What Does Your Contact Center Annual Report Look Like?
1 Nov, 2007
By: Bob FurnissAs the end of the year approaches, the management team is talking about 2008 budgets and even asking questions about how the organization can continue to succeed. Several days ago, there was a call from marketing asking if customer service had any input for the annual report being designed for release at the end of the year. Then it hit Ashley like a piano falling out of the sky from the balcony above – she needed to find a way to “market” the success of the call center to the executives of the company. She needed an annual report.
So, what if you were to consider the same concept? What if you were asked to put together an annual report on the success of the past year and the opportunities of the coming year? What should go into an annual report?
An annual report is more than just a report on a set of metrics or measurements. In the call center we often get wrapped up in reporting only the metrics “that the executive asked for.” Organizations report call volume, service level and abandon rate, but the focus is usually on the need to meet a certain objective. But pick up your company’s annual report and you will see that it is more than just a report – it is also a marketing tool for the company. Most annual reports have five key elements:
• Who we are
• What we do
• How we did
• What we have planned for the future
• Why we are the best in the business.
Yes, there are specific numbers in the report, but there is also a marketing spin that allows the reader to feel good about the results. Let’s put together those same key elements for the call center.
The annual report is the chance for the company to set the stage for the future. Investors have positive or negative reactions to what is produced in this report – think about that. What if you could influence others in the company? An annual report is your chance to impact the “investors” in your organization – the financial executive who makes budgeting decisions, the information technology executive who chooses what technology will be purchased to support your center. The report can even affect the way the CEO sees the organization. It is not very often you get focused time with the CEO of the company, yet this report will do just that.
This is your chance to tell the story of your call center – not just this year – but every year in the future. Year after year you can build a story that focuses the company on the successes the call center provides to the company’s bottom line.
Warning – this is not a simple or quick recommendation – but the pay-off will be big. And once you design the layout and information, you can build on the success year after year.
Who We Are
The first step is to ensure that you can articulate why the organization exists. What is the organization’s value to the company? To report on value, you must first understand what it is. Why do you exist?
Write a 300-word article that clearly articulates “who we are.” What is the mission? If there is already a mission statement, that is a great start.
Next, write about your impact on the company’s sales, customers, distribution, support, etc. Ask yourself how you impact the bottom line? Describe the success of people in the organization. Remember to bring focus on your people and their impact on the customers.
Examples and Objectives: Imagine the following fictitious scenario and use it as an example for your article. Start with something like this: “By hiring some of the top people in the San Diego market, we have developed a team that not only cares about customers, but also understands their impact on the bottom line.” When writing this, think, “How can I market the people who touch the customer every day?”
Ask yourself, “What kind of things do you need to communicate to those in your company who do not understand your mission?” Examples might include:
• How your organization supports the company day in and day out
• How the call center impacts company sales
• How the call center helps to set the company apart from the competition by providing an exceptional level of customer service
• How the center affects customer loyalty and the reverse – customer churn
• Also define the message that makes the call center “personal” and not just a “cost” to the organization.
Be specific about the type(s) of service the center provides. If the call center is a customer service or support center, the focus may be on supporting a product or service. In this case, it is probably seen as a “cost” to the organization. In a sales center, the focus may be to take orders or create new sales. In this case, the center is expected to show a profit – or at the very least to generate sales at a very low cost. So, what metric today best tracks your value to the organization? Is it new or add-on sales? Is it a specific customer satisfaction measurement? Is it the time it takes to answer a support issue?
Examples and Objectives:
Call Center Mission Statement: Our mission is to deliver friendly, world-class service that supports ABC Company’s vision of building and maintaining a loyal and satisfied customer base.
Tell the reader how you are succeeding at this mission. What is your definition of world class? What is your impact on customer loyalty? Again, address your people’s impact on the mission and the success they have had.
What We Do
Setup a meeting on your calendar to brainstorm with your frontline managers with the express purpose of understanding “what we are doing” to impact customers every day. The answer is more than “answer the phones,” although that is what many people within the company think you do. White-board the list of services you provide – there are a lot more than most people think. This is your chance to outline all of the different areas that impact the company. If you have a “save group” that seeks to keep customers from leaving – talk about it. Outline each of the specialty groups in your organization (sales, customer service, tech support, quality assurance, order processing, etc.). Next, create a list of the four or five key strategies for your center. Write a paragraph for each objective – tell the reader how you impact the customer’s experience.
Examples and Objectives:
Be flexible and customer centric. The organization will use efficient call center metrics, technology and call center best business practices.
Offer quality service. The organization will have the tools necessary for all employees to continually improve our service to our customers.
Collaborate with others. The organization will partner with other departments to continually improve our processes, our people and our products.
Be supportive of our employees. The organization will provide effective training, product knowledge, targeted coaching and timely feedback in an employee-focused environment.
You will see immediate impact if you can clearly articulate your key strategies. Tell your reader how your strategies affect the bottom line of the company. If you provide support for all customers, find the total annual sales and create a statement that identifies your support with that revenue.
Example: “Our support center provides technical support to more than three million consumers which generated more than 67 million dollars in revenue last year.”
How We Did It
This section is the opportunity to explain all of the channels the center supports within the company. Although most people within the company still think that customer service is all about phone calls, we know better! Stay with the “marketing theme” and tout the various ways the center handles customer contacts – phone, Web, e-mail, chat and mail. Describe the impact on each one. This is the place to add the metrics that drive the center. Graphs are a great way to show calls received and handled. Explain what service level means and the success throughout the year. If you are consistently answering 80 percent of your calls in 20 seconds are less, that is a pretty impressive stat. This is the time to counter any internal negative press about the center. If the center struggled three months a year because of seasonal activity, explain that in the report. If the company grew by 20 percent last year, mention that too. Don’t just give them statistics; give them the analysis - “why it happened.”
Provide stats for each channel. Provide them with more than just contact statistics – provide sales results also (don’t forget up-sale and cross-sell information). Don’t only list the sales numbers; be creative. Does it make sense to show revenue per employee? What is the impact of the center on the overall budget – if you generate 10 percent of the annual revenue with add-on sales, tell someone!
Provide quality scores and customer satisfaction results, too. Remember, this is the time to not only define success, but to market the success.
Also, list any successful projects from the past year. If the center implemented a new Knowledge Management System, tell how it will impact the customer. If it implemented a new Quality Management System, tell the reader why and what the success has been. Include a quote from an agent or frontline manager – if the technology made him or her more effective, then it was a success. Was there a new training initiative in the center? Did you win any awards? Can you compare yourself to other companies? Remember, this is your time to shine!
What We Have Planned for the Future
Dream a little here, but be careful that you do not set yourself up to fail. This is not the place to make wild predictions; instead, it is a place to outline the expectations for the next 12 months.
As with the previous list of successful projects, write about projects that are planned for the future. What projects will be cross-organizational? Are you supporting sales in the roll-out of a new product? Will the Information Technology group support the center with the implementation of new VoIP technology? What will the impact be on the center, on the business and on the customer? What are your growth plans and how do they track against the company projections? What do you have planned that will support specific groups within the company – sales, marketing, distribution, etc.? Explain your statistical goals for the future and how they may impact the overall customer experience. Read the mission statement again and remind yourself what your goals are based on the mission and the objectives the center has accepted for the coming year. Now, ask the tough question - before you publish the results – will the CEO be impressed with the goals? You may have to do some additional planning at this point.
Why We are the Best in the Business
Most annual reports use this space to “sell” the future of the company. This is where the investor goes to ask, “Why should I keep investing in the company?” This is where you tell the reader why he or she should believe in your organization. When Capital One made the decision to lead with customer service and the call center in its television ads, it had to be pretty sure its service was great. Several weeks ago in a strategic meeting for a top manufacturing company in the United States, I heard a corporate president turn to his leadership team and say, “We want to get back to being the best in the industry. There was a time when we were the best and we want people to say that again.” The question is – how will the call center impact the customer experience in a way that you are seen as the best in the business? It is the question the marketing group was asking Ashley at the beginning of this article – “What input do you have for the annual report?” By committing your time to the concept of an annual report, your answer will be, “We have a lot to say, let me send you our annual report.”
