World-Class Call Centers
Tutorial Series

Module 3 - Key criteria for world-class call centers

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.  Module 1 addressed the first component of a world-class call center as identified by Prosci's research.  Module 2 focused on the second component of what makes a world-class call center.  This module reveals the 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

What defines a world-class call center? Prosci conducted a benchmarking and best practices study that identified how 240 call centers from over 50 countries defined the international standard of excellence of world-class call centers.  Two attributes that participants commonly identified are customer focus and multiple contact channels.  Prosci's research also revealed additional criteria for a world-class call center, including:

• A center with low turnover and high employee satisfaction
• An efficient, low-cost center that stays under budget and possibly even moves to a profit center
• First-call resolution approaching 100%
• Fast response times to calls and queries
• A center that is technology-driven and innovative

These characteristics will be covered in-depth in this module of the world-class call center tutorial series.

World-class criteria

Although strong customer focus and multi-media contact options are crucial components to a world-class call center, there are several other important criteria that can set your call center apart from your competition and launch your center into world-class status.

1. Low turnover and high employee satisfaction
   It is sometimes difficult to put a price on the costs associated with the loss of valued employees.  There are obvious costs to hire and train replacement workers.  But more than that, losing acquired knowledge of products and customers creates a significant disruption and loss of productivity in the call center.  Reducing agent turnover and increasing the average length of service for your agents can greatly affect customer satisfaction, handle time and other important call center measurements.  Experienced agents know more about your business, understand the "tricks of the trade" and can handle calls more quickly than new hires.
   
   In addition, high employee satisfaction is a key success factor to any world-class call center.  Employees are your most important asset, and they are more likely to make customers happy when they themselves are happy.  Make sure you are meeting your agents' professional needs to keep them fulfilled in their job and committed to the success of your call center and organization.
   
   The Motivating Call Center Agents Toolkit provides the principles and practical models to assist call centers to successfully motivate and retain agents.  It can help you identify what truly motivates your call center agents to perform to their potential and reduce agent turnover.
    
2. Efficient, low-cost center
   Controlling costs in call center operations is at the forefront of business initiatives across the globe. Call center managers are facing constant pressure to do more with less; to improve service while cutting costs.  Moreover, peak calling periods and seasonal variations also require call center managers to find ways to handle these peaks without "blowing the budget" by just adding more staff.
   
   The solution to this "cost control challenge" faced by all call center is cost reduction planning.  Cost reduction planning is a systematic approach that provides a comprehensive framework for reducing the cost of your call center operations over time. The outcome of this planning is a set of identified and prioritized cost saving initiatives that are most suited for your situation.

   Prosci's Controlling the Cost of Call Center Operations Toolkit is a comprehensive guide for reducing call center costs. This operations model presents more than 50 initiatives to cut costs in your call center, and includes worksheets and templates for prioritizing these cost saving initiatives.
    

3. High first-call resolution
   First-call resolution (also known as one-call or first-contact resolution) is the percentage of time that customer inquiries are completed on the first contact.  It means that the customer's request is handled completely during the first call and by the first agent to answer the call. 
   
   First-call resolution is considered to be a key criteria of world-class call centers because it is one of the primary ways in which customers evaluate the quality of service.  In addition, one-call resolution can translate into cost savings by reducing the number of transfers, callbacks and repeat calls.  Measuring first-call resolution rate can also result in improved agent productivity and ownership.  When agents are provided with the expertise and authority to handle customer requests immediately, job satisfaction increases (see #1).
   
   For additional information on first contact resolution rate, the Call Center Measurement Toolkit includes detailed steps for how to measure first contact resolution rate, what you can do to improve this measure, recommendations for measurement frequency and how to set first contact resolution goals.  The Call Center Best Practices - Operations Edition features the latest benchmarking data of first-contact resolution rate and eight other key performance indicators (KPIs) based on data collected from 240 companies.
    
4. Fast response times to calls and queries
   Customers become dissatisfied and at times aggravated, with a long wait time before their reason to contact has been resolved.  In today's fast-paced world, customers expect a quick response time to their calls and queries.  There are several measurements that indicate how your call center is performing on this world-class criteria, including average speed of answer, handle time, agent utilization and first-contact resolution (see #3).
   
   Average speed of answer (ASA) measures the amount of time that a customer must wait in the queue before they are contacted by an agent.  This measure can apply to voice calls, emails, faxes and other types of contact.  To improve average speed of answer, efforts should be focused on improving staffing levels, reducing handle time and redirecting or reducing call volume.  More information on how to make improvements on response time, set goals and make accurate measurements is available in the Call Center Measurement Toolkit.
    
5. Technology-driven and innovative
   In Prosci's latest best practices study with 240 call centers, respondents indicated that, by far, the largest change in the call centers over the past two years was enhanced usage of technology and automated systems.  Enhanced technology included the addition of new technology as well as upgrading existing systems.  In addition, participants identified "improved technology in both hardware and software applications" as having the greatest positive impact on customer service and call center efficiency. 
   
   World-class call centers must be leaders in technology, with multi-media options for customers and new technologies to improve the call center's overall performance and efficiency.  The Call Center Best Practices Report - Technology Edition includes lessons learned from other call center managers about the most effective technology changes and an overview of the latest technologies available to call centers and their current extent of usage.
   
    

Still to come

The seven factors covered in the first four modules of this tutorial series will help you determine how your call center can attain world-class status.  The next and final tutorial in this series will focus on the key principles your call center can follow to lead the next generation of world-class call centers.