Our framework ensures a comprehensive operational review and actionable recommendations.

Beginning with the customer experience strategy and identifying the strategic and tactical requirements for operations, we evaluate all aspects of the contact center including support functions as illustrated in the graphic below:

As we collect and analyze operational data, catalog interaction details, observe support processes, and document customer feedback, actionable insights are generated.  Clients realize a return on their consulting investment in six months or less depending upon their ability to implement quickly.

The assessment framework leveraged by McIntosh team, defines the data to be collected, the content of interviews and focus forums conducted onsite, the process/system documentation to be reviewed, and the processes to be audited.  Unless the client has requested a specific focus, the following operational areas are reviewed during the assessment:

• Human resource processes including recruitment, screening, selection criteria, professional development training, appraisal process, grievance process, employee job classifications, compensation, etc.
• Standard operating policies and procedures
• Documented call flows
• Training–remedial, recurrent, and new hire
• Workload forecasting
• Workforce scheduling
• Intra-day management
• Call observations (Note: McIntosh typically monitors 1,000 calls and attempts to survey at least 40% of calls observed
• Performance management processes, scorecards, and accountability
• Tools and technology (WFM, recording, KMS, CBT, HR screening, call routing, reporting, etc.)
• Contact efficiency and effectiveness by channel and by skill set or workgroup

Call center organizations have a wealth of performance data with the ability to sort and report on system-wide performance, site leadership, functional groups, support organizations, supervisory team performance, and individual agent performance.

Organizations that value execution take a structured approach to defining executive level objectives and then translating those objectives into metrics for all levels of the organizations.

Here are a few guiding principles for defining metrics and optimizing performance results:

• Scorecards must be linked at all levels of the organization. Any individual or group scorecard should reflect the performance of individuals or teams below them and above them.  Disconnects, failure to align metrics throughout the organization, result in miscommunication and a organizational tension as different groups fail to share common objectives.
• Metrics must be smart–specific, measureable, actionable, relevant, and timely.  Daily reporting is required for most metrics with month-to-date and year-to-date performance available as well. Organizations focused on superior execution post daily results for all levels of the organization.
• Metrics measure performance relative to customer loyalty (voice of the customer, VOC)), business objectives (voice of the business, VOB), and employee engagement (voice of the employee, VOE). Failure to effectively measure performance for any of these three core areas will result in an unbalanced approach and a failure to deliver optimal results.
• Metrics overlap. While first contact resolution (FCR) is the primary driver of customer experience and interaction satisfaction, FCR also has a significant impact on costs by reducing unnecessary repeat calls. Average handled time (AHT) is an efficiency metric and thus impacts labor costs but it is also strongly correlated to the customer experience. In survey after survey correlated to actual call handling results, shorter calls rather than longer calls result in higher customer satisfaction and loyalty scores as measured by NPS (net promoter scores).
• Metric clutter destroys focus. Because call centers can measure so many things, we tend to do so. This is counter productive to focus. When everything is measured and everything is important, nothing is important.  It is far more valuable to have 2-3 metrics per VOC, VOB, and VOE than to have 25 plus measures of performance. We create effective targets when we reduce and clarify focus, identifying the most important performance elements.
• Metric redundancy is inefficient. Rather than selecting which metrics to use, many firms tend to use them all with the end result being four or five metrics all measuring the same dimension of performance. It is a waste of reporting time and effort and diminishes out ability to focus. Why measure average speed of answer (ASA), average delay in queue (ADQ), service level as measured by the percentage of calls answered within a specific time threshold (SVL), percent abandoned (ABN) when all three measure the same thing (how quickly we answer calls) or the impact of not answering calls (abandon rate). There is not single best practice, all the metrics listed are valid, but select one, not multiple metrics for the same result.
• Performance reporting must be accurate. If data is missing or known to be inaccurate, it must be removed from the reporting process or it will destroy reporting credibility.However, when slight variance occur based on timing of reports or reporting periods, do not allow members of the organization to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Educate the organization on these expected anomalies and manage expectations for report consistency.
• Performance relative to metrics should drive decisions and action. Should reps receive additional training?  What type of training? Should a rep be disciplined for a will based performance gap?  Has a supervisor lost the ability to manage their team’s performance effectively and what is the solution? Data for data’s sake is worthless. Actionable data supporting wise business decisions that alter an individual or team’s performance trajectory is valuable.
• Performance is optimized when decisions are made, action taken, and results monitored to ensure the course is corrected and performance is sustained at a higher level.  Performance optimization does not occur because of a single interaction but rather because of sustained management focus, training, and attention to the root causes of performance gaps.

When optimizing the contact center workforce, there are three critical areas that drive utilization and have the potential to impact the customer experience:

• The accuracy of the workload forecast, including the accuracy of inputs (historical data and assumptions)
• Workforce scheduling  aligned with forecasted workload distribution patterns,
• Intra-day management adjusting staffing and distributing workload to more efficiently utilize resources

If the forecast is inaccurate, too few or too many resources will be scheduled resulting in poor service levels or low utilization.

While all operations are subject to unexpected volatility driven by weather, unanticipated marketing promotions or system outages to name a few, we measure effectiveness by the alignment of schedules and workload.  A failure for the workload and scheduling plans to mirror each other represents a lost opportunity for optimization.

The objective of the real-time, intra-day management team is to optimize service levels and workforce productivity using a variety of levers available to them including extended or diminished hours, reallocation of resources, and the use of technologies such as Virtual Hold.

McIntosh assesses the effectiveness of each of the core workforce processes, identifying tools and tactics to improve workforce optimization.