Module
1 - Defining world-class call centers - part 1
The Call Center Learning Center is proud to present a tutorial series
focused on defining world-class call centers. This four-part tutorial series will pull from Prosci's
research-based toolkits and best practices reports. This module
addresses the first component of a world-class call center as identified
by Prosci's research.
Module 2 will focus on the second component
of what makes a world-class call center. Module 3 will reveal what
other factors to consider when building a world-class call center.
Module 4 will conclude the series with principles for leading the next
generation of world-class call centers.
Defining "world-class" call centers
"World-class" has become a common label given to call centers that
meet an international standard of excellence.
But just what
defines a world-class call center? Prosci conducted a benchmarking
and best practices study with 240 call centers from over 50 countries
that revealed industry changes and direction, among other important call
center topics.
When asked what defines a world-class call center, participants in
the study overwhelmingly cited two attributes:
- Customer focus
- Multiple contact channels
This first module of the tutorial series will take an in-depth look
at the customer focus component of world-class call centers.
What is customer focus?
Customer focus refers to the "state of mind" of the call center as a
whole. Instead of concentrating on meeting sales goals or lowering
certain performance indicators, the main focal point of the center is
the customer. More and more the contact center
is the "face of the business" to the customer, with call centers having
more direct contact with customers than any other group in the
organization. The impression and opportunities developed through
that contact have a direct impact on your center's performance and
overall success.
Study participants identified five main components of being
customer-focused, including:
- High quality interactions
Every transaction should
personalize the service so that each customer is treated like
the only customer. This level of customization may be based on
the type of customer, their past transaction history, or other
critical flags that are set by the business.
- Knowledgeable staff
Agents must demonstrate a strong knowledge
of your products and/or services, as well as a strong knowledge of
the customer base.
- Courteous service and friendly agents
Agents should display a friendly, courteous and professional
attitude. Problems encountered by customers negatively impact
their loyalty. If you disappoint or offend them, they may
start looking for alternatives.
- Excellent customer experiences
"Word of mouth” is the best and least expensive form of
advertising. Most customers will not take the initiative to
complain or praise. They will not tell you - they will tell their
friends or co-workers how good or bad you were.
- Empowered agents
Agents who are empowered to support
the customer and able to help them in whatever way needed are
very valuable to your organization.
When agents are able to handle multiple categories of questions
and problems from callers, this eliminates the need for call
transfers or call-backs.
How to attain world-class customer focus
Now that you know what it means to have a world-class,
customer-focused call center, how do you make your call center reach
that standard of excellence? There are many tools, processes and
models that can help you reach the top, including:
- Quality monitoring
Quality monitoring (also known as call monitoring) refers to the process of
listening to or observing an agent's phone calls or other
multi-media contacts with customers in order to assess and evaluate
strengths and weaknesses in customer interactions. These
evaluations are one of the most effective methods for improving
customer satisfaction levels and improving overall employee
performance.
Prosci's Quality Monitoring
Toolkit is a guide for establishing a
world-class quality monitoring program. It introduces the
Quality Monitoring Lifecycle to help you develop a complete program
that captures key messages and uses the lessons learned to help you
improve your entire operations and retain a high customer focus.
- Measuring customer satisfaction
Measuring and analyzing customer satisfaction is an essential
component of a customer-focused call center. If you don't know
how satisfied or dissatisfied your customers are with your center's
service, you most definitely are not placing enough focus on them.
Conducting these measurements will allow you to learn about customer
expectations and how to meet them, make customers feel valued and
assure them that their voices are being heard.
The Call Center Measurement
Toolkit includes detailed guidelines and
tips for measuring customer satisfaction, including how to build a
customer survey, how to set goals and how to improve your customer
satisfaction results.
- Training and coaching
Increased customer focus can be attained through customized coaching
and training plans. When gaps or deficiencies in customer
service are identified through performance measurement or quality
monitoring, the training plan should be designed to improve each of
these areas of weakness. Regular training and coaching
sessions should also be implemented to refresh and sharpen agents'
customer service skills to retain an established customer focus.
The
Training Development Toolkit provides a methodology and
guidelines for developing or improving a call center training
curriculum and organization. The Call Center Training Model
provides a field-proven roadmap for call center training personnel
to build a training group and program efficiently and effectively.
- Hiring and screening
Call centers with effective recruitment and hiring select candidates
who strive for excellent customer service and who have a strong
customer focus. Be sure to define certain and specific
customer service skills in the description of new job postings and
ask customer service-related questions during the interview to
determine if the candidates are suited for the position.
- Agent motivation
Agents will work harder at making their customers happy
when they themselves are satisfied and motivated in their job.
Be sure that you are meeting the basic job needs of your agents and
also providing motivating factors to encourage agents to improve
their customer service performance.
The Motivating Call
Center Agents Toolkit is designed to help you determine how to
create a workplace that motivates agents to optimize productivity
and provide the best possible customer service.
- Best practices
Take note of lessons learned from other call centers. Their
successes and failures can help you determine directions to take or
mistakes to avoid. Best practices and benchmarking data are
powerful tools that can help catapult your call center to
world-class status.
Prosci's Call Center
Best Practices Reports share most effective management practices
from 240 call centers worldwide, including training recommendations,
hiring and screening criteria, quality monitoring scorecards,
customer satisfaction surveys and many other pieces of valuable
research data.
Still to come
Customer focus is just one component of a world-class call center.
Module 2 will focus on the other main component identified by Prosci's
research - multiple contact channels.
Stay tuned for in-depth information about how you can build this
competency in your call center. |
