Here at Centergistic Solutions, we like to stay on top of news and trends in the contact center industry. We recently discovered an informative article from the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) entitled Seven Metrics to Watch for Call Center Success.
According to the article, there are seven performance measures that definitively indicate the success of any contact center. Among some of those named are contact quality, which incorporates how courteous agents are, as well as how well they can provide relevant information to customers, forecasting accuracy, which depicts the accuracy of predicting call volume as well as the planning of operations to meet those predictions, and self-service accessibility, which is how often customers are able to initiate and complete a troubleshooting program with little to no interaction from an agent.
In the article, ICMI also identified a key metric that was the single best indicator for contact center success. Studies showed that for every 1% increase in this particular measure, a corresponding 1% improvement in customer satisfaction would also occur. Furthermore, contact centers with higher results for this metric showed lower operating costs, reduced customer defection, and higher employee satisfaction rates.
To find out what this number one metric is, and to learn more about the other six performance measures that best depict contact center success, please visit http://www.centergistic.com/best_call_center_metrics.htm for the full article.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
ROI on Real Time Performance Analytics
It is not so much that it is hard to measure a true ROI for a contact center before real time performance metrics and after. Contact center managers usually lack the time to put one together. The contact center is dynamic and fast moving in nature and most of the individuals in charge lack the time to spend putting before and after reports together. It is not hard, but it takes some time to do it correctly. The best way of course is to take the temperature of the center before a real time system has been installed and then again within about a month after the installation. If you don’t have a real time system in place you’ll need to review historical reports which should be available.
In each case the attainment of these goals dramatically improved the operating efficiency of the centers and helped save dollars in 800# services, payroll (due to shift reduction), training (due to reduced turnover) and management time spent hand creating reports. All these areas collectively are important to achieving goals and maintaining a strong bottom line.
There are some goals that can readily be transformed into more concise measurements that can be tracked through to an ROI. However, it’s not always simple, especially when benchmarking is not utilized or the contact center is undergoing change or expansion. In other words, there may be no existing measuring stick in place to create a starting point. It is possible, however, to narrow down the operational and workforce issues into categories where improvement is desired.
In each case the attainment of these goals dramatically improved the operating efficiency of the centers and helped save dollars in 800# services, payroll (due to shift reduction), training (due to reduced turnover) and management time spent hand creating reports. All these areas collectively are important to achieving goals and maintaining a strong bottom line.
There are some goals that can readily be transformed into more concise measurements that can be tracked through to an ROI. However, it’s not always simple, especially when benchmarking is not utilized or the contact center is undergoing change or expansion. In other words, there may be no existing measuring stick in place to create a starting point. It is possible, however, to narrow down the operational and workforce issues into categories where improvement is desired.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Consultants Network
From time to time our customers express a need for some consulting work. Often it is needed to map out a plan to transition from old systems to new. We have also had requests for help in pulling together a center that needs revamping, needs to re-visit the goals, people and processes. I urge you to keep watch as we build our consultant network. I'm starting with some folks I personally know and whose work I can vouch for. Eventually I hope to make it more dynamic, with a diversity of different types of consultants, serving various geographical locales throughout the world. Keep tuned.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
www.greglevin.com
Wow, how was I missing this site all this time? Here's a guy who really gets it; no nonsense, a splash of humor and a willingness to put some of those old "sacred cows" of contact center conventional wisdom out to pasture. If you get a moment, go to his site, www.greglevin.com He has a book that should be out soon. Looks like it will be a good read.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Agent Desktop Real Estate
The desktop is valuable property. Every inch needs to be used effectively. Make sure your agent can see his/her key metrics on the desktop! Yes, metrics matter and need to be included. I've written a brief article on this subject. You can get to it by going to http://www.centergistic.com/all-download.htm. Don't make the mistake of forcing your team to go hunting for metrics. You can have the best of both worlds.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Bypass the IVR to a Live Person!
When you are really exasperated or in a huge rush and really, truly need to bypass the IVR FAQs, go to: http://www.gethuman.com
Wealth of information, easy to scan to and get to the company you need to "get to"!
Good luck.
Wealth of information, easy to scan to and get to the company you need to "get to"!
Good luck.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tech Tip of the Month: Expanding the virtual office with PageBreak
Report real-time ACD performance indicators on your cell phones and in email
As a contact center manager, your job requires you to identify and analyze staffing problems that affect your achieving customer service goals.
The primary cause of service level objectives not being met comes from insufficient staff, NOT insufficient staffing. The bodies are present but not adhering to their schedules.
Our Tech Tip this month looks at a real life staffing problem encountered by a 24-hour contact center manager and how PageBreak was used to address it.
Required Materials:
• AgentView Enterprise
• A cell phone or other like device capable of receiving email.
• A valid email account to be used for transmitting PageBreak messages.
HERE'S THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM:
Our customer runs a 24 x 7 contact center. On the late night shift, the small staff likes to take breaks and lunches together, which leaves the ACD queue unstaffed for a portion of the interval. The staff returns in time to answer the calls prior to them being abandoned, but causing the service level performance to be horrendously low. Because staff activity reports don't provide login/logout times, it's impossible to determine how long the queue goes unstaffed and who might be the cause. And scheduling another team lead to supervise this group is NOT an option.
HERE'S OUR SOLUTION:
AgentView Enterprise will monitor the queue Staffing levels (specifically the number of agents signed into the phone) and PageBreak will alert the manager through his cell phone when everybody is signed out. The manager can then jump on it (from off-site) immediately when the problem starts.
THIS SCENARIO was a real-life situation where PageBreak was configured to monitor Primary Agents Signed In. Then when there were 0 agents signed into the queue for 5 consecutive minutes (a very generous latitude) PageBreak would page several managers simultaneously reporting the issue.
THIS CHRONIC STAFF BEHAVIOR PROBLEM was solved within two instances of it occurring.
Problem identified, solution (PageBreak) chosen, problem solved.
For assistance in strategizing, planning, configuring and utilizing PageBreak, please contact your Centergistic Solutions account manager at 800-387-0264.
As a contact center manager, your job requires you to identify and analyze staffing problems that affect your achieving customer service goals.
The primary cause of service level objectives not being met comes from insufficient staff, NOT insufficient staffing. The bodies are present but not adhering to their schedules.
Our Tech Tip this month looks at a real life staffing problem encountered by a 24-hour contact center manager and how PageBreak was used to address it.
Required Materials:
• AgentView Enterprise
• A cell phone or other like device capable of receiving email.
• A valid email account to be used for transmitting PageBreak messages.
HERE'S THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM:
Our customer runs a 24 x 7 contact center. On the late night shift, the small staff likes to take breaks and lunches together, which leaves the ACD queue unstaffed for a portion of the interval. The staff returns in time to answer the calls prior to them being abandoned, but causing the service level performance to be horrendously low. Because staff activity reports don't provide login/logout times, it's impossible to determine how long the queue goes unstaffed and who might be the cause. And scheduling another team lead to supervise this group is NOT an option.
HERE'S OUR SOLUTION:
AgentView Enterprise will monitor the queue Staffing levels (specifically the number of agents signed into the phone) and PageBreak will alert the manager through his cell phone when everybody is signed out. The manager can then jump on it (from off-site) immediately when the problem starts.
THIS SCENARIO was a real-life situation where PageBreak was configured to monitor Primary Agents Signed In. Then when there were 0 agents signed into the queue for 5 consecutive minutes (a very generous latitude) PageBreak would page several managers simultaneously reporting the issue.
THIS CHRONIC STAFF BEHAVIOR PROBLEM was solved within two instances of it occurring.
Problem identified, solution (PageBreak) chosen, problem solved.
For assistance in strategizing, planning, configuring and utilizing PageBreak, please contact your Centergistic Solutions account manager at 800-387-0264.
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