Case Study: Transforming Company Culture and Reducing Turnover by 82% at TAS United

“You did a huge thing! In an industry where turnover is problematic, you’ve created a program that has changed our company forever!”
-Kevin Ryan; TAS United President

Executive Summary

Dramatically reduced its employee turnover rate by 82%. This transformation resulted in approximately $650,000 in annual savings on training costs while creating a healthier, more engaged workplace culture.

The Challenge

TAS United is a US-based call center operation employing approximately 200 people. Like many organizations in the call center industry, TAS United faced significant challenges with employee retention that threatened operational efficiency and profitability.

The Problem

TAS United was experiencing a crisis with an alarmingly high annual turnover rate. The company was cycling through one and a half times its entire workforce each year, creating substantial financial and operational burdens.

Through employee surveys, exit interviews, and stakeholder discussions, four critical issues were identified:

  • Challenging Work Environment – Low morale
  • Distrust of Leadership – Broken communication and lack of transparency between management, supervisors, and frontline employees
  • Operational Instability – Constant schedule changes disrupting work-life balance
  • Limited Growth Opportunities – No clear career advancement paths, leading to employee disengagement and boredom

Business Impact

The high turnover rate was costing TAS United significant resources:

  • Excessive recruitment and onboarding expenses
  • Lost productivity during training periods
  • Decreased customer satisfaction due to inexperienced staff
  • Lowered team morale as experienced employees departed

The Solution

Coming out of the pandemic, the call center industry underwent a rapid and lasting transformation. What had long been an industry built around large office environments shifted almost overnight to a fully remote workforce. When employees were later given the option to return to physical offices, many chose not to, and turnover rates surged across the industry.

To meet the changing expectations of the workforce, call centers adapted to a work from home model. While this shift offered flexibility and continuity, it also introduced new challenges, particularly around visibility, communication, and engagement in environments where employees were no longer physically present.

In response, a comprehensive employee retention strategy was developed and implemented between July 2022 and July 2023. The strategy focused on rebuilding trust and strengthening communication across a hybrid workforce that included both in office and remote employees. It also emphasized creating clearer pathways for growth, increasing recognition, and fostering a stronger sense of connection and belonging, regardless of where employees worked.

Key Initiatives

1. Enhanced Communication Infrastructure

  • Monthly Newsletter: Launched an engaging internal newsletter to keep employees informed about company news, celebrate achievements, and maintain transparency
  • Improved Communication Flows: Established clear, consistent channels between leadership and employees
  • Email Marketing Platform: Implemented modern communication tools to deliver timely, professional internal communications
  • External Communication:Not only did the client strengthen internal communication, they also took a transparent and proactive approach with clients and prospects by clearly communicating the changes being implemented. As more businesses began closely monitoring the turnover rates of their call center partners, this level of openness became increasingly important.

    The partnership with Fun Intended emerged as a powerful differentiator and a key selling point. By actively sharing the steps being taken to improve employee engagement, retention, and overall workforce stability, the company was able to build greater trust with both existing clients and prospective partners. This transparency reinforced the message that the organization was investing in its people, which in turn translated to higher confidence in the quality and consistency of service being delivered.

2. Rewards and Recognition Program

  • Deployed an online rewards and recognition platform
  • Created a structured system to acknowledge employee achievements
  • Enabled peer-to-peer recognition to build team cohesion
  • Provided tangible rewards for exceptional performance

3. Training and Development Enhancements

  • Implemented a Learning Management System (LMS) to standardize and
    improve training quality
  • Developed more engaging and effective training content
  • Created clear learning pathways for new and existing employees
  • Reduced time-to-proficiency for new hires

4. Employee Voice and Feedback

  • Introduced a digital suggestion box to gather employee input
  • Demonstrated responsiveness by acting on employee feedback
  • Rebuilt trust by showing that employee opinions mattered

5. Gamification and Engagement

  • Designed interactive games and contests tied to key performance indicators (KPIs)
  • Made daily work more engaging and competitive in a healthy way
  • Used design platforms to create visually appealing, fun challenges
  • Increased motivation around performance metrics

6. Career Development Framework

  • Established clear career pathing showing advancement opportunities
  • Created visible progression routes from entry-level to senior positions
  • Provided employees with long-term vision for their careers at TAS United
  • Introduced annual performance reviews to discuss growth and development
  • Implemented leadership training courses for supervisors and management.

7. Cultural Foundation

  • Defined and communicated company core values
  • Aligned all initiatives with these values
  • Used values as a framework for decision-making and recognition
  • The client proactively and transparently communicated with both clients and prospects to clearly convey that these changes were actively being implemented.

Implementation Approach

The strategy was rolled out  systematically over 12 months:

  • Months 1-3: Foundation building: Establishing core values, implementing communication platforms, and launching the suggestion box
  • Months 4-6: Recognition and development: Rolling out the rewards program, career pathing framework, and enhanced training
  • Months 7-9: Engagement amplification: Launching games, contests, and the monthly newsletter
  • Months 10-12: Optimization and reinforcement: Implementing annual reviews and refining all programs based on feedback

The Results

Primary Outcome

Turnover Rate Reduction:

  • 82-percentage-point reduction (53% relative reduction)
  • Achieved in just 12 months (July 2022 – July 2023)
  • Sustained improvement across all employee segments

Financial Impact

$650,000 in Annual Savings

  • Reduced recruitment costs
  • Decreased training and onboarding expenses
  • Improved operational efficiency
  • Enhanced customer experience through experienced staff retention

Cultural Transformation

  • Rebuilt trust between employees and management
  • Created a positive, engaging work environment
  • Established transparent, consistent communication practices
  • Empowered employees with voice and growth opportunities

Program Success Rate

All implemented initiatives achieved their objectives:

  • Monthly newsletter maintained high open and engagement rates
  • Rewards platform saw active participation across all departments
  • Training completion rates improved significantly
  • Employee suggestions led to meaningful operational improvements
  • Games and contests consistently drove KPI improvements
  • Career pathing framework reduced “dead-end job” perceptions

Key Success Factors

Comprehensive Approach: Addressed multiple root causes simultaneously rather than implementing piecemeal solutions
Employee-Centric Design: All programs were designed with employee needs and preferences in mind
Technology Enablement: Leveraged modern platforms to deliver professional, engaging experiences
Consistent Communication: Maintained regular touchpoints to build trust and transparency
Data-Driven Decisions: Used metrics and feedback to guide program development an refinement
Leadership Commitment: Secured buy-in and active participation from management
Quick Wins: Generated early successes to build momentum and credibility

Lessons Learned

  • Culture change requires patience and persistence: While results were achieved in 12 months, maintaining them requires ongoing commitment
  • Employee input is invaluable: The suggestion box provided insights that informed program improvements
  • Recognition matters: Employees who felt valued were significantly more likely to stay
  • Career visibility reduces turnover: Clear growth paths gave employees reasons to invest in their future with the company
  • Communication is foundational: Most trust issues stem from communication breakdowns

Conclusion

By systematically addressing the root causes of turnover through a comprehensive
employee engagement strategy, TAS United transformed from a workplace with a
turnover crisis to a stable organization with an 82% improvement in just one year. This improvement not only saved the company an estimated $650,000 annually but also created a healthier, more positive work environment where employees felt valued, heard, and invested in their futures.

The success of this initiative demonstrates that even organizations facing severe retention challenges can achieve dramatic improvements through strategic, employee-focused interventions. The key lies in understanding the true root causes of dissatisfaction, designing targeted solutions, and implementing them with consistency and genuine commitment to employee wellbeing.

For more information about this case study or to discuss similar employee engagement challenges, please contact Fun Intended.

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Industry Research Sources

Workplace engagement data referenced throughout this site is supported by independent research from Gallup Workplace Research and
the Society for Human Resource Management

Fun Intended operates independently and is not affiliated with these organizations.