What is Call Avoidance and How to Prevent It in Your Call Center?

Call avoidance in a call center refers to the intentional or unintentional actions of agents to take fewer incoming customer calls or inquiries. This includes behaviour such as falsely setting status to “unavailable,” taking extended breaks, or intentionally transferring calls they could resolve.

For example, if an available agent lets an incoming call ring until it automatically routes to another team member instead of answering it. This not only increases wait times for customers but also places an unnecessary burden on their colleagues.

Call avoidance can occur when agents or individuals avoid answering calls due to fear of dealing with difficult or angry customers, especially when they anticipate complaints or conflict. It can also stem from workplace pressures, insufficient training, or a hostile work environment.

• Pressure of Performance Metrics: Constant pressure to meet targets like average handle time (AHT), first call resolution (FCR), and other performance metrics can overwhelm agents, leading them to avoid calls to reduce stress.
• Insufficient Training and Knowledge: If agents haven’t been appropriately trained or don’t have the necessary knowledge, they might avoid calls to prevent mistakes.
• Dealing with Difficult Customers: Dealing with angry customers can be emotionally draining for agents. Persistent negative interactions can cause agents to feel unappreciated, undervalued, or emotionally exhausted, which may lead them to avoid future calls or customer interactions.
• Workplace Stress and Burnout: Constantly managing high volumes of calls or dealing with difficult customers without sufficient breaks or support can lead to agent burnout. Over time, they may develop call avoidance behaviors to protect their mental and emotional well-being.
• Personal Issues: Personal issues outside of work, such as family problems, health concerns, or financial stress, can affect an agent’s ability to handle calls.

• Poor Work Environment: A stressful, unsupportive, or unengaging workplace culture can demotivate agents and increase their chances of call avoidance.
• Technical issues: Slow or malfunctioning call systems, outdated software, or connectivity problems can frustrate agents and cause delays or skipped calls.
• Lack of Supervision and Accountability: If managers or supervisors aren’t providing regular feedback, support, or clear expectations, agents might feel uncertain about their performance. This lack of supervision can contribute to avoidance behaviors.
• Uneven Workload Distribution: When some agents consistently receive heavier workloads while others have lighter duties, it can create frustration and encourage avoidance among overburdened team members.
• Inadequate Incentives and Recognition: If agents feel their efforts aren’t recognized or rewarded, motivation drops, leading to disengagement and avoidance behaviors.

Call avoidance disrupts workflow efficiency, burdens proactive agents, and undermines team morale, leading to poor internal collaboration and slower issue resolution. Over time, this behavior contributes to financial losses and damages the organization's reputation due to decreased customer satisfaction and trust.

1. Increased Call Queues and Wait Times for Customers: When agents avoid answering calls, it leads to longer call queues, resulting in longer wait times for customers. This not only causes frustration but also decreases customer loyalty and retention.
2. Higher Workload for Other Agents: With some agents avoiding calls, the remaining agents are forced to handle a larger volume of calls. This increased workload can burn out and result in higher turnover rates.
3. Negative Impact on Team Collaboration and Communication: When some agents avoid calls, others may feel resentful or unsupported. This creates a lack of trust and communication between team members, hindering teamwork and negatively affecting overall performance.
4. Financial Losses: Unanswered or poorly handled calls can result in lost sales opportunities, missed renewals, and dissatisfied customers, which can affect the company's revenue and profitability.
5. Damaged Brand Reputation: Negative experiences due to unanswered calls or poor handling can create negative word-of-mouth, social media complaints, and poor online reviews, damaging the company's reputation.

Call avoidance can be identified by monitoring key performance indicators, conducting regular performance reviews, and gathering supervisor feedback to spot patterns of low engagement or intentional disengagement from calls.

1. Track Key Performance Indicators: Monitor metrics such as call volume per agent, after-call work (ACW), idle time, call transfer rate, hold time, and call abandonment rates.
2. Monitor Behavioral Patterns: Look for agents who frequently go into “Not Ready” status, take unusually long breaks, or have excessive after-call work.
3. Analyze Call Interactions: Evaluate recorded calls and conduct live call monitoring sessions. This helps identify patterns like call transfers, sudden disconnections, or substandard handling that may be linked to avoidance.
4. Analyze Customer Feedback: Pay attention to customer complaints, specifically mentioning long hold times, feeling rushed, or unhelpful agents. Low Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores can also be an indicator.

To manage call avoidance in a call center, use real-time monitoring and performance tracking to spot patterns quickly. Address the root causes through one-on-one meetings, coaching, and workload adjustments, while also promoting a supportive environment and offering stress management resources.

1. Identify and Understand the Root Causes: Analyze data and behavior patterns to determine whether call avoidance is due to stress, lack of skills, unclear expectations, or disengagement.
2. Hold One-on-One Meetings: Schedule regular individual check-ins with agents to discuss their challenges, workload concerns, and personal situations. Use these meetings to build trust and gain honest insights into potential avoidance behaviors.
3. Provide Coaching & Training: Conduct targeted coaching sessions to improve handling difficult calls, time management, and conflict resolution skills.
4. Implement stress management and well-being programs: Introduce wellness initiatives like mindfulness sessions, flexible scheduling, and short breaks during shifts. Encourage healthy practices to help agents manage stress and avoid burnout.
5. Foster a Supportive Work Environment: Create a positive, collaborative culture where agents feel valued and supported. Recognize achievements, celebrate small wins, and encourage peer-to-peer appreciation to boost morale.
6. Optimize Workload and Performance Management: Use workforce management tools to balance call distribution fairly. Monitor real-time and historical data to adjust staffing levels and prevent overburdening specific agents.
7. Use Technology to Reduce Avoidance: Implement an intelligent call routing system to direct calls to the most skilled and available agents. This reduces agents' chances of being overwhelmed or unqualified to handle specific inquiries. Additionally, integrated CRM systems can be used for personalized customer interactions and efficient issue resolution.

To prevent call avoidance, ensure agents have the necessary tools, training, and support to handle calls effectively and feel empowered to resolve customer issues. Additionally, creating a supportive work environment and implementing effective monitoring can help reduce avoidance behaviors among agents.

1. Set Clear Expectations: Define call handling responsibilities and communicate performance standards from the start.
2. Implement Fair and Realistic KPIs: Avoid setting overly aggressive targets that create pressure.
3. Ensure Effective Tools and Systems: Equip teams with user-friendly software, scripts, and knowledge bases.
4. Maintain Transparent Communication: Let agents share concerns and suggestions without fear.
5. Encourage Work-Life Balance: Offer flexible schedules and reasonable breaks to reduce burnout.
6. Provide Ongoing Training: Regularly update agents’ skills and product knowledge to boost confidence and reduce hesitation.
7. Use Real-Time Monitoring Tools: Detect early signs of avoidance through dashboards and reporting systems.

Handling call avoidance in call centers is crucial for maintaining high service standards, operational efficiency, and employee morale. Managers can quickly identify and prevent avoidance behaviors by utilizing real-time monitoring tools, analyzing call activity reports, and fostering open communication.
 

Call avoidance in call centers can be identified through behaviors such as extended hold times, unnecessary call transfers, frequent status changes to "Not Ready," excessive after-call work, and low call volumes per agent.

Yes, call avoidance can occur unintentionally due to inadequate training, high stress levels, or unclear performance expectations.

Analyzing call routing patterns can reveal if agents frequently transfer calls unnecessarily, a common sign of avoidance.