A company can achieve a zero turnover rate in the call center in a number of ways. However, not all of them are good. Let me give an example.

Take a virtual tour of a company's parking lot. As usual there are special parking spaces reserved for tenured employees. But there aren't just a few spaces; the reserved spaces go on for three parking structure levels. Not only does this company essentially eliminate call center turnover, it also has an alarming number of seasoned employees. The average tenure with the company is 15 years.

There is a logical reason for this true story-one that should not be duplicated elsewhere. The call center was the "dumping" ground for all the other departments in the company. If someone didn't work out in sales, he or she was sent to the call center. Not good at your warehouse job? Well, there is a place for you in the call center. The company was holding fast to an "old employment deal." It stated, "If you are loyal to us, we will be loyal to you and provide life-long employment." Rarely was anyone terminated due to lack of performance. Employees were simply retired to the call center. This led to a new employee classification that one of my associates aptly named, "Retired without leaving."

This may seem like an extreme case, but don't dismiss it all together. Do you receive requests from other departments to "take" a human resource that just isn't cutting it somewhere else? When was the last time you terminated someone for poor job performance (and not just attendance issues but poor quality and / or productivity performance)?