CP Wire

Savvy business managers know that boosting contact center productivity provides significant business benefits. To achieve productivity goals, they need well-informed, knowledgeable and trustworthy supervisors and agents.

Studies have shown that the difference between a high performing and low performing agent is 3:1. In other words, the high performer is three times as productive as the low performer. Consequently, smart planning and investments in productivity pays dividends.

Contact center tools for agents and supervisors fall into two camps – tools that help measure performance and tools that help them act upon the information to adjust behavior and increase performance. These tools should be integrated and aligned for maximum efficiency and results. Additionally, they should be easy to implement, use and administer for a lower cost of ownership.

Following are tools that can help agents and supervisors measure their performance against key metrics:

1) Reporting and Alerts
The contact center is one of those areas within the enterprise that is rife with data silos. As a consequence, it is fairly easy for contact center managers to find themselves knee-deep in data without a lot of insight. The first step toward leveraging contact center data is to combine the data silos and allow users to assemble and analyze contact center data in the context of meaningful KPIs. Once the data is organized into KPIs that can provide actionable information to supervisors and management, then the level of interactions between the supervisor and the agents becomes much more meaningful. Information should be delivered in real-time when immediate action is required, as well as, or over the course of a day. It can even be a trend analysis looking at the agents’ performance over several days and weeks, which helps define areas for coaching and longer-term training initiatives.

2) Quality Management
Quality-management technologies capture and record voice and screen transactions based on business rules – in other words, calls that are of particular interest to the contact center. As a result, supervisors do not have to wade through an ocean of recordings to find specific calls for examination. As contact centers become more virtual, these technologies are increasingly important to ensure that quality is delivered by remote agents. Look for tools that scale and operate effectively in a virtual environment.

3) Automated Post-Call Surveys
Surveys help supervisors determine how customers feel about an agent, a transaction and the overall service they received. The results from quality-management technology and post-call surveys can be correlated to produce a complete view of the agent and the process — a view from both an internal quality-monitoring perspective and an external customer perspective.

Delivering information is not enough. Contact center managers and supervisors need to take action to impact behavior and align performance. Following are tools that can help more agents become higher performers, leading to increased team productivity.

4) Training
Until recently, synergy between quality assurance and workforce management processes did not exist. Supervisors had to manually assess the specific training each agent needed, figure out training module availability and then attempt to schedule agent training sessions. Now, the same solution that records calls can also push targeted Internet-based training to agents during times of low call volume.

Quality-management technology combines all monitoring results to identify skills an agent or agent group is struggling to master. The technology then links to the best training module (available electronically), and "asks" the workforce management system to schedule the training at the appropriate time. When an agent’s scheduled time arrives, the technology pushes the assigned training module to the agent without any supervisor intervention.

5) Agent Re-skilling
Supervisors should be readily able to re-skill groups of agents. To help during expected high call volume times, supervisors may re-assign agents who routinely handle sales calls to the specific group handling the affected customers. When managers implement tools that automate re-skilling, supervisors and agents can use resources more effectively, shorten the time customers wait in queue and provide better service, helping to increase customer satisfaction.

6) Team Messaging
Electronic team messaging is essential in a rapidly changing virtual or single-site environment. By launching a team message that can be displayed on the agents’ desktops, supervisors can immediately notify agents about real-time changes in service level, customer inquiries or product problems.

7) Collaboration Tools
Supervisors need to collaborate with agents in real-time, whether they are across the room or across the country. As they monitor calls, supervisors can use "push" technology to provide agents with additional relevant information while the customer is still on the line. This not only helps with agent performance, but also helps increase customer satisfaction and first call resolution.

Conversely, agents struggling with first contact resolution can seek help directly from supervisors or contact experts throughout the enterprise using presence and instant messaging tools.

Empowering Individual Roles for a Better Organizational Whole
By empowering agents and supervisors with the proper tool set, businesses can institute organization-wide processes to drive productivity, secure loyal customers and strengthen their competitive position.

By Gerry Johnsen, product manager, Calabrio, Inc., a provider of workforce optimization and unified contact center desktop software that enables continuous business improvements in productivity, efficiency and customer satisfaction. He can be reached at gerry.johnsen@calabrio.com.


Issue 135: February 6, 2008
Seven Tools to Increase Team Productivity		Digital Magazine
Savvy business managers know that boosting contact center productivity provides significant business benefits. To achieve productivity goals, they need well-informed, knowledgeable and trustworthy supervisors and agents. Studies have shown that the difference between a high performing and low performing agent is 3:1. In other words, the high performer is three times as productive as the low performer. Consequently, smart planning and investments in productivity pays dividends. Contact center tools for agents and supervisors fall into two camps – tools that help measure performance and tools that help them act upon the information to adjust behavior and increase performance. These tools should be integrated and aligned for maximum efficiency and results. Additionally, they should be easy to implement, use and administer for a lower cost of ownership. Following are tools that can help agents and supervisors measure their performance against key metrics: 1) Reporting and Alerts The contact center is one of those areas within the enterprise that is rife with data silos. As a consequence, it is fairly easy for contact center managers to find themselves knee-deep in data without a lot of insight. The first step toward leveraging contact center data is to combine the data silos and allow users to assemble and analyze contact center data in the context of meaningful KPIs. Once the data is organized into KPIs that can provide actionable information to supervisors and management, then the level of interactions between the supervisor and the agents becomes much more meaningful. Information should be delivered in real-time when immediate action is required, as well as, or over the course of a day. It can even be a trend analysis looking at the agents’ performance over several days and weeks, which helps define areas for coaching and longer-term training initiatives. 2) Quality Management Quality-management technologies capture and record voice and screen transactions based on business rules – in other words, calls that are of particular interest to the contact center. As a result, supervisors do not have to wade through an ocean of recordings to find specific calls for examination. As contact centers become more virtual, these technologies are increasingly important to ensure that quality is delivered by remote agents. Look for tools that scale and operate effectively in a virtual environment. 3) Automated Post-Call Surveys Surveys help supervisors determine how customers feel about an agent, a transaction and the overall service they received. The results from quality-management technology and post-call surveys can be correlated to produce a complete view of the agent and the process — a view from both an internal quality-monitoring perspective and an external customer perspective. Delivering information is not enough. Contact center managers and supervisors need to take action to impact behavior and align performance. Following are tools that can help more agents become higher performers, leading to increased team productivity. 4) Training Until recently, synergy between quality assurance and workforce management processes did not exist. Supervisors had to manually assess the specific training each agent needed, figure out training module availability and then attempt to schedule agent training sessions. Now, the same solution that records calls can also push targeted Internet-based training to agents during times of low call volume. Quality-management technology combines all monitoring results to identify skills an agent or agent group is struggling to master. The technology then links to the best training module (available electronically), and "asks" the workforce management system to schedule the training at the appropriate time. When an agent’s scheduled time arrives, the technology pushes the assigned training module to the agent without any supervisor intervention. 5) Agent Re-skilling Supervisors should be readily able to re-skill groups of agents. To help during expected high call volume times, supervisors may re-assign agents who routinely handle sales calls to the specific group handling the affected customers. When managers implement tools that automate re-skilling, supervisors and agents can use resources more effectively, shorten the time customers wait in queue and provide better service, helping to increase customer satisfaction. 6) Team Messaging Electronic team messaging is essential in a rapidly changing virtual or single-site environment. By launching a team message that can be displayed on the agents’ desktops, supervisors can immediately notify agents about real-time changes in service level, customer inquiries or product problems. 7) Collaboration Tools Supervisors need to collaborate with agents in real-time, whether they are across the room or across the country. As they monitor calls, supervisors can use "push" technology to provide agents with additional relevant information while the customer is still on the line. This not only helps with agent performance, but also helps increase customer satisfaction and first call resolution. Conversely, agents struggling with first contact resolution can seek help directly from supervisors or contact experts throughout the enterprise using presence and instant messaging tools. Empowering Individual Roles for a Better Organizational Whole By empowering agents and supervisors with the proper tool set, businesses can institute organization-wide processes to drive productivity, secure loyal customers and strengthen their competitive position. By Gerry Johnsen, product manager, Calabrio, Inc., a provider of workforce optimization and unified contact center desktop software that enables continuous business improvements in productivity, efficiency and customer satisfaction. He can be reached at gerry.johnsen@calabrio.com.

Complimentary Webcasts You Won't Want to Miss
February 7, 1:00 Eastern: Call Recording Best Practices - Compliance and Risk Management. Presented by NICE. This session focuses on issues and best practices of call recording within a comprehensive risk and compliance management process. February 12, 1:00 Eastern: The Importance and the Fundamentals of Contact Center Strategic Planning. Presented by Bay Bridge Decision Technologies. This session will focus on tips, tricks, and technologies that will improve the planning process as well as discuss the terrific benefits that come with optimized planning. February 14, 1:00 Eastern: Getronics Leverages Quality Management for Success with a Virtual Workforce. Presented by Calabrio. This session will help attendees understand the challenges and success measures for quality management in an IP environment. February 19, 1:00 Eastern: How to Ensure Call Center Profitability in a Time of Economic Change. Presented by OnviSource. This session will show you how to significantly reduce agent training time and costs - make every agent a "top performing" agent. February 21, 1:00 Eastern: The Evolution to Revenue Producing Centers: Driving the New Approaches to Analytics - Roundtable Debate. This session will take a look at new approaches using analytic technologies and processes for not only improving the customer experience, but also contact center effectiveness.

News and Commentary
Over 95 Percent of E-mail is Spam "Vishing" has undoubtedly knocked consumer confidence in the security of VoIP technologies. Even though the vulnerabilities were generally down to the user not taking the proper precautions. Fuzzy Search Helps Clear Up Call Center Confusion When a company decided to consolidate its 28 call centers -- distributed throughout the country -- into one main call center with a secondary, back-up location, they began identifying the processes used in those call centers to conduct customer transactions and discovered no fewer than 26 systems containing customer data. Is Work Making You Sick? Monk, the phobia-challenged, television detective, may have it right. One should approach the world with caution and antiseptic wipes — especially if you work in an office. North Carolina Company to Open Call Center in Pittsfield, Maine A North Carolina-based company has chosen Pittsfield, Maine as the site for a new call center that could employ up to 200 people. Pollsters, Political Telemarketing and 'Push Polls' As the Presidential primary season reaches a climax, expect to hear reports about waves of push polls. Both the general public and targeted candidates are increasingly annoyed by push polls or political telemarketing. These telephone calls seek to "push" a certain candidate or position. Bank of America Laying-off 224 Call Center Employees Bank of America is closing two call centers in Tampa, laying-off 224 workers - but not because of the subprime mortgage meltdown. Tales of 'Backshoring' When sending work abroad doesn’t work, companies sometimes bring it home. A torrent of jobs is offshored every year. And every year, a trickle of jobs return home—or are "backshored"— after companies experience disappointment and frustration with remote, foreign workforces. Still Struggling to Reduce Call Center Costs without Losing Customers? Discover how to turn your call center into a strategic asset that will help you make the most of every call while operating your call center at a reasonable cost. Strategies for Growth and Loyalty in Multi-channel Customer-Oriented Organizations Learn how to implement a 6 step strategy in interaction management to enable smarter customer interactions, optimize your customer interactions on both inbound and outbound channels and how to apply marketing best practices for turning customer insight into action.

Smart Quote
"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." -- Herm Albright

About Contact Professional and CP Wire
	Contact Professional magazine provides useful management tools and resources to the contact center professional. Written for executives, managers and directors of contact centers, the editorial focuses on real world solutions to issues faced on a daily basis. From hiring and training to technology implementation, each article emphasizes ROI and increased efficiency within the contact center. CP Wire, the electronic counterpart to Contact Professional, is delivered biweekly and focuses on daily obstacles facing the contact center professional, offering firsthand opinion and expertise in a brief, entertaining format along with the latest news affecting contact centers around the world. Some links in CP Wire are time-sensitive. These links may move or expire as the news changes throughout the day. Sponsorships or product announcements appearing in CP Wire are paid advertisements and do not reflect actual CP Wire or Contact Professional endorsements. The news and advice reported in CP Wire or Contact Professional magazine does not necessarily reflect the official position of CP Wire or Contact Professional magazine. The information contained herein has been obtained from services believed to be reliable.
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