Moving Contact Centers from Planning into Action: The Frontline Leader’s Role

Contact centers are often the major link between companies and their customers.  It is the contact center that can drive the customer to be an unwavering fan or a discouraged critic.  And it is the experience provided to the customer by the contact center that separates the best from the merely passable.   Interestingly, most contact centers are not created to be this customer service champion; instead they evolve from changing needs of the organization.  Many companies discover they have become a contact center when they still thought they were just a retailer, bank, utility, or other organization.

To run a successful contact center, managers must understand and leverage their people and technology in new ways.  Our technologies provide a tremendous amount of data, and the best organizations utilize this information to transform the business.  With so much data available, leaders can become engulfed in reports, scorecards and dashboards without seeing any real improvement in customer service.  Or worse, the customer experience can fall even while scorecards suggest otherwise. What data to focus on is driven by the metrics identified to evaluate and improve the organization, but what drives the metrics?

http://cooneysolutionsgroup.com/files/SSaug10_PlanningIntoAction.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

Coaching Leaders – A Requirement for Contact Center Success

A direct link to providing world-class contact center service is having employees with the right attitude, skills, and motivation to deliver during every moment-of-truth interaction.   Many companies have developed formal coaching programs targeted at getting front-line agents armed with the right information and processes to provide service that meets the customer and company requirements. While these programs can improve customer interactions, they often become more routine than effective and result in a task to be completed, versus an activity that everyone looks forward to. Much of the blame for the short-lived success in most agent coaching programs is the lack of investment in the leaders tasked with execution. Contact centers tend to neglect a critical success factor in coaching agents – the ongoing coaching for the leaders that provide coaching.

The reality is that everyone can use a coach, and in the challenging, labor-intensive call center environment, leaders need to have just as much, if not more, interactions to help them improve themselves and others. During our visits with various contact centers, the word “coaching” is often used in conversations with management. However, it isn’t always clear what coaching actually means –Coaching is  based on the French word that means a vehicle to transport people from one place to another. Within the context of coaching front-line managers, effective coaching brings to light whatever is getting in the manager’s way from taking his or her employees to world-class service delivery on every customer interaction. It’s all about helping the front-line manager identify these barriers, finding creative ways to bust through them, and then holding him accountable for doing so. In this respect, the leadership coach is in a partnership with the front-line manager/coachee and becomes a catalyst for improved results.

Click here to read the entire article:

http://www.servicelevelgroup.com/files/LTmay10_FrontLeaders.pdf

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

World Class Call Center Trends

I recently did a seminar on call center trends and where we see the industry moving in the next few years.   The biggest change we’re seeing isn’t in process and technology – it’s in the way companies are viewing the contribution of the call center.  More executives are starting to see that the call center can create a competitive advantage and in most cases provide a positive ROI.   Because of this new focus we’re starting to see more investments in helping the leadership teams in call centers better understand the “why” and “how” of call centers.    Our 2 day customized program is focused on helping contact centers move the bar and we’ve delivered programs to great companies, such as  USAA, DELL, Farmers Insurance, Sykes,Cash America, Isagenix, ADP, SWBC, Allstate, Prudential,  Kodak and many more.  More information on our customized training program can be found by clicking the link below:

http://servicelevelgroup.com/files/Onsite%20Contact%20Center%20Leadership%20Workshop%20Outline.pdf

Some great insight into what world-class call centers do can be found in the new issue of Business Week and its coverage of USAA’s service delivery program

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_09/b4168040782858.htm?chan=magazine+channel_special+report

Speaking of USAA, I’ve been fortunate to work with some really great companies and people – I take every opportunity to discuss the “how to” with leaders of  world class organizations.   I recently had a conversation with the former COO of USAA, Tim Handren.   I asked him the “how to” question and he started down the path of “diet and exercise”.    Like most people that hear the story, I wasn’t sure where this was going to go, but it all comes together in a way that easily reminds everyone that they have to focus on the basics every single day to obtain and maintain world class call center service. This conversation turned into the article below:

http://servicelevelgroup.com/files/LTjul09_CustLoyalty.pdf

More 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

Stop Attacking the Queue!

Ping Pong – get on the phone, get off the phone.   This is a common challenge is many call centers and often the source of thousands of hours in lost productivity.   We put technology in place to create queues  (the ACD) and then we put policies in place to get calls out of queue.     Queues aren’t a bad thing and part of the plan – key is to know what the plan should be and educate others.

About 5 years ago I created a seminar titled “Stop Attacking the Queue!”    It has become one  of the most popular sessions at the industry’s top events.    I’ve now delivered this message to thousands of call center leaders and it continues to create buzz and interest.    Just two weeks ago, I delivered it at worlds largest call center conference – ACCE.    Here is a link to the session slides and additional readings.   If you want to hear more, email me at timm@servicelevelgroup.com and I’ll be happy to set up a call.

http://servicelevelgroup.com/acceoct09.html

Good luck!

Articles and free downloads can be found at http://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

Moving from good to world class

I recently had the opportunity to deliver a keynote in Austin, Texas that was focused on how call centers make the leap from good to world class.   This leap isn’t easy – a recent study found that only 5% of companies are able to deliver world class service.    Many companies don’t think they can make the leap or have the resources to make world class a target – in today’s real-time communication environment, you don’t have a choice – not focusing on world class will cost you more.    As marketing guru Set Godin says “The opposite of remarkable is very good…very good is an everyday occurrence and hardly worth mentioning.”  World class gets people talking…and this type of talk is powerful and free.

Here is a link to download the slides from the session along with the participant notes and some additional information.

http://servicelevelgroup.com/accasep09.html

Good luck  –  more articles and free downloads can be found at

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

Call Center Agent Utilization – Small Improvements Can Equal Large Returns

With about 75% of center costs tied up in labor, every leader should understand how to positively impact efficiency – simply put, with service level equal, you have to reduce volume or time to impact cost. Not rocket science and it’s easy to turn this into a real ROI to get everyone focused on improving the right things – not just the numbers.   Below is an example of a mid-sized call center and an estimate of the cost to provide service meeting an 80/20 Service Level Objective:

(click the image to enlarge)

Many centers focus on handle time — there are good things and bad things associated with this measure. If done right, better handle times can result in improved service to all customers and happier front line reps, but if not managed correctly, the outcomes can have disastrous impacts — higher turnover, loss of focus, management burnout, customer attrition, etc. In this case we’re going to assume that a handle time focused initiative is done right and it starts with the front line employees. For simplicity purposes, the above example has a center staffed to answer the same number of calls in each half-hour of the day at a consistent level of service (80 percent in 20 seconds). Again for simplicity, we also left out the queuing (hold time) associated with the telecom cost. The outcome is something that every contact center should know — how much does it cost to provide service each day and what is the average cost of each agent interaction. Armed with this information alone, everyone – from the front-line agents to the executive management — is able to gain a whole new appreciation for the value (and yes, costs) associated with the center.

Moving forward with a good handle time focused initiative, the center would then engage the front line to begin to tackle the things that will impact agent talk time, like — scheduling flexibility, effective coaching, agent metrics that motivate, and positive evaluations. The team would also provide feedback on the things that can improve After Call Work time — more efficient internal processes, better back office resource availability and systems/workflow enhancements. If done right, the front line agents will be able to provide you positive feedback on all of these topics and will most likely have great ideals on many other handle time related opportunities. If these ideas have just a 5% impact on the talk time and a 10% impact on the after call work time, the annual savings are tremendous:

(click image to enlarge)

This doesn’t mean anyone has to work harder — in fact, it will most likely be just the opposite — with improved tools and processes, agents are able to provide better solutions quicker and with more focus on the needs of the front line agents, managers are able to spend more of their energy focused in a positive direction. And for the customer, it feels better — no extra time on hold and there is less time taken away from them during the call.

Good luck  –  more articles and free downloads can be found at

www.servicelevelgroup.com