40% to 60%.

Call Center Services International is a service provided that has successfully established dozens for Contact Centers in Baja California for major U.S. companies. CCSI can establish a satellite center in Baja California and handle all your recruitment and workforce administrative needs. "CCSI takes great pride in delivering a professional agent workforce at very cost effective rates. We hire performance-driven agents that continue to add to the success of our Clients." States Frank Esparza, VP of Sales for CCSI.

We want to hear from you. How do you cut your call center staff costs?