Get Ready For Holiday Season 2024 Contact Center Temp Hiring
David Filwood
CEO | TeleSoft Systems | People & Process Improvement For Contact Centers
Summer is winding down – and for Contact Centers that support retail eCommerce it’s time to focus on temporary holiday season Customer Service Representative (CSR) hiring.
Employer demand for temporary seasonal CSRs typically rises during September – continuing through to November / December – aligning with the major holiday sales events like Black Friday & Cyber Monday.
Executive outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas reports that major retailers are ramping up their hiring efforts to meet anticipated consumer demand.
Despite current economic uncertainties – inflation – sluggish consumer confidence and shrinking savings – people are still projected to pull out their wallets this holiday season.
US holiday retail eCommerce sales are projected to break records this year – reaching nearly $272 billion – a 9.5% increase over 2023.
The Onshore Employment Market For Temporary Seasonal CSRs Has Cooled
While retail eCommerce sales are projected to break records for 2024 – newly released research from job matching & hiring platform Indeed projects that postings for temporary holiday season CSR jobs will drop this year to their lowest point since 2019.
This decline is due to several factors:
While total onshore temporary seasonal CSR job postings are in decline this year – demand for Contact Center job applicants still remains at levels not seen in over a decade.
Interest In Temporary Holiday Season CSR Jobs Is Up 19% Over Last Year
An uptick in job applicants is welcome news for Contact Center recruiters – and should make filling these temporary seasonal CSR job openings somewhat easier than in recent years.
However – the demographic profile of temporary seasonal CSR job seekers has changed.
Indeed reports that the ‘Youth Bias’ in Contact Center hiring continues – with 21% of temporary seasonal CSR job seekers under age 25.
Notably – Indeed also reports that job seekers age 55 to 64 and age 65+ now represent nearly 20% of all temporary seasonal CSR applicants.
This shift in the the demographic profile of temporary seasonal CSR job seekers is possibly driven by economic needs – such as the desire of older applicants for supplemental income – as many have inadequate earnings / pensions / retirement wealth to live comfortably
Flexible vs. Predictable Schedules
While flex schedules remain important – this year more temporary seasonal CSR job seekers are prioritizing stability and predictability in their work hours.
According to the online marketplace for hourly work Snagajob – 38% of temporary seasonal CSR job applicants are looking for flexibility in their schedules.
The remaining 62% desire a predictable consistent schedule.
Temporary Seasonal CSR Motivations & Expectations
Snagajob also reports that the majority (55%) of temporary CSR applicants will be applying for a holiday season job for the first time.
33% of temporary seasonal CSR job seekers are specifically looking for a holiday job in order to test out the company – with 58% of them indicating that they would consider staying on after the holiday season.
Temporary Seasonal CSR Desired Job Features
According to the Snagajob report – temporary seasonal CSR job seekers are looking for several key features in their employment:
These preferences underscore the importance of scheduling / financial incentives / additional perks in attracting seasonal CSR job seekers.
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Temporary Seasonal CSR Job Search Timing & Post Essentials
According to the Indeed report – the majority of temporary seasonal CSR job seekers start looking for work in September (81%) / October (12%) / November (5%) / December (2%).
Snagajob further reports that temporary seasonal CSR job seekers expect to find the following information in a job post:
A Contact Center’s Online Reputation Has A Huge Impact On The Volume & Quality Of Temporary Seasonal CSR Job Applicants They Attract
Snagajob also reports that 85% of temporary seasonal CSR job seekers look for work on online job boards – and they check out an employer’s reputation before applying for a Contact Center position.
They want ‘Social Proof’ of what it’s like to work at the company – from the mouths of the CSRs who actually do the job.
83% base the decision to apply from online sites like Glassdoor and Indeed – where current and former employees anonymously post reviews & ratings about a company’s culture / management / wages / benefits etc.
Job seekers rate these CSR testimonials as being 3x more authentic & trusted ‘Social Proof’ than content posted by Human Resources / Senior Management / Marketing Dept – and 33% of temporary seasonal CSR job seekers ignore a company with less than a 3 Stars (out of 5) Employer Review Rating.
You Can’t Afford To Have A ‘Butts In The Seat’ Mentality
The temporary seasonal CSR hiring landscape in 2024 presents a mix of challenges & opportunities – with a decline in job postings offset by increased interest from job seekers.
Best fit temporary seasonal CSR must be trainable & reliable – able to follow procedure – capable of delivering emotional labor on every call – creating Empathy / Rapport / Trust with callers – expressing socially desired emotions – always appearing happy & eager to serve – displaying positive emotions & suppressing negative ones – while showing an aptitude for both Service & Support and TeleSelling.
These traits can’t be taught easily / quickly / cost effectively – so you need to hire people that already have them.
Employers need to be able to make fast / informed / highly predictive hiring decisions – identifying the candidates that already possess these personality / job fit / soft skill / work ethic & business English competency traits.
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