One of the key concerns in call centres throughout the country is the amount of stress that call centre agents endure. ISV has conducted extensive research in this field, and has drawn the following conclusions. Call centre stress has three main elements:
a) The Call Centre Environment Itself.
b) Outdated Technology.
c) Lack of Staff Competency
As a provider of call centre software solutions, ISV can do little about (a) and (b), but can almost eradicate (c). However, before they are able to achieve this, it is necessary to define the individual stresses, which relate to staff competency. These are:
- Self Pressure - "I'm not as good as everyone else"
- Peer Group Pressure - "I've told you 10 times before - can't you do it for yourself?"
- Management Pressure - "Why are you taking less calls than everyone else?"
- Customer Pressure - "Can I speak to someone who knows what they are doing?"
- Technology Pressure - "How can I do the job on this old machine?"
Improving levels of competency will cure all these pressures. "We all know that if we are fully competent in out job then it becomes easy and enjoyable," says Laurie Dobson, ISV's managing director.
The ISV solutions have been developed in conjunction with many call centres, and allow agents to develop all the skills and knowledge required to do the job they are paid to do, at the highest level of efficiency and all without leaving their desks. | 
