How to Effectively Manage Stress in A Call Center

According to research from Cornell University, 87% of employees in call centers* report high stress levels. This highlights the urgent need for call center managers to help alleviate agent stress and improve working conditions.

Negativity in the workplace, especially in high-stress environments like call centers, can spread easily from clients to employees. The most common stressors include high call volumes, difficult customers, and most importantly, unrealistic expectations and KPIs. Left unchecked, these factors can lead to burnout, higher turnover rates, and a decline in customer satisfaction.

However, supporting your team with effective stress management strategies doesn’t just improve employee well-being—it drives tangible benefits. Happier agents mean higher productivity, better customer experiences, and a more positive workplace culture.

In this article, we dive into 10 techniques call center agents can leverage to prevent burnout and strike the right work-life balance. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Chronic exposure to stress impacts the overall wellbeing of call center agents and their workplace efficiency. 
  
• Identifying signs of burnout is key to preventing stress before it escalates to employee turnover.
  
• Tools like CloudTalk can help call center workers better deal with common stressors like high call volume or complex customers.

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Why is Stress Management Crucial in Call Centers?

Stress management in call centers isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a business essential. It touches every corner of your operations: Your employees, customers, and bottom line. The numbers don’t lie: 43% of Millennials and 44% of Gen Z workers have left jobs due to burnout.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Simple yet impactful changes like flexible scheduling, better mental health support, and using tools to automate repetitive tasks can transform your workplace into a healthier, more productive environment.

Let’s dive in. 

10 Stress Management Techniques For Call Center Employees

As a manager, you can provide your team with techniques that help with stress release. As a call center agent, you can implement the following tricks yourself to unwind.

What to Do in the Moment of Stress

When you’re already at the office and a negative situation makes you feel stressed or lose your temper, you have to act quickly. Here are some approaches you can take: 

#1 Think of the Bigger Picture

Sometimes clients don’t mean to be offensive, yet they behave unpleasantly. They could have a tough day, or repeating their issue makes them lose their patience. Keeping that in mind might distance you from their attitude and understand their situation more. 

Don’t take it personally, as frustration might not be related to you in any way. Be aware of what you can change and distance yourself mentally from this stressful situation. 

#2 Make Sure to Breathe 

By practicing conscious breathing you can lower cortisol levels by 20%, as well as your heart rate and blood pressure. There are apps (or even playlists on Spotify) that can help you better pace your breathing. You might also want to try: 

• Finding a peaceful place, where you feel comfortable – it could be a less crowded part of the office
• Relax your jaw muscles
• Sit up straight 
• Focusing entirely on  your inhales and exhales

Conscious breathing relaxes your brain, boosts energy, and helps you connect with your body. You can also do it as a part of your daily routine, before sleep or after you wake up.

#3 Unwind With a Dedicated Playlist

Music has a therapeutic influence on our nervous systems. Platforms such as Spotify, Tidal, or YouTube offer many playlists with lo-fi music or any other kind that suits your mood.

Studies show that sitting in silence could have a worse impact on our wellness than listening to classical pieces after being exposed to a stressor. But classical music might not be your cup of tea. 

As everyone has different tastes in music, inspiring yourself with songs from already-made mixes and creating your own set of tracks could be the best choice – and a pleasant activity.

#4 Take Frequent Breaks

Breaks are important because if you don’t take enough of them, there’s a possibility you will break in the process.

Have you ever heard about the Pomodoro technique? It’s also known as the tomato technique. 

It goes something like this:

• Choose a task from your list.
• Set up the timer to 25 minutes and work on that task.
• After these 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break.
• After 4 Pomodoros, take a 30-minute long break.

Slice and dice your work hours like a tomato and they will be easier to manage and digest.

Also, sitting for too long isn’t good for overall well-being. Take a walk and stretch when you can.

#5 Make Time to Eat 

Taking the time to enjoy your lunch has multiple positive aspects, such as improved mental well-being, increased productivity, and creativity. But of course, recent statistics confirm that although 29% of employees are blocking time for lunch, 62% of them aren’t using that time to take lunch because they want to get the work done. 

Having lunch with other employees can also help with building stronger team relationships. If you’re a leader, consider grabbing lunch with your team, as 81% of employees who take a daily lunch break together have a strong desire to be an active company member. 

Try Adding These Stress Management Techniques To Your Daily Routine

Effectively managing stress should also start with some inner work as well. If you are constantly stuck in a fight or flight mode, maybe the root of your stress isn’t just about your work. Maybe the stressful work environment is just a trigger that uncovers some suppressed problems. 

Here are some additional steps you can take towards better stress management:

#1 Practice Meditation and Mindfulness

Learning to stay focused on positive aspects that truly matter is an invaluable ability. Like with everything in life, from sport to work, you have to train to be the best in a particular field. There are many apps that can help you learn how to meditate and drive attention to your breathing and inner body. 

#2 Leverage Technology 

Don’t underestimate the power of great AI tools. They can help with time-consuming and repetitive tasks, leaving enough space for agents to focus on their well-being. This can, in turn, help them improve customer engagement.

Notable integrated AI business calling software like CloudTalk comes with features like:Workflow Automation: Automates routine processes, allowing agents to switch their focus to improving customer interactions.

• Power Dialer: Increases efficiency by automating outbound calls, reducing idle time, and ensuring agents aren’t feeling overwhelmed by a huge volume of calls.
• IVR (Interactive Voice Response): Streamlines call routing by directing customers to the right department or agent, minimizing the stress of handling irrelevant or complex queries.

• Call Monitoring and Recording: Enables agents and managers to review calls for feedback and improvement, fostering a focus on growth.

• Real-Time Dashboards: Give you actionable insights to balance workloads effectively, ensuring no team member feels overburdened.
• Smart Call Routing: Connects agents with the most relevant calls, reducing frustration and enhancing the quality of interactions.
• Automatic Call Distribution: Allows agents to focus on calls that best match their skills. It minimizes unnecessary transfers and customer interactions and improves efficiency.

By leveraging technology, you can prioritize tasks and avoid feeling overwhelmed and stressed in dynamic call center environments.

#3 Implement a Regular Diet and Sleeping Pattern

A lack of sleep causes a list of side effects, including weight gain and hurting cognitive processes. Discovering your own sleeping pattern might take some time, but the key is establishing a healthy routine and going to bed at the same time every night. Avoid staying up late and exposing yourself to bright screens within 1-2 hours before bedtime. 

When it comes to diet, opt for fresh food and healthy snacks to keep your brain and body running sustainably.

#4 Get Some Me-Time

Your work takes a significant portion of your time but in the end, it’s just one part of your day. 

Dedicating a few hours to yourself won’t make the world stop spinning and it helps you come back refreshed and ready to do your best work. 

In the end, no one will remember how many calls you managed daily. Make sure you have enough time to relax and enjoy your hobbies. This means fully disconnecting from work and avoiding peeking into Slack or Microsoft Teams when out of office. 

#5 Keep Your Hands Busy 

Playing with a stress ball or writing down your thoughts can reduce stress levels and help you decompress. These activities provide a physical or mental outlet, helping to break the cycle of overwhelming thoughts. It can also help you get to the root of what’s causing your stress, and therefore how to better navigate it.

Highly Engaged Employees Are 21% More Profitable

According to Gallup, companies with a highly engaged workforce achieve 21% higher profitability and 17% higher productivity compared to those with a disengaged workforce. 

However, call center stress can quickly derail engagement and negatively impact ROI. While agents need to know how to handle tough situations, pushing through constantly isn’t sustainable. It’s crucial to decompress, communicate, and ask for help.

A holistic approach is key, whether you’re a team leader or an agent. Recognize that tough customer interactions aren’t personal, but if they affect you deeply, reflect on why. Build a healthy routine, take breaks, and don’t let work overwhelm you.CloudTalk offers a handful of features that can help you deal with workplace stress at your call center. Workflow Automation, for example, lets call center agents focus on higher-level tasks that actually improve your bottom line. Also, with a Real-Time Dashboard, employees can get more insights into the success of their communications—and boost confidence and morale.

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*Sources

Call Center Statistics That Are Truly a Wake-Up Call in 2024

20 Employee Engagement Statistics You Need to Know