Post on 07-Dec-2015
description
Call Centers: Organization Chart
EVP/SVP of Customer Experience
EXEC
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Workforce Management
The workforce management function is responsible for forecasting incoming call volumes and related workload and then staffing the group accordingly, as well as monitoring call center agents to ensure they are performing up to company standards..
KPIs• Average Speed to Answer (ASA)
Call• Call Occupancy Rate• Customer Satisfaction Rate
IVR/VRU Management
The IVR/VRU Management function is responsible for configuring and monitoring the usability of interactive voice response (IVR) systems and forming strategy for optimal use of the IVR system.
KPIs• IVR/VRU Containment Rate• IVR/VRU Utilization Rate• Average Time Spent in IVR
Call Center Training & Development
The contact center training and development group is tasked with developing programs to ensure that call center agents are properly trained on the program/product to deliver optimum levels of customer service.
KPIs• Annual Representative Training
Hours• Employee Turnover Rate• Total Training Cost
Call Center Technical Support
The contact center technical support group is responsible for addressing any internal technical issues and resolving any outages related to hardware or software used in the call center..
KPIs• Average Resolution Time• Tickets per Support Employee• Total Tickets Closed
Common Job Titles• Customer Service
Representative• Call Center Agent• Sales Support
Representative• Inside Sales
Representative• Account Executive
Common Job Titles• Staffing Coordinator• Recruiting Manager • Operations Manager• Call Center
Supervisor/Manager• Call Center Planning
Analyst
Common Job Titles• IVR Developer• IVR Analyst• IVR Designer• IVR Call Flow Designer• Application Support
Engineer
Common Job Titles• Call Center Trainer• Customer Training
Instructor• Contact Center Training
Manager• Training &
Development Specialist• Contact Center
Coaching Specialist
Common Job Titles• Call Center Technical
Analyst• IT Service Center
Analyst• Call Center
Administrator• Call Center Technician• Technical Specialist
Call Processing (Inbound/Outbound)
The call processing (inbound/outbound) function handles calls received and calls made in the contact center, routing them to the appropriate department or subject matter expert.
KPIs• Abandonment Rate• Average Handle Time (AHT)• First Contact Resolution Rate
Chief Operating
Officer
Employee Name Employee Name Employee Name Employee Name Employee Name
Contact Centers: Inbound Call Processing Workflow
Cus
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Div
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Dep
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Customer call comes into the answer queue
Interactive voice response (IVR) gathers customer’s
reason for calling
Account Manager asks the customer the reason for the
call
Account manager verifies customer identification via other personal information
Account Manager provides answer to customer’s
inquiry
Advise customer about the transfer of call and put
him/her on hold
Account Manager thanks customer for holding and transfers the call to the
representative
Customer provides account number, name of caller, and
reason for call
End Call
Account Manager contacts the appropriate Senior Manager for additional
information
Account Manager advises customer that he or she will follow with customer when an answer is provided by
the Senior Manager
Account Manager escalates the call
according to the escalation hierarchy
Account Manager offers customer a particular
product he/she is eligible for
Account Manager continues to close the deal
Account Manager solves the customer’s issue
Account Manager updates the appropriate systems
Transfer to another department?
Escalation requested?
Does customer accept offer?
No
Yes
No
Client verified by IVR?
No
YesYes
Service Representative Contact Customer Issue Resolution Outbound Sales Pitch & Closure
Contact Centers: Customer Issue Resolution Workflow
Clie
ntR
etire
men
t S
peci
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t G
roup
Caller calls and navigates through call routing
prompts to reach queue
Caller waits in queue until a retirement representative becomes available and is
then connected
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) verifies the
identification of the caller
Retirement Rep identifies the purpose of the call
Caller explains the reason for the call and asks
questions or initiates a request
Retirement Rep orders a personalize Retirement Plan Package for the
customer
The caller has received product X and has
questions
Retirement Rep answers all the customer’s questions
Retirement Rep answers any final questions from the
customer and updates appropriate systems
Customer requests a Retirement package?
No
Yes
Caller Identification Discovery & Resolution
Process View of the Call Center
• Inputs/Outputs – customers calling for service/customers completed the call• Flow Units – customers• Network of Activities and Buffers – answering customers’ calls• Resources – customer service agents (CSA), phone automated system (PAS), etc.• Information Structure – account management system, reference materials, etc.
Inputs OutputsProcess
Call Center Competencies and Architecture• 4 Dimensions for measuring the competence of the call center:
– Process Cost– Process Flow Time– Process Flexibility– Process Quality.
• Argentina call center focuses on the low cost.– Call center provides high-quality Spanish support.
• Argentina call center process architecture is defined by the types of resources (CSA, PAS, etc).– Call center falls somewhere along the spectrum between two extremes
(flow shop and job shop).– Flow shop fits better, as call center uses specialized resources that perform
limited tasks & produce large volumes with high precision and speed.
Three Key Call Center Measures• Flow Time = Time Customer spends:
– In automated phone system– Waiting in the queue for an agent– Talking to an agent.
Ex: October Average PAS time is 46, Queue average waiting time is 32 & handle time is 462 seconds.T=540 seconds
• Flow Rate = Number of customers that flow through a specific point in the call center process per unit of time.
• Inventory = Total number of customers present within call center boundaries.Ex: Argentina call center is 24/7 & call patterns are very different.
Therefore, to simplify calculations we will use I=27 customers
Little’s Law• Throughput = Average number of customers that flow through the call center
per unit of time.• Little’s Law - Average inventory (=) Throughput (x) Average flow time.
– I = R x T
Ex: We identified:T = 540 seconds (9 min)I = 27 customers.
Therefore, R = I/TR = 27/9 R = 3 customers/minute
Call Center Flow, Delays and Queues
Customer CustomerArrival Rate Throughput
Ri
CapacityRp = c/Tp
R = Min (Ri, Rp)
Ii + Ip = I
Ti + Tp = T
Queue + Service =Process
Number:
Time:
In:
Call Center Process Attributes• Inflow Rate Ri = Average rate of customer arrivals per unit time.
– In the Argentinean call center, Ri = 5 customers/minuteProcessing Time Tp = Average time required by agent to process the customer.
– Tp = 462 (agent) + 46 (PAS) = 508 seconds• c = Number of agents in the resource pool
– c = 36 agents in Argentina• Process capacity (Rp) = Total processing rate at which customers are processed
by agents in the resource pool.
– Rp = c/Tp or Rp = 36/8.47 = 4.25 customers/minute• Buffer capacity (K) = Maximum number of customers that can wait in queue.
– K = 120 (there are 10 lines that can hold 12 each at any given time)
Flow Rate-related Measures of Call Center Capacity
• Throughput rate (R) = Average rate at which customers flow through the call center process– R = min (Ri, Rp)– In our case, Rp is smaller, so R = Rp = 4.25
• Capacity utilization (ρ) = Average fraction of the resource pool capacity that is occupied in processing customers– ρ = R/Rp
– In our case, R = Rp and ρ = 1• Our resource pool is constantly busy processing customers.
• Safety capacity (Rs) = Excess processing capacity available to handle the customers inflows.– Rs = Rp – Ri
– In our case, Rs = 4.25 – 5 = -0.75• All the available capacity is busy processing arrivals.
Flow Time-related Measures of Customer Delay• Average waiting time (Ti) = Time that a customer spends in queue.
– Ti = 32 seconds.• Average theoretical time = Average processing time of a customer.
– Tp = 462 seconds + 46 seconds (automated system) = 508 seconds
• Average flow time in the process (T) = Average time that a customer spends waiting in queue & being served– T = Ti + Tp or T– 508 + 32 = 540 seconds or 9 minutes
• Flow time efficiency = Proportion of time that a customer spends being served rather than waiting in queue– Tp / T = .94
Inventory-related Measures of Customer Queues
• Average queue length = Average number of customers waiting for service– Ii = R x Ti
– Ii = 4.25 x 0.53 = 2.25 customers waiting for service
• Average number of customers in service = Average in-process inventory– Ip = R x Tp
– Ip = 4.25 x 8.47 = 35.99 customers in service
• Average total number of customers in the process– I = Ii + Ip
– I = 2.25 + 35.99 = 38.24 customers in the process
Call Center Flow, Delays and Queues
Customer CustomerArrival Rate Throughput
5 customers/min
CapacityRp = c/Tp
4.25 customers/min
2.25 + 35.99 = 38.24
508 + 32 = 540 seconds
Queue + Service = Process
Number:
Time:
In:
Performance Improvements
The following levers improved process performance:• Decrease variability in customer interarrival &
processing times.• Decrease capacity utilization (or increase safety
capacity) either by– Decreasing the arrival rate or increasing the unit processing
rate– Increasing the number of servers
• Synchronize the available capacity with demand.
Managing Capacity• Capacity utilization (ρ = Ri/Rp ) can be reduced by increasing
average processing rate (Rp)
• In order to increase processing rate (Rp = c/Tp) we recommended decreasing average processing time (Tp)
• To achieve a decrease in processing time:– Identified that billing & escalated calls took longer to handle in
this call center vs. similar centers.– Thus recommended & implemented 2 separate hour training
segments• Billing prorates explanation• How to handle escalated calls
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Key Performance Indicators
• Service Measures– Accessibility
• Blockage; hours of operation; abandons; self-service availability
– Speed of Service• Service level; average speed of answer; longest delay in
queue
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Key Performance Indicators
• Quality Measures– Resolution Metrics
• First call resolution rate; transfer rate
– Call Handling Metrics• Etiquette; knowledge and competency; error and rework
rate; adherence to procedures
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Key Performance Indicators
• Efficiency Measures– Resource Utilization
• Agent occupancy; shrinkage; schedule efficiency and adherence; availability
– Contact Handling• Average handle time; after call work time; on-hold time
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Key Performance Indicators
• Profitability Measures– Sales
• Conversion rate
– Use of financial resources• Cost per call
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PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PROCESS
Steps of Performance Measurement1. Define the ideal2. Measure current performance3. Diagnose problem4. Apply “treatment”5. Monitor progress6. Preventative maintenance
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PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PROCESS
• Defining Performance Standards– Quantitative standards– Qualitative standards
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QUALITY MEASUREMENT PROCESS
• Call Monitoring Policy– Various approaches– A formal policy is important
• Outline process• Describe tools and instruments to be used• Define how scores will be communicated
• Quality Forms and Standards
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QUALITY MEASUREMENT PROCESS
• Call Calibration = process of standardizing call evaluation and scoring process
• Scoring and Evaluation
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PERFORMANCE REPORTING
• Reporting Methodologies– Build a framework that CLEARLY defines:
• Purpose of each report• Recipients• Sources of data• Metric to be used
– Must be relevant, accurate, and timely
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PERFORMANCE REPORTING
• Communications channels for each report should be considered
• Communications strategies– Agents– Teams– Management– Funders