Evaluating variables that affect job satisfaction of bank customer contact centre agents in South Africa

Customer Contact Centres (CCCs) have become an essential part of most organisations today, especially the banking sector. With the aim to cultivate productivity while improving customer experience at a minimal cost, customer contact centres play a vital role in most banks in South Africa and the world. The purpose of this study was to evaluate job satisfaction among customer contact centre employees of a major South African commercial bank. It also evaluates the level of importance for job satisfaction variables. The standardised Minnesota questionnaire which measures job satisfaction was used for data collection. The relationship between the satisfaction level and importance levels of the variables testing job satisfaction was investigated using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. There was a weak, positive correlation between the two variables, r=0.270, n=61, p=0.043. This relationship was statistically significant at the 95% level of confidence. GAP analysis was used to find differences between the agents' rating on the level of importance of each of the variables and the level of satisfaction they have. Results show that generally job satisfaction among employees is relatively lower compared to the level of importance for each attribute of job satisfaction. The agents rated co-worker's relationship the highest on the importance scale and this item was also the one that they were most satisfied with. However, given the level of importance reported, advancement on the job is of relevance to employees. Executives, call center managers and team leaders should view the insights emerging from this study as an opportunity to engage their employees and aid them to be successful in their career. As these young employees look to reinvent themselves, companies can increase their prospects of growth by consciously creating opportunities to improve their skill sets and job advancement.