Employee burnout has become a reality for many business owners in 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work, communicate, and relax. If you’re working from home, your computer is often at arm’s length which may make it feel like you have to be available 24/7. As a result, many of us are working longer, sleeping less, and worrying more about what we can’t control. And right now, it feels like there’s a lot we can’t control due to COVID-19.
So business owners are taking back some of that control by taking a load off their employees and putting it on to answering services. Because that’s what we’re here for — to take care of your customers so that you can take care of your business. Your employees are the driving force of your business, and when they’re burnt out your business isn’t running on all cylinders.
Regardless of size and industry, we’re seeing more clients coming to us to prevent employee burnout. Here’s why:
Smarter scheduling.
Many employees could benefit from a more flexible schedule right now. Offering employees flexible daily or weekly hours creates a greater sense of personal control over their work environment and responsibilities. This also allows staff to leverage the times they’re feeling most productive and focused.
In turn, you can reduce employee burnout and turnover. But, you don’t want these benefits to come at the expense of customer communication. That’s why our clients have started scheduling smarter with the help of a 24/7 virtual receptionist to fill in the gaps.
Balanced workloads.
When it feels like there’s not enough time in the day to manage workloads and meet deadlines, it can have a domino effect. From other employees having to take on more responsibilities to customer relationships being neglected. Ultimately, even the best business leaders experience this when they don’t have a process to delegate.
Many business owners have delegated answering services to pick up the slack. When reception overflow is addressed proactively, employees aren’t hit with phone call fatigue due to unexpected call spikes. This ensures busy signals don’t create missed opportunities.
Less unplanned absenteeism.
Unsurprisingly, employee burnout is one of the leading causes of workplace absenteeism. If you prioritize the health and well-being of your employees then absenteeism tends to be inevitable — but you can reduce unplanned absenteeism.
Many employers are establishing processes like absenteeism call-in lines to minimize the costly impact unscheduled absences have on their business. When absenteeism is communicated in a timely, organized manner, you can maintain business continuity and reduce the strain on the rest of your team with temporary reception coverage.
Stronger support systems.
Similar to having systems for scheduling, workload delegation, and absenteeism, employee support systems can tremendously reduce burnout. You likely have a customer support system, but who is supporting the employees supporting your customers?
By outsourcing your first point of contact, you can streamline help desks, order-taking, appointment-booking, and Livechat. This ensures customer experience is consistent, issues are escalated accordingly, and your employees can address the most pressing concerns promptly.
More time to take a break.
When processes are optimized and support systems are implemented you’ll free up way more time to focus on what matters most. If you’re experience burnout, that means prioritizing your well-being and your staff by taking a break from work. With an answering service, you can relax with peace of mind that no call or message is going unanswered.
Your coworkers will thank you for taking a break! When employees return energized and refreshed with renewed motivation, they’re raising the bar for everyone.
Plus, you’re not only preventing burnout you’re empowering them.
When employees have the opportunity to put themselves first, it shows you value them as people — not just workers.
if your main priority is building meaningful relationships with customers, the first place to start is creating an environment for happy, energized employees. And sometimes that taking time to recharge and showing up for yourself so that you can show up for others.