Factors influencing performance of call centre agents : a study of a South African outsourced call centre

This paper explores the factors influencing performance of call centre agents in a South African outsourced call centre in the motor industry, specifically in respect of organisational identification, job satisfaction and emotions at work. The ability to compete in the global economy will become increasingly reliant on the ability of organisations to satisfy the needs of customers. As organisations outsource the call centre element of their businesses to dedicated call centre providers, these call centre providers will need to become even more competitive. This ability to compete relies on their ability to increase productivity for financial control, whilst increasing their ability to satisfy the customers of organisations they represent. This cannot be done without correctly identifying the factors that drive work performance in call centre agents. The data were collected via a self-completed questionnaire based survey conducted among agents of a South African outsourced customer service centre, which interacts with the customers of a large motor manufacturer. The findings indicate that work performance is not directly correlated with organisational identification, job satisfaction or emotions at work, but these factors remain essential to the competitiveness of the organisation in respect of retention of the highest performers, and cannot be ignored. Positive emotions of call centre agents require further investigation as a driver of work performance, in respect of inherent positive well-being of workers and external factors that might influence positive well-being. Copyright © 2009 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria, Please cite as follows: Bettesworth, F 2009, Factors influencing performance of call centre agents : a study of a South African outsourced call centre, MBA dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-04072010-142649/ > G10/296/ag