7 staffing pressures call centre leaders are navigating right now
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Written by Emma Wildbore
If you’re leading a call centre in the East Midlands, this might feel familiar.
Vacancies staying open too long. Team leaders doing everything. New starters not sticking around.
We’re hearing these themes in nearly every conversation across retail, utilities, healthcare, logistics and BPOs. Different sectors, same pressures.
Here’s what we’re seeing, and what’s helping other teams stay ahead of it.
Even with solid onboarding and team support, it’s common to see 30–40% of new agents leave within 12 months. It’s rarely about one thing – more often, a build-up of small mismatches.
Some centres are looking more at mindset and cultural fit, rather than experience alone. Others are reworking how they set expectations at interview stage.
The focus seems to be shifting from “starting strong” to “staying long”.
Four to six weeks to fill a frontline role isn’t unusual – but when service levels are tight, that can hit hard.
A few teams are experimenting with ways to keep talent pools warm and reduce manual admin. Others are leaning on external support to get pace without losing quality.
It’s rarely about lack of effort – more about capacity.
A lot of team leaders come up through the ranks. They know the job, the customers, the systems. But leading people, planning rotas, handling performance – that’s a different ball game.
Some contact centres are building clearer development paths. Others are bringing in experienced leads during busy periods to stabilise things quickly.
There’s a real focus on giving leads what they need, not just the title.
It costs a lot to bring someone in – sometimes £3–4k by the time training, systems and team support are factored in. When people leave within 90 days, it’s tough on budget and morale.
We’re seeing teams dig into the data behind early exits, stress points in onboarding, and where their most reliable hires actually come from.
There’s a shift toward quality of hire over speed alone.
Demand changes fast – campaign launches, peak periods, unexpected surges. But some teams are still working with headcount models that can’t flex.
We’ve seen a few operations introduce a ‘core + flex’ approach – keeping a permanent base team, and pulling from a pre-vetted pool when needed.
It seems to take pressure off both ops and HR, especially during high-demand windows.
Many centres under 500 seats don’t have a dedicated recruitment team. Hiring often lands with HR, ops, or team leads – all of whom are already stretched.
Where that’s the case, some are partnering with recruitment support that feels like an embedded function – handling volume hiring while staying close to brand and culture.
That way, internal teams stay focused on service, not just CVs.
“I’ve blocked out hours for CVs and interviews and I still haven’t made the hire.” We’ve heard that more times than we can count.
Some teams are now choosing to outsource screening and shortlist management. It’s helping reduce time spent, while keeping managers focused on final-stage decisions.
Because when recruitment starts slowing down service, it’s time to rethink where the time’s going.
We work with call centres across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire, and these same challenges come up week after week.
The pressures are real and no two call centres handle them the same way.
If any of this sounds familiar, and you’re looking to sense-check how others are approaching it, we’re always up for a chat.
📩 emma.wildbore@optima-uk.com
📞 0116 3033560
🌐 www.optima-uk.com
