Moving the Call Center from Good to World Class

What makes a contact center world class and how do I get there? This question is on the minds of more and more call center executives and leaders today because of the successes realized by companies — Amazon, Zappos, USAA and others — that have positioned service as their key differentiator.

These companies operate successfully in low-margin, high-competition industries because they’ve created loyalty and volume by focusing on a great customer experience. A recent study by the DiJulius Group found that only about 5% of companies fall into the world-class category. The majority provide customer service at average or below-average levels.

Based on how the shift by companies to a focus on customer service, the number of world-class ratings should be much higher, but many companies fall short in the area where the rubber meets the road — the contact center. If a company doesn’t get the contact center part of the customer experience right, that company will never be able to move the customer’s perception of them to anywhere near world class.

What makes a contact center world class and how do I get there? This question is on the minds of more and more call center executives and leaders today because of the successes realized by companies — Amazon, Zappos, USAA and others — that have positioned service as their key differentiator. These companies operate successfully in low-margin, high-competition industries because they’ve created loyalty and volume by focusing on a great customer experience. A recent study by the DiJulius Group found that only about 5% of companies fall into the world-class category. The majority provide customer service at average or below-average levels. Based on how the shift by companies to a focus on customer service, the number of world-class ratings should be much higher, but many companies fall short in the area where the rubber meets the road — the contact center. If a company doesn’t get the contact center part of the customer experience right, that company will never be able to move the customer’s perception of them to anywhere near world class.

Read the entire article here:

http://cooneysolutionsgroup.com/files/LTmar10_WorldClass.pdf

We can help you deliver world-class:

http://cooneysolutionsgroup.com/Overview.html

Articles and free downloads can be found at

http://www.servicelevelgroup.com

Moving Call Center Agent Metrics into Action

Even the best call centers struggle with agent metrics – we’ve got so many ways to slice and dice the data that it often feels like we’re missing something if we don’t “take advantage” of all the numbers.   This results in lots of metrics and reports with agents caught in the middle of trying to meet the numbers and serve customers.   When rewards are placed against unbalanced metrics, the numbers will win every time and the customer will get a lower agent priority.    And, given the rapid change in the call center environment, static goals can paralyze everyone  – we start looking down and back vs. where the real value is – ahead.

I’ve had the privilege to speak to thousands of call center professionals in several countries – it doesn’t matter where in the world we are, the agent metric topic always draws a crowd.    I recently delivered a summarized version of my workshop to hundreds of call center leaders during a virtual symposium.    Below is a summary of the session along with a link to download the actual PowerPoint slides and a few extras.

Moving Call Center Agent Metrics Into Action – These days, contact center costs are getting more attention than ever and the pressure is being felt at all levels of the organization.  Front-line managers are often caught in the middle and find themselves struggling to balance conflicting objectives and priorities.   When everyone isn’t aligned, it quickly finds its way to the front line and ultimately, the customer.  There’s no easy cure, but in this workshop you’ll learn practical ways to use the resources you already have more effectively and move your organization closer to getting everyone on the same “productivity page”.  Join industry expert, widely published author and popular speaker, Tim Montgomery, as he shares what he’s experienced in working with some of the world’s most celebrated service organizations.   Highlights from the session include:
–        Connecting the productivity improvement dots – how to get everyone in the organization to better appreciate call center productivity
–        Seven proven tactics for defining and improving individual agent productivity
–        Strategies for using metrics to motivate positive behavior changes – and what to avoid

http://www.servicelevelgroup.com/CRMExchangeNov09.html

Articles and free downloads can be found athttp://www.servicelevelgroup.com

Creating a World Class Call Center One Contact at a Time

Every contact in a call center is an opportunity to deliver an exceptional experience.   Leaders often get distracted by all of the metrics and reports available and lose sight of the real value – the call.   I have worked with some great call centers and wonderful leaders – one of those helped me craft the article in the link below – Moments of Truth:  Driving Organizational Value through Every Interaction.  Sharon is an executive with Farmers Insurance and a former executive at USAA – both great organizations that others can learn from.

http://www.servicelevelgroup.com/files/LTsep09_OrgValue.pdf

To order a subscription to Contact Center Pipeline, click the link below:

http://www.contactcenterpipeline.com/p-15-contact-center-pipeline.aspx

Be sure to enter the coupon code TM09 during checkout.

Good luck  –  more articles and free downloads can be found at http://www.servicelevelgroup.com

Thoughts on creating a great call center culture

There are a lot of “great places to work” lists – national, regional, industry specific, etc…   Good news is several companies with big call centers have made these lists.   These companies treat the call center as a value vs. a cost and the agents that work in these centers are totally engaged – and, the customers feel it.   Getting to this point in a call center is no easy task and many find it easier to focus on the “necessary evil” of providing service via a centralized group.   Raising the contact center bar starts with some self reflection on the reality of the culture – and then starting to undo many of the self-inflicted barriers.  This doesn’t have to (and shouldn’t) be a top down exercise – great cultures have an openness that allows everyone to share new ideas and challenge conventional wisdom.

In a recent weekly email from Gazelles (worth signing up for at http://www.gazelles.com/index.html), they highlighted the Netflix approach to culture development and policies.    The presentation below is 128 pages of great ideas on addressing real issues head-on and creating a culture where employees can grow and customers will benefit.    I’ve been through the presentation at least 10 times and each time, I get a new call center culture “action item”.   No matter what level you are in your company, there are several ideas here for you to bring to the attention of others to help make the environment better for your employees…and, customers.

Culture

View more presentations from Reed Hastings.

Good luck  –  more articles and free downloads can be found at www.servicelevelgroup.com

Getting Senior Management Onboard – Part 1

“Senior management just doesn’t get it.” That’s a comment I’ve heard time and again from call center managers who are struggling with issues such as staffing, getting support for new technology or obtaining respect for their department. My reply is always the same: It’s our job as call center leaders to get them to understand, and we can’t stop until everyone appreciates the value and dynamics of our real-time inbound environment.

Now, you might be thinking (and I’ve heard it time and again) that it’s easy to say if you don’t have to live it every day. Fair enough, but as a consultant involved in transforming senior management’s opinions on the call center on several occasions, I know it can be done. The key is making it happen in targeted, digestible chunks. I’ve worked with many very smart people who, for one reason or another, have adopted a “keeping your head above water” approach to call center management approach.

The truth is that many senior executives with call center responsibilities have never run a call center. In many cases, they’re focused other organizational issues that pull them away from gaining a true understanding of our challenges. But that’s not a bad thing – it actually makes it a lot easier to transform their opinions.

OK, so where should you start and what should you be doing? First and foremost, you need to be on top of your game. Make sure that you have a solid understanding of how to intelligently describe the tactical stuff, and make the connection between the call center and the value it brings to the company. Yes, to get buy-in from others, you have to become a student of call centers and continually look for ways to sharpen your own skills.

My advice for staying on top of your game is don’t try to reinvent the wheel – chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re looking for new ideas, which is a great first step. Make sure that your knowledge of call centers is not only accurate, but the way things are still being done. Attend conferences, seminars and training courses that focus on the basics of call center management or more advanced courses on strategy and technology. (There are several organizations that offer these types of programs. You can find more information on the Industry Links page at the Service Level Group’s Web site.  Another way to keep abreast of the latest trends is to subscribe to – and READ – as many industry publication as you can. There are lots of free call center-focused publications available and most provide weekly email updates.

While you’re getting yourself up to speed, try to get a feel for what your senior management is reading. Many times, their ideas and strategies are derived from popular business books and non-call center periodicals. The next time you’re in a senior manager’s office, take a look around to see what newspapers, magazines and books are laying around – and then get a copy for yourself. You’d be surprised at how many ideas and theories from mainstream articles and books can be applied to the call center environment. The best part is, you can use it as point of reference the next time you have an opportunity to “talk call centers” with the boss.

Get more, including Free web seminars and articles at http://www.servicelevelgroup.com/

Opportunity #3 – Stop trying to solve problems by making your customers do your agent’s work.

Again,  look at the operation from the customer’s perspective — not just the company’s. Much of the technologies available to contact centers are focused on how to become more efficient – not a bad thing, but keep in mind what “efficient” means.  It’s a point-in-time improvement based on history (e.g., reducing handle time, thus reducing the number of agents needed).  A common approach to creating a more efficient contact center is to focus on reducing the amount of “agent engagement” time by moving responsibility to the customer (e.g., hiding the agent prompt in the IVR; forcing all of the up-front information-gathering via speech; and not providing phone numbers on a Web site).  While such approaches seem to make good financial sense, they all make the customer work harder to do business with you.   And companies that adopt this approach quickly find that by passing on time from agents to consumers, loyalty drops, customer attrition increases and once valuable business intelligence is no longer available.

In many cases,  company-level contact center “efficiency” initiatives are born from  misguided agent level measures that that focus on reducing the time interacting with customers to decrease headcount.  Conventional company wisdom goes something like this: If the contact center can save headcount by reducing agent talk time, then every new technology needs to be an enabler. Then everyone outside of the contact center gets involved and handle time becomes the root of all evil, and reducing it is the way to save money and improve the quarterly cost numbers.  Soon you lose site of the customer, they’re doing more of the work, and ultimately they migrate to the competition – but you’ll never know when or why because no one talked to them.

In the customer service world it’s real easy to get caught up in an ongoing “penny pinching” exercise to improve the bottom line.   Customers quickly feel the pinch, followed by the pain — and look for  ways to ease it, which typically entails defecting to the competition.   

Move your center from an efficiency-focused organization to a customer-focused one.   Agent performance can be measured in many ways, but be sure the inputs are within their direct control – quality, adherence to schedule and procedures, first-contact resolution, initiation of cross-selling and upselling opportunities, etc. No matter what performance measures you choose, you want agents to be empowered to focus on helping customers get the information they need, and not just looking to reduce the time spent to meet an efficiency goal. Strongly emphasize this with agents; help them understand the transition, the metrics for which they will be accountable, and what’s in it for the customers they serve.  

Impact:  Removing these pressures from agents and allowing them to focus on service ensures the right thing is done the first time.  With this you’ll see a reduction in volume, improved customer results (revenue, retention, etc.), and, most importantly, you’ll have better information to plan your day.   Without an accurate view of what it takes to serve the customer, you’ll never get the planning part right — and if you don’t get the planning part right, you’re doomed to a life of continuous real-time management.  

Get more, including Free web seminars and articles at http://www.servicelevelgroup.com/

Opportunity #2 – Breakdown the organizational silos that have found their way into your call routing strategy.

Once everyone is educated on the dynamic nature and the realities of the contact center, you’ll want to revisit your approach to providing customer support. Companies often get stuck in silos (products, divisions, activities, reporting relationships, etc.), and this is transferred into the contact center and the way customers are handled.

Begin by asking yourself a few questions: 

1)    Do you force customers to wait in specific silos for service when often times there are people available in other silos who can help?  

2)    Do you have an organization with multiple call centers that don’t all report to the same leader?

3)    Can your customers receive a different level of service depending on the reason (service, sales, technical, etc) or segment (business, consumer, partner, etc) of the call?

4)    Does your center dedicate more time and effort to making real-time adjustments than they dedicate to their forecasting activities?

5)    Do you spend more time coordinating internal changes to shared systems than you do implementing the change?

6)    Is there one executive that truly owns the entire customer experience…both on and off the organizational chart?

Companies that begin to look at their call routing strategy from a customer-centric vs. company-centric perspective normally find several holes in the way the customer is treated, differences in the way results are interpreted and gaps in who is really accountable.  This confusion helps adds fuel to the ever-present internal finger-pointing exercise that results in more internal initiatives to help reinforce the customer-centric strategy.   Unfortunately, these initiatives often end up addressing internal reporting, communication and organization chart issues, while the customer is still receiving the same “luck of the draw” experience.  Regardless of how your organization tackles these issues, you should start with the following approach – give every customer the same chance to get the same level of service, regardless of when or why they contact you. Ultimately you are one to them, and every contact is an opportunity to    overwhelm them with delight.

 

Impact:  If done correctly, you’ll immediately gain capacity to handle more calls with the same number of agents and dramatically reduce your queue times.  Don’t confuse this with moving skills or giving authority for other departments to have access to agents – both are signs of a flawed planning process.   This is a real-time balancing of customer needs with company service capability – and if you do it right, it doesn’t require any real-time changes.

Get more, including Free web seminars and articles at http://www.servicelevelgroup.com/

Call Centers Are about Intervals – Not Days, Weeks or Months

You have to  look at every single half-hour or hour interval in the contact center  as an opportunity to make sure that all agents are going to be able to deliver on their moment of truth. It starts with the basics of staffing.  A lot of the technology available to call centers focus on  intervals.  These tools help make sure that  the  right call goes to the right person at the right time.  It’s up to the leadership team  to  ensure you  have the right number of people by interval throughout the day. 

There is a quote that I love from a recognized marketing expert and author, Seth Godden: “The opposite of remarkable is very good. Very good is an everyday occurrence and hardly worth mentioning.”  That’s why more and more people are saying that if your customers are satisfied, they are at risk. 

Use your call center to create real loyalty.  Satisfaction is an enabler to loyalty but your focus has to be on every single interaction..and this happens in every interval of the day.  

Ask yourself –
“Are we doing everything we can to deliver the moment of truth in every interval?” 
“Are we taking lessons from each moment of truth and using what we learn to improve our processes going forward in every interval?”  
“ Are we creating an environment that  fosters   loyalty among everybody  who is calling our contact center in every interval?”

If you don’t focus on getting it right in every interval, you’ll always be chasing satisfaction vs.  enjoying loyalty.   And, you just might find that by getting the basics right in every interval (staff, quality, leaders focused on the future, etc),  cost will be lower – yes, reduce cost and increase loyalty by getting the interval enablers in place…for every interval. 

 

Get more, including Free web seminars and articles at http://www.servicelevelgroup.com/

Join call center leaders and industry experts at the 4^th Annual Call Center Summit, taking place January 26-29, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. The Call Center Summit focuses on customer focused strategies for financial success. Successful practitioners  will teach you how to navigate through a sea of technological obstacles, process challenges, and budget restrictions to deliver a great customer experience, retain customers, and drive revenue. The conference features 2 live case studies during the site tours of Disney Destinations and Contact Centers of America. Case Studies will show you step by step how companies have successfully moved their call centers to the forefront of company business. For more information, view the brochure at www.callcenterevent.com/brochure.php

 

As a reader of this blog, you will receive a 15% discount off the standard conference price by mentioning code IUS_SLG_#001. Register by calling 1-800-882-8684, emailing event marketer, Nisha Prasad at nisha.prasad@iqpc.com, or visiting www.callcenterevent.com

 

The Basic Challenges of Running Call Centers Never Seem to Change

I was recently doing some cleaning of my files and came across an article I wrote in December of 2002 that highlighted my 2003 call center management declarations. It’s amazing how the same challenges exist with most of my clients today, and I thought I’d share the article with you:

As we bring this year to a close, many of us will set personal resolutions and goals for 2003.   Even though many times we aren’t able make good on our declarations, they often provide a starting point for changing a behavior or making an improvement.    Just as with personal goals, resolutions can also help us develop new habits at work; below are some ideas to help call center leaders start 2003 moving in the right direction:

I promise that next year I’ll get along with the Telecom department.   Unfortunately, many organizations have so divided the two departments that they begin to operate in ways that do more harm than good. The bottom line is that Operations needs IT just as much as IT needs Operations – the key is to get everyone on the same page and moving in a common direction (e.g., improving the customer experience).    My advice to break the ice is to take the Telecom department out to lunch —  somewhere other than the company cafeteria.   Sounds simple, and is, but it can also prove very effective for setting a foundation for a year of open communication instead of continued frustration.

I promise that next year I’ll clean up my ACD reports.   This is one of those things that we all know needs to be done, but we just never get around to it.    Almost every call center generates way too many reports or provides reports containing nearly useless information.    It’s also common to find managers interpreting and communicating the same report results differently.   The key is to spend time with the entire staff to understand what’s needed to successfully manage the business, and to offer them the training needed to leverage the information provided.  This is actually an easy (and necessary) way to quickly and cheaply improve a department’s operating results.

I promise that next year, I’ll get the staffing I need to be successful.   Believe it or not, staffing a call center comes down to simple math.  Your inputs are the expected workload and agent utilization balanced against your objectives (service levels, response times) to give you the output – the required staffing.   By gaining a better appreciation for the inputs, you’ll be in a much better position to convince others in the organization to support the numbers.   Yes, you do need to spend more time on developing creative ways to articulate the inputs than on the math exercise itself.

I promise that next year I’m going to find more time to invest in my own development.   If you can only pick one thing to tackle, this would be it.   No matter whether you’re in Operations or IT, you have to continually take time to grow as a professional.   As Henry Ford said,  “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80.  Anyone who keeps learning stays young.  The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”   As call center leaders, we no longer have a good excuse for not growing. Over the last few years, the amount of available call center information has grown dramatically and we’re finally making the turn to becoming a recognized (and respected) profession.

Get more, including Free web seminars and articles at http://www.servicelevelgroup.com/

Creating and Communicating the Value of the Call Center (Part 2)

As I mentioned in Part 1 of this four-part series, most call center leaders find themselves spending several hours a week “defending” the metrics, and are often on a quests to make this task go away.  Prevention starts with educating everyone in the organization and creating an understanding of what these measures really mean and how they’re calculated.   Think about a brick and mortar retail environment; they advertise that the doors will be open for business during a certain time period, and ensure that people can get in during that time. That’s really no different than your contact center availability objectives – you’re basically measuring if you had the door open for people when you said you would.  The difference is that you’re managing it by interval several times a day; if you only look at it by the day, you could actually have the door closed for half the day and extra doors open the other half. The former is bad for the customer, and the latter adds cost to the company.- and neither adds any value to the organization.

 

In a call center, we often try to make the numbers look better by throwing more bodies at the low accessibility numbers in the afternoon – these are often the bodies we pay the most for (supervisors, senior reps, etc.) and are, in almost every case, unnecessary and detract from the things that add real customer and organizational value.  When you see an accessibility score recorded for a call center, it means it has already happened, and for those customers that were part of the score, there is nothing you can do to fix their experience.  

 

The key is to focus on the drivers of the score.  The best contact centers have an ongoing planning focus, and the scores provide insight on new ways to improve the plan – from both the contact center’s and customer’s prospective. These environments focus little attention on historical results, and pour their energy in ensuring that they have near-term and long-term plans in place to help improve future scores.

 

Below is an example of a way to help your contact center learn to view  accessibility scores for what they really are – interval metrics that must be balanced.  It also provides a quick way to understand the drivers of success: Did we get the right number of calls? Did agents do what we expected (adherence)? And did something about the process cause the handle time to be more or less than normal?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The goal is to get everyone who evaluates scores to begin thinking about ways to prevent problems from happening in the future, and to focus on the interval treatment of customers and on how much time the company took from them. Once you’ve got this in place, you can reduce the reliance on complex spreadsheets by combining your intervals with the results – focusing on how many intervals of the day you were successful.  Looking at it this way provides internal and external leaders with a much clearer view of daily success, along with an understanding that the center is focused on planning for future improvements vs. trying to over-analyze what when wrong. 

 

Below is an example of how to take the spreadsheet above and summarize it in a way that provides single leadership metrics with complete leadership visibility:

 

82% of the intervals within the service level objective

86% of the intervals within the average speed of answer objective

89% of the intervals within the answer rate objective

82% of the intervals within the abandon rate objective

79% of the intervals within the call forecast objective

50% of the intervals within the AHT forecast objective

90% of the intervals within the agent adherence objective

Get more, including Free web seminars and articles at http://www.servicelevelgroup.com/