Only one in three customer service reps are actually engaged; the remaining reps are neutral or disengaged, according to Gartner, Inc. The Gartner 2021 Customer Service Rep Role and Experience Survey of 600 customer service reps, conducted in December 2020, revealed disengagement is rampant among customer service reps (see Figure 1).

Disengaged reps are 84% more likely to look for a new job than engaged reps, and even neutral reps are 43% more likely to engage in job-seeking behaviors. Left unchecked, this can lead to poor customer outcomes and economic cost, especially as disengaged and neutral workers make up two-thirds of the workforce.

“Disengaged reps engage in behaviors that drive a high-effort customer service experience three times as often as their engaged counterparts,” said Brent Adamson, distinguished vice president, in the Gartner Customer Service and Support Practice. “These behaviors include failing to provide first-contact resolution, making customers repeat information and failing to reduce the number of steps customers must take to resolve their issues. Therefore, reps are much more likely to provide a poor customer service experience, negatively impacting loyalty and customer outcomes.”

Gartner research shows these high levels of disengagement are not driven by current events such as COVID-19, or the sudden move to work from home. This disengagement is also not driven by the difficulty of the work, or how well-suited the rep is to the work. Instead, disengagement is largely driven by unclear or conflicting goals, lack of clarity in how reps contribute to those goals and a general lack of support for reps’ well-being.

Customer service and support leaders responsible for talent management should take the following action to mitigate rep disengagement:

• Assess the current level of disengagement among their service reps through rep surveys.
• Align rep metrics with business objectives to help reps understand how to prioritize when dealing with conflicting goals.
• Educate reps on their specific role in achieving these business objectives to help them better understand what is in and out of scope for their role.
• Support rep well-being, not just performance, by giving reps the opportunity to take a break from their work after emotionally draining situations.

Gartner for Customer Service & Support Leaders clients can learn more in the report "Rampant Rep Disengagement Is Driving Turnover and Harming Customer Outcomes."

About Gartner for Customer Service & Support Leaders

The customer service and support function is vital to maintaining customer loyalty and influencing brand perceptions. Gartner for Customer Service & Support Leaders provides indispensable insights, advice and tools needed to achieve service and support leaders’ mission-critical priorities, specifically improving the customer experience while managing costs. Gartner’s research, advice and best practices equip customer service and support leaders to design an optimal service channel strategy; measure and reduce customer effort; and hire, develop and retain high-potential frontline talent.