The first step toward delivering world-class customer service in today’s
environment is to separate the different components that contribute to a successful call
center, and evaluate your performance in each area. This tutorial introduces the Contact
Center Model, which breaks the call center into its five key components – Strategy,
Processes, Technology, Human Resources and Facilities. It also connects the model with the
Call Center Learning Center's current benchmarking study (link opens in new window).
Background
Call centers today look much different than they did 10 years ago. Customers now
utilize a variety of media to contact your organization, including the internet, email,
interactive voice response, text chat, etc. Customers demand service 24 hours a day, 7
days a week – with no exceptions. They also expect a greater number of services and
more complex options from your contact center. Technology plays a more critical role in
the delivery of service. Telecom innovations add even more decisions; technology must be
part of the overall goals and objectives of the call center. More vendors are offering
similar products with similar capabilities to contact centers in an increasingly congested
marketplace. Current economic conditions impact human resource policies and overall
business spending decisions.
All in all, the contact centers are being stretched by increasing demands from
customers, more complex systems and escalating pressures to control bottom line costs.
Managers need a way to untangle the web that is today’s call center.
The Contact Center Model
The Contact Center Model is a high-level framework for thinking about
the five main areas of a world-class call center. In the Contact Center Model, there are five main
areas as shown in Figure 1:
|
Figure 1 - Prosci's Contact Center Model |
Each of the five elements is important by itself, but is interdependent on all of the
others. Defining the business strategy is the basis for defining the
processes
and choosing the technology.
Human resource policies require input from the
processes and the technology, and all three will guide
facilities selection and
design. Together they create a Contact Center Model that can be used to improve or
redesign your contact center operations.
Description of the Contact Center Model
| Element |
Description |
| Strategy |
Your business strategy is the critical starting point for planning a call
center. Before selecting the site for your call center, or designing processes, systems or
organizational structures, you should define the role that
the call center will play in the success of your organization. Critical questions include:
- What is the mission of our call center?
- What is our competitive position?
- What are the needs and expectations of our customers?
- What are the primary goals and objectives
for the center?
- What is our customer contact strategy?
|
| Processes |
The core of your call center operation will be your business processes.
You will define:
- Why and how customers
will contact you
- How your agents will handle these
interactions
- How your call center will handle day-to-day business
transactions and operations
- How you will manage your call center staff and
scheduling
|
| Technology |
Technology will play a key role in the success of your call center. Once
you have defined how customer interactions and business processes will be handled, you
will need to design the appropriate technologies, select the vendors, install the systems,
and train the support personnel. Key technology areas include:
- Voice: Telephone Switch, Voice Network, Contact Routing, Interactive
Voice Response (IVR)
- Data: Workstations, Computer Applications and
Databases, Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) Tools, Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)
- Web: Website, Email, Email Management, Web Integration (text chat, web
calls, collaboration)
- Management: Reporting, Workforce Management, Quality Monitoring
|
| Human resources |
The next step will be to define all the "people"
elements for your center. The wide range of human resources activities falls in the
following categories:
- Organization: organizational design, job descriptions
- Personnel acquisition: recruiting, hiring, and training
- Personnel management: defining career paths to encourage employee
retention, performance evaluation procedures
- Communication: internal and external
|
| Facilities |
The last key element of the call center model is the facilities. Setting
up the facilities involves:
- selecting the city, location, and size of the call center
- selecting contractors and vendors
- designing the interior space and
furnishing it
|
2006 Benchmarking study and the Contact Center Model
Prosci and the Call Center Learning Center are currently conducting our bi-annual benchmarking study of
call center operations and technology. Find out more about how to
participate in the
study. The questions, data and insights coming from the study address key elements of the
Contact Center Model, demonstrating best practices, what is working, what is not working
and what others would do differently.
| Element |
Example benchmarking questions |
| Strategy |
- What are your top three key performance indicators (KPIs)
that drive your operations today and that you report to senior
management?
- What steps have been the most effective for optimizing the
relationship between IT and Operations/Call Center Management?
- What primary operational changes do you have planned for
your center in the short-term future (6 to 12 months)?
- What technology changes do you have planned for your center
in the long-term future (12 to 36 months)?
|
| Processes |
- Estimate total monthly volume by type of contact.
- What steps have you taken to reduce absenteeism?
- What are the primary categories used to evaluate agents when
monitoring calls?
- What are the keys to a successful process improvement
program?
|
| Technology |
- Which of the following technology tools are currently
utilized in your call center to support customer contact and
which are you planning to implement in the future?
- What do you see as your biggest technology obstacles or
challenges in the next 12-24 months?
- Outline the primary technology-specific characteristics of a
best-in-class call center in the year 2006.
|
| Human resources |
- What are the top three things you look for when hiring
agents?
- What types of pre-employment tests or screening have been
the most effective?
- Which training methods do you use for new agent training?
- How many days per year do existing agents spend in training?
- What is the average base hourly cost per agent?
|
| Facilities |
- In what country is your call center located?
- What is your call center's general direction regarding
home-based agents in the future?
- What are the most important characteristics of your
architecture today?
|
Summary
The Contact Center Model provides a holistic framework for maximizing your call
center's performance. This tutorial presented the model and showed how certain aspects are
being addressed in the 2006
best practices report currently underway - click the link to find out more and
participate today!
The Call
Center Planning and Design Toolkit provides step-by-step instructions, templates and
checklists for developing your own specific Contact Center Model - including your
strategy, processes, technology, human resources and facilities. The toolkit was developed by industry leaders in the Call Center field, Vanguard
Communications and Prosci. The toolkit provides:
- a comprehensive planning checklist and design guidelines for
successfully setting up a new call center or redesigning your existing call center
- the approach and tools to help you create a contact center strategy
and manage the implementation effectively
Find out more about the Planning and Design Toolkit by visiting the webpage, emailing callcenters@prosci.com or by calling 970-203-9332
to speak with an analyst.
Recommended Resources:
Call Center Planning and Design Toolkit
A comprehensive guide to call center strategy, planning and design; an excellent resource
for new contact center start-ups, existing call center improvement and future planning
with detailed templates and planning roadmaps.
Controlling the Cost of Call Center
Operations Toolkit
Provides a systematic approach to reducing your call center costs. With this toolkit, you
will critically examine multiple channels for reducing expense. The outcome is a set of
identified and prioritized cost saving initiatives that are most suited for your contact
center.
Call Center Measurement Toolkit
How to measure and improve call center performance; an excellent guide to developing a
performance measurement system with concrete recommendations for improving call center
performance. With an entire section dedicated to measuring, benchmarking and
improving cost per contact, this toolkit is your step-by-step guide for cost metrics.
Call Center Best Practices - Operations
Edition
Benchmarking report - Over 240 call centers from around the world share how they have
improved service quality, productivity and customer satisfaction. This report shares cost
benchmarking data from several industries, including average hourly cost per agent,
average cost per contact, average annual manager salary and many other valuable
statistics.
Motivating Call Center Agents Toolkit
A comprehensive guide specifically designed to increase productivity and motivate
agents. Discover what truly motivates your agents to do their best work with
easy-to-follow steps that guide you through the principles of motivation and how to
overcome the agent-manager disconnect. Interactive assessments are included that allow you
to find the root cause of low agent productivity and reduce your turnover rate.
Quality Monitoring Toolkit
A complete and in-depth guide to implement or improve a quality monitoring (call
monitoring) program.
Complete
Call Center Series
Save 30% off the list price when you purchase the complete
call center business performance series!
Call Center Business
Performance Packages
Find a call center package to meet your needs and save 20-25% off the list price!
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Send questions to
callcenters@prosci.com
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