Very good, thought provoking questions. This is a transportation industry, fwiw. Let me also say, I am not in charge of this operation, though I will most likely apply, and at the least, will be involved in setting up the center. I'm just trying to get a leg up
Attrition will probably be 15-25% over the first year, I would guess. It will be a job that pays very well for our region, I imagine 150% what similar office settings pay. Training will be make or break, we've had too many beople just barely eke through the probation period and become disasters.
The core 5-6 employees will have already earned 3-4 week vacations with the company. New hires will get two weeks from the start, 6 sick days per year. Absenteeism should not be a large issue, as the shift manager will be able to fill all postions as needed. We allow sick days to be used for Dr.'s appointments and the like, so we generally have notice of an upcoming vacancy. Training should take 2-4 weeks for the new hires, which is partially what the long implementation period allows for. I expect the process to be slow, hopefully take on one of the 14 company's customers at a time. Each of the 14 customers has a varying number of their own custoners, from 2 to 55, which we will be handling. Most are standing orders with little change. Right now, in our one company, we have 1 1/2 people taking care of 50+ customers, with plenty of time for breaks. Overtime will be accounted for, but is not expected to exceed 2-3 hours per employee, per week. There is a possibility the jobs will be salaried.
Ideally, the bulk of communication will be done via email. This will allow us to have hard copy in case of any discrepancies, and will also allow all shifts handling that customer to have a record of the transaction, rather than only relying on person-to-person exchange during turnover. I recognize not all customers will be willing to communicate that way, but will slowly encourage it. The use of an instant messaging type service will also be encouraged. I understand that securing the right amount of bandwidth for this will be necessary.
Some seasonal factors, but with all locations combined, it will be steady year round, harvest times and special situations may cause a small peak, but nothing major. Each customer service rep will have a different number of companies they focus on. 3 employees could handle 7 or 8 of the small companies, where it may take 3 people to handle just 2 of the larger locations. Each group of reps will be the sole contact for their region, which is to encourage a "first-name basis" among the customer and their particular rep.
Wow, even if you don't answer back, it brought a lot of question to the forefront, and was a great help. I appreciate it!
On another note... Cubicles or an open office setting? Is there an advantage to cubiles, and does it hinder inter-office communication. I think separate walled areas for each mini-station would work, but no cubicles for each person.