Contact Centre - Systems & Technology
The Contact Centre has two main elements of Systems & Technology and Customer Service Representatives (CSR). ‘Systems and Technology’ helps CSRs to perform their function well while at the same time provide data in regard to the contact centre’s performance.
The key elements under ‘Systems and Technology’ are as follows:
- The Knowledge Bank,
- The Call Management System (Queue Management),
- The Quality Assurance System, and
- The Feedback System.
The Knowledge Bank is the BRAIN of the contact centre. It is a one-stop information centre and, in its perfect state, it contains all processes, with detailed business rules and procedures, to enable CSRs to refer to and do their job consistently (one-way, same way) across the business. It allows CSRs to diagnose a customer’s issue with minimum fuss.
Most good knowledge banks have two main things going for them – they are structured for simplicity using a product life cycle approach and they are managed by specialists whose task is to be gatekeepers of information. It is also the job of the specialists to practice good housekeeping, maintaining and keeping it relevant, current, and accurate.
The Call Management System tracks that CSRs are resolving issues quickly. It provides statistical performance, especially that of customers wait time, i.e. the time that the customer is waiting to be answered. ‘Wait Time’ affects a customer’s perception of the Company.
Software to manage contact centres are plenty but they generally would be tracking data gathered from the phone systems, e.g. how long it takes before a call is answered, how long it takes to do after-call work, time away from phone.
These reports help the contact centre manager to manage its contact centre while, at the same time, monitor critical issues.
The Quality Assurance (QA) System aims to answer the question: How are we doing relative to the basic goals of a contact centre. Quite simply, to answer the questions set out at the front:
1. Are CSRs diagnosing customers’ queries ACCURATELY?
2. Are CSRs resolving these queries QUICKLY?, and
3. Are customers going away with a positive impression of the Company?
Statistics captured in the Call Management System might help us answer Question #2, that is, the speed of completing the call but unless there is someone listening in on that call and understanding how it went, the CSR might just be closing off the call without resolving the query.
Hence, implicit to the QA system is a need for specialists to be involved in listening and independently assessing the performance of that call. A good QA practice follows these guidelines:
- Set Performance Service Standards,
- Train CSRs on these Service Standards (in order to calibrate organisational expectations with the individual/ CSR),
- Monitor adherence to Service Standards (that include both verbal and visual),
- Provide feedback to Management and CSRs,
- Review and update Performance Service Standards in line with rising customer expectations (via feedback from customers, CSRs, the industry),
- Provide feedback to Recruitment so that the hiring requirements are altered.
The concept is that Service Standards are met not once but repeatedly so that they eventually become part and parcel of the centre, or effectively they become the culture of the place.
Finally, there is the Feedback System. This is over and above the QA system because it is intended to provide ‘real-time’ information to address ‘real-time’ issues. Sometimes, a contact centre uses an online survey within the system. Other time, the contact centre might have a Ops team to track real-time issues. Effectively, a contact centre must create a triage system to manage real-time issues quickly while balancing the BAU activities.
All these systems should feedback into the Capability Team so that they are aware of ongoing training essentials.
Contact Centre – The CSR
The CSR is the most important person for the contact centre. Technology and Systems help the CSR to perform his/ her tasks but s/he is the company representative and, hence, the real face of the company. There are TWO Cs that the CSR must possess:
- Competencies – that is, the technical, product, and customer-service knowledge and skills that the person possesses in order for them to perform their role proficiently, and
- Commitment – that is, the readiness of the CSR to adhere to a scheduled plan in taking calls.
Going back to the fundamentals of a contact centre is critical. Now, I might be a bit longwinded but let us refresh our goals:
- To diagnose a customer’s issue accurately,
- To resolve it quickly, and
- To convey a positive impression of the Company to the Customer.
At a contact centre’s level, to ‘resolve issues quickly’ is dependent upon the number of CSRs available at any one time to take calls. This is the concept of ‘The Power of One’ where each CSR is scheduled to be present is present to take the calls. Really, what it means is that there must be the RIGHT number of the RIGHT people in the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time that will make the difference. While forecasting for the right number of people is important, it is just as critical for CSRs to adhere to their planned schedule; ‘adherence’ is a most important requirement for a CSR in a contact centre. ‘Adherence’ is a big part of ‘Commitment’ as failure to adhere will directly impact on the availability of CSRs to take calls. ‘Commitment’ impacts on unpredictable ‘shrinkage’, ‘shrinkage’ being the amount of time lost due to things relating to vacation, breaks, lunch, holidays, sick leave, and training.
‘Competencies’ is a function of many things but the big ones being Training and the Knowledge Bank (in supplying the right information at the right time).
In effect, a competent and committed CSR is someone who achieves a sound answering time, provides consistently good customer service, identifies the customer’s issue quickly and resolves it within one single interaction.
In Summary
Why are contact centres so popular these days? Contact centres primarily exist because customers do contact an organization from time to time.
Whether we are buying something, or changing some account details, or resolving an issue, we are likely to call rather than visit a Company.
But because a Company cannot afford to have a person sitting on the telephone just to answer to OUR query, we have a contact centre scenario.
Looking at it as a Service Triangle, we may now include as seen below:
To a Company, we can convert the above into the following, that is, answer a Customer:
- A set of ACCEPTABLE SERVICE MEASUREMENTS that have been identified and agreed to by the Company,
- In a manner that provides you with a relevant PLANNED SERVICE EXPERIENCE, and
- One that results in meeting all your queries within the same single call. The term used in call centre is that of ‘FIRST CALL RESOLUTION’.
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