Jacada Blog

Measuring What Matters for Improved Call Center Performance

Some of the standard quotes related to measurements certainly apply in the call center world. Let's start with, "If you don't measure it, you can't manage it" as the obvious first choice. Without data and numerical evidence of performance, it would be awfully hard to identify what to reinforce and reward and what needs work.

However, in many call centers today, we've gotten a little carried away with the numbers, so here's another quote to live by – "Just because you can measure it doesn't mean you should." With ACDs and reporting tools that enable hundreds of reports in every imaginable format, it's easy to get information overload. It's important to weed through all the possibilities and settle on some reports that give you actionable information from which to make changes and reinforce behaviors.

Be careful which measures you choose and what gets fed back to the staff, because... ready for #3?... "You can expect what you inspect." The best example of this one is of course average handle time.  If the numbers you're feeding back to agents at the end of the month are their average handle time statistics with how they compare to the goal, the next time the staff are likely to give you a number that's closer to expectations. However, they may just exhibit undesirable behaviors in order to get there. If they know the handle time expectation is 300 seconds and you've been reporting numbers that show them at 330, then they'll look for ways to shave off the 30 seconds, which could include rushing the customer or not doing proper listening and discovery questions to uncover sales possibilities.  Coaching to the right behaviors, rather than showing them the numbers (like the coach pointing to the deficit on the scoreboard) will give better results than focusing on the numbers alone.

In terms of measurements, the reverse of the second truism is also true – "Just because you can measure it, doesn't mean you should. But just because you should measure it doesn't mean you can... at least easily." The best example of this may be the measure for first call resolution (FCR). It's the measure most closely correlated with customer satisfaction and loyalty, and yet it's one of the hardest things to measure. There's no single report that pops out this number and so it has to be pieced together from many sources.  It's a great number to know as it's a measure of customer satisfaction and also a measure of team and individual performance that points to relevant coaching opportunities, but it takes some work to get there.

Finally, remember that, "If you torture the numbers long enough, they will admit to anything." Schedule adherence statistics illustrate this one best. Some centers adjust the numbers so much to reflect schedule exceptions that adherence numbers are meaningless. In an effort to meet adherence goals, the numbers are manipulated past the point of providing coachable information. So watch out that in your quest to hit performance numbers, you're erasing the very information that can assist in actually making the performance better.

Penny Reynolds, Founding Partner of The Call Center School

Penny Reynolds has been retained by Jacada to participate in the "Customer Service 2.0: Access The Experts" speaker series. The opinions shared herein reflect the views of the author, and not necessarily Jacada or its employees. 

Call Center Motivation - Not a One Time or One Size Fits All Solution

October is just around the corner and we will soon hear the buzz as call centers prepare for Customer Service Week. Many devote special time and attention to showing appreciation to their frontline call center staff this month and use this time to implement new motivation programs to keep staff fired up and performing at their best.

Two things about these preparations concern me. First, many call centers only worry about this show of appreciation and attempt at motivation for this single week.  And while there may be great results from some of the short-term programs rolled out during Customer Service Week, many centers lose the Customer Service excitement by the time November rolls around. Zig Ziglar once said, "Some people say motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing. That's why you have to do it often." Call centers should certainly know by now that keeping staff motivated to perform well on the phone is an ongoing strategy.  You can't expect a one-week promotion to encourage staff to perform at their peak for very long.

The other thing that worries me about some of these motivation promotions is that no matter how great or exciting the program is, it's not going to motivate everybody.  Creating a successful motivation program is not a "one size fits all" project. What excites Bob may actually irritate Sally. What makes Rachel want to give that extra effort may push Alex out the door. Everybody is motivated by something and it's each supervisor's job to figure out what the motivators are for each person.

There are generally six categories of motivators:  

1. Social reinforcement (guidance, support, time, attention, encouragement)
2. Recognition (acknowledgement of desirable behaviors)
3. Rewards (tangible rewards, trophies, cool stuff)
4. Development opportunities (career advancement, training, new skills)
5. Teamwork (feeling part of team, networking, social activities)
6. Fun (pleasurable activities in the workplace)

Rachel may just need lots of handholding and supervisor attention and will treasure simple recognition for work well done. Alex may prefer not to spend so much time with the boss, but values actual monetary compensation or tangible reward programs. Bob may like learning and will like attending a training class to acquire a new skill better than a gift card. Sally may be the people person that wants to head up the party planning committee or organize the holiday giving program.  

While some of the activities associated with Customer Service Week can address #6 on the list above, just having some fun is not enough to keep people motivated to perform. The more fun they're having the better they will perform, but at some point you have to figure out what the other triggers are. The most effective supervisors will spend time with each employee to determine what their biggest motivators are and will organize activities and plan recognition and rewards to fit the needs of each person.  

Penny Reynolds, Founding Partner of The Call Center School

Penny Reynolds has been retained by Jacada to participate in the "Customer Service 2.0: Access The Experts" speaker series. The opinions shared herein reflect the views of the author, and not necessarily Jacada or its employees. 

Looking for Coaching Opportunities

Coaching is all about helping someone improve performance and when done right, it's an experience frontline staff will welcome and appreciate. However, for many call center supervisors, coaching is simply a meaningless presentation of numbers or pointing out of errors with no positive roadmap for improvement. It's much like the basketball coach who points out that the last three shots were missed and that the team needs to score ten points in the next three minutes to win the game. Telling someone that handle time is too high and they need to work on call control does not constitute an effective coaching session.

Part of the problem is that supervisors don't have enough time in their schedules to spend doing one-on-one coaching. In many centers, supervisors can be responsible for twenty or more people and finding devoted time to sit down to coach is nearly impossible. Therefore, when it's time for a coaching session, there is pressure to make the most of the time by describing "what went wrong" rather than looking for "coachable moments" and making the most of them.

Many call centers are missing out on these "coachable moments." We see many centers that pull four or five calls per month as coaching samples.  These calls are generally selected randomly, but this random selection often just means haphazard.  The calls selected for coaching rarely represent a true sample of call behavior and they don't always provide the right kind of coachable scenarios. Supervisors will sometimes just select the short calls so they can complete the requisite number of reviews, so the longer, harder calls probably don't get the attention they deserve.

One practice we've observed that works well to supply supervisors and quality analysts with coachable scenarios is to allow the agents to select some of their own calls for coaching. In one center they supply one great call to enter into the "Best Call of the Week" contest, providing a much-needed opportunity for positive reinforcement and recognition. The other call submitted is one where the agent needed help. Agents can provide these calls in a no-scoring format and get guidance on what to do better next time, but in a very supportive, non-judgmental way.  This practice helps to get agents more involved in the process and helps them view coaching as a way to improve rather than a "gotcha" that catches them doing something wrong.

In addition to planned call review time, it's critical that supervisors simply get out and walk the floor to look for coachable moments. This "walk-by coaching" is very effective as agents get comfortable with on-the-spot coaching and recognition.  The sooner that coaching can happen related to the positive or negative behavior it's meant to shape, the more effective the feedback will be.  Therefore, it's important to schedule "walk by" time each day out on the floor in addition to the planned one-on-one time for more formal feedback. 

Coaching is the single most important activity on the supervisor's list of job responsibilities. We need to make sure they're equipped with the right skills, manageable team sizes, and data in the form of coachable moments to make the most of their valuable coaching time.

Penny Reynolds, Founding Partner of The Call Center School

Penny Reynolds has been retained by Jacada to participate in the "Customer Service 2.0: Access The Experts" speaker series. The opinions shared herein reflect the views of the author, and not necessarily Jacada or its employees. 

Training for Customer Interactions, Not Just Transactions

There are two components that contribute to customer perceptions of a call and their resulting attitude about your company, including overall loyalty, likelihood of future business, and willingness to recommend to others.  One critical part is obviously the transaction part of the call and its basic resolution.  Did the customer get his problem solved or question answered in an effective, efficient manner? 

The other component contributing to customer satisfaction is the "softer side" of the call. Not only do customers want their problems resolved and questions answered, but they want to be treated well during the process. They want to hear enthusiasm about the new product they ordered, empathy about an order lost in the mail, and patience during a complicated returns process. Every single call represents an opportunity to deliver great service, show an interest in the customer, and present a caring, professional voice of the company. 

However, when you look at most call centers' new-hire training programs, the focus of the program is all about the transaction with very little time or content devoted to the interaction aspect of the call. There are weeks of training to cover products, company procedures, system navigation, order entry, etc., but sometimes only an hour or two set aside to fine-tune telephone manners, listening skills, vocal capabilities, or techniques for handling difficult calls. And it's these little nuances that can make a difference in establishing trust and confidence and building rapport with the customer.

Particularly with a younger workforce that has fewer life experiences and customer service background, it's really critical to allot some time to the basics of phone manners and how to address some common service and difficult call scenarios. Providing this kind of training helps to ensure they're equipped for that next complaint call. Give them some tools to turn that raging mad customer ready to post his negative comments throughout social media land into a satisfied customer who is even more loyal than one without an original problem.

Customer service basics should be weaved throughout the training class as well as into everyday training and coaching in the center.  Frontline staff usually find this training as much more enjoyable than the system training, so it will be a welcome part of the day.  And they'll appreciate learning something that's not pertinent just to the current job, but also a valuable life skill.

Penny Reynolds, Founding Partner of The Call Center School

Penny Reynolds has been retained by Jacada to participate in the "Customer Service 2.0: Access The Experts" speaker series. The opinions shared herein reflect the views of the author, and not necessarily Jacada or its employees. 

Making the Match: Hiring the Right Call Center Staff

If you're been searching for one single thing you can do to improve training success, staff retention, call quality, and overall performance of your staff, look no further. There is a simple solution that will significantly improve all these other areas and it's not a technology solution. All you have to do is make the right hiring decisions on the front end and everything else is impacted in a positive way.

There are several places where I see call centers going wrong in the hiring process. It begins with how call center positions are advertised. Many centers are still relying on traditional classified ads in the newspaper and/or online to list the position and attract job prospects.  The problem with this approach is that most people that have a job already aren't searching these job listings. Only the unemployed or those unhappy with current work are going to see these listings and let's face it -- availability is not a skill set. 

Cast a bigger net when fishing for call center job prospects. Advertise the position where a broader base of people will learn about the opening, even if it means spending a bit more money on radio ads, billboards, flyers at local events, etc. It's also wise to provide some real incentives for your current staff to recruit for you.

Once you've attracted a big pool of prospects and have performed a logical first step telephone screen, you'll want to weed out those simply not suited for a call center work environment. Find ways to show them what a "day in the life" is really like, including hearing the stressful calls, reviewing adherence and performance expectations, and learning what a likely work schedule will be.  This "environmental fit" is a critical piece and should come early in the evaluation process before you waste too much time with interviews.

Another big factor in hiring success is the screening for personality characteristics that are a fit for your type of call center work. While many centers focus on skill testing, time and money is perhaps better spent on psychometric testing.  If people have the right personality for the job, you can teach them the skills, but you can't teach or shape someone's personality to be a fit for your center's culture.

Giving more attention to these three areas – creative and broader advertising, realistic disclosure about call center work life, and psychometric testing for personality fit – will ensure a better match of workforce to the work at hand. 

Penny Reynolds, Founding Partner of The Call Center School

Penny Reynolds has been retained by Jacada to participate in the "Customer Service 2.0: Access The Experts" speaker series. The opinions shared herein reflect the views of the author, and not necessarily Jacada or its employees. 

Creating "Above and Beyond" Customer Experiences

As someone who does call center training and consulting for a living, I'm always on the lookout for service success stories.  For me, most service experiences fall into the middle of the bell curve, where the interaction was satisfactory, but not exactly a magical experience.

However, I've had a few "wow" experiences recently where I was really blown away by the service I received from a single individual.   One of these happened during a hotel stay where Rachel, the reception desk agent, took it upon herself to do something special for me as a guest. I had come down to the lobby late at night on a desperate search for chocolate, only to find the gift shop closed for the evening with Hershey bars now on the other side of a locked gate. When I asked Rachel about where I might find a vending machine, she sadly informed me there were no candy vending machines in the hotel.  She did all the right things at this point, empathizing with my chocolate plight and even offering me the granola bar from her purse.

I went back to my room and was almost over my chocolate longing when there was a knock at my door. There was the bellman with a little bag from Rachel. That bag contained a Reese's Cup, some Tootsie-Roll Pops, and a single granola bar, along with a note that said, "Ms, Reynolds, I hope this gets you through the night.  Rachel."

Wow!  What had been a merely satisfactory handling of a customer need, using all the right words and empathic phrases, turned into a memorable, loyalty-generating experience. I'll go back to this hotel and I'll tell others about it, mainly due to the fact that Rachel took it upon herself to go out of her way to meet and exceed my needs as a customer.

Great service experiences like this one bring me to the question of what it takes to create an environment in which employees feel empowered and motivated to go the extra mile for the customer. There was a recent study called the Report on Restoring America's Competitive Vitality that showed 44% of employees do what is required, but exert no extra effort. Only 23% reported that they performed to their full potential.  So how do we get that 23% number higher?

There are five important components of getting employees to give that "wow" brand of customer service:

1. Hire the right people for the job.
2. Train staff for the "interaction" as well as the "transaction" part of the customer contact.
3. Coach regularly to fine-tune performance and reinforce desired behaviors.
4. Develop individualized motivation programs that encourage each employee to excel.
5. Assemble a system of quantitative and qualitative measures to ensure you're getting the behaviors you want.

These five components will be the topics of the next five blogs in this series as we explore how to build a workforce that is ready to go above and beyond.  Stay tuned...

Penny Reynolds, Founding Partner of The Call Center School

Penny Reynolds has been retained by Jacada to participate in the "Customer Service 2.0: Access The Experts" speaker series. The opinions shared herein reflect the views of the author, and not necessarily Jacada or its employees.