If you want to prevent new employees from leaving the contact center faster than desired, you have to turn all kinds of buttons. One of the most important elements is onboarding. In this knowledge article you can read what onboarding is, why it is important and how you can set it up for optimal results.

 

Anyone who wants to know the value of onboarding – the onboarding of new employees to your organization – can compare it with 'boarding' passengers in the airline industry. Although your boarding pass ('boarding pass') gives you access to the aircraft, there are many steps leading up to boarding. Can you easily obtain your boarding pass? How does the security check at customs work? Do you have enough information and time to make the start of your trip pleasant? And all things considered, your flight trip starts with choosing an airline.

Onboarding is therefore something different (and moreover) than just training employees or handing out a laptop and a mobile phone. It is a process with different facets, phases and components. That is why it is difficult to define to give, but the process of bringing new employees on board is the most important part.

Onboarding is something different and more than just training employees

The onboarding of an employee starts with drawing up a vacancy text. This text indicates what the organization stands for, but also what the organization expects from an employee and vice versa. You can also say: onboarding starts as soon as the new employee comes into contact with the culture of your organization (as an employer).

What is the purpose of onboarding?

The purpose of onboarding is to strengthen the new employee's involvement and connection with the organization. In other words, onboarding must contribute to an employee feeling welcome, taken seriously and receiving optimal support to find his or her way. The ultimate goal is to bind the employee to your organization and prevent premature unwanted departure.

In customer contact, new employees often arrive in groups. For many people, working in customer contact is a starting position and sometimes even their first job. The chance that new employees will drop out in the first weeks or months is relatively high, for example due to errors of judgment on the part of the employee or organization. The chance of this is smaller if the previous process is well put together. Laying a good foundation for solidarity increases the chance of a longer job stay. This is not only good for the employee, but also beneficial for the organization because of the costs of failure and turnover and the impact on, for example, the customer contact department.

Onboarding starts with preboarding

As mentioned, onboarding is more than the introduction day on which you receive your laptop and are introduced to your colleagues. The process starts with the job interview: how do you ensure that a potential employee feels at home? You can also consider the first part of the onboarding as preboarding.

If a candidate decides to say yes to an offer, a number of things must be arranged before your new employee can start. Consider access rights to the building, registering with HR, ensuring access to applications and preparing a laptop or applying for a Certificate of Good Conduct. Everything surrounding the employment contract – drawing up, discussing, signing and completing it properly – is also part of the preboarding.

Time between hiring and first working day

Sometimes there is still some time between the decision to do business with each other and the actual start date. You can use this - if the new employee is able and willing to make time for it - to provide information in advance with which the employee can prepare. Examples are introductory videos, instructional videos, a quiz, blogs, articles or e-learning. This kind of action should not take much time; sometimes people are still busy finishing the job they are leaving. The extent to which the employee is able and willing to engage in this can be discussed during the final appointment interview. This way you involve the employee in the preboarding. This can also be a lightweight program, as long as it is relevant and activating. Setting up such a program is a collaboration between learning & development, HR and communication.

What is the employee's role in onboarding?

Onboarding is not a one-way street. The employee can take an active role, for example by asking questions or starting a conversation about how things work within the organization. That conversation can also be about the employee's wishes and needs in the onboarding process itself. Naturally, it is the style of the manager and the behavior of colleagues that may or may not encourage new employees to ask questions.

What is the role of the manager in onboarding?

Onboarding improves if employee and manager get to know each other during the onboarding phase. The manager can have a role in both the training and the induction program, for example by taking care of certain topics of the training. Also consider coming by and giving an introductory talk during the training and providing guidance on the floor; or by going for a walk when employees are on location to follow the (starting) training. The manager can also make it clear what employees can expect from him or her: for which matters can you contact your manager? How can you report? Physical meetings are important specifically for hybrid onboarding.

Is training also part of it?

Part of the onboarding consists of training/education and step-by-step induction. In customer contact, preparation for the real work is increasingly done in a hybrid form: both classroom (in a group of new employees) and online and both instruction and practice with real conversations.

Training can largely be done remotely or online. But onboarding isn't just for learning; Getting to know each other, feeling at home, gaining experience and connecting with your employer and colleagues are also important elements.

During training, but also at other times, a new employee may also realize that the position or working hours in question are not suitable, or curiosity may be sparked for a different role. The discussion about this should also be part of the onboarding. Because even if a new employee decides that the specific position or the culture of the organization does not suit him or her personally, it is nice to have created an ambassador for your organization in a short period of time.

At what point does onboarding stop?

The transition from onboarding to onboarding is a gradual process in many organizations. In contact centers it is common for working under guidance or supervision (such as a buddy) to be phased out. If you would like to draw a hard line, this is the moment when the employee has formally completed the introductory training, including induction under supervision, and is working independently in the line. The employee can then also be transferred from the trainer or L&D officer to the manager. Of course, (helping) develop the employee as usual.

Good onboarding means that an exit interview in the event of early departure should not yield any new facts. The exit interview should include the observation of something that has already emerged at an earlier stage.

How do you measure the quality of onboarding?

How do you know if onboarding is working well? A good reason to make adjustments is if conversations with employees give reason to do so. That means asking employees a lot of questions. This also ties in with the idea that onboarding is largely a matter of communication. It requires a very sensitive and active attitude from the manager. One of the biggest pitfalls of onboarding is 'leaving them hanging': leaving employees with unanswered questions and uncertainties. A good onboarding process prevents this. (Ziptone/editors)

 

This article was co-authored with Bianca Eveleens, senior consultant and trainer at Coniche.

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