What’s more, putting unprepared staff on the phone with irate customers is expensive. Complex issues take longer to handle, driving up costs: The average cost of a live service contact jumped from $7 in 2009 to nearly $10 five years later. Inadequate training also drives staff turnover, which is exacerbated by a tightening labor market—attrition among customer service reps has shot up from 19% during the Great Recession to 24% today. Not only does higher turnover increase recruitment and training costs, but it also forces companies to pay more to retain the reps they have, lest valuable knowledge and experience walk out the door.