Quality vs. Quantity: A Call Center ConundrumLearn Management Articles on management-info.biz. Quality vs. Quantity: A Call Center Conundrum article will help answer your questions on Management Articles.We at management-info.biz specialize in Management Articles. Management Articles at management-info.biz provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
Representative Super Speedy says, 'I've taken more calls than anyone on the team today. My average handle time is the lowest on the floor.' Coach Level Head breaks it down for him, 'But your quality scores are below everyone else on your team.' Representative Detailed Dan says, 'My quality scores are top notch. I give every one of my customers the detailed attention they deserve.' Coach Level Head breaks it down again, 'Your Average Handle time is through the roof, and there are customers waiting in queue for attention to their needs. Where is the happy medium? True quality means being effective and efficient; meeting the customer's needs fully in a reasonable amount of time. As a call center supervisor in a Customer Service department I managed a team of 20 representatives. Like many teams there were 'top performers' or super stars, 'middle of the road performers' or most of the team and 'low performers' or the folks that needed help to the middle of the road. My goal was to work with everyone to bring them up to the next level and ensure quality and efficiency as a group. I remember one team member who fell into the low performer category. She was very detailed, very good with customers and her quality scores were outstanding. So, what put her in the low performer category? The amount of time she spent on each call. In one work day she would complete only half the number of calls completed by her team members. Her average handle time was off the charts. We had to work on this as soon as possible. I coached her on several occasions and we found ways for her to cut time off of her calls. She did more typing while she talked to the customer; she learned the system more thoroughly so she could offer the answers to the customer's billing questions. Still her efficiency was not there. So, we continued the coaching. Her argument was that her quality scores were so high that the quantity should not matter. She would receive 95% to 100% on each monitoring score. She was providing the customer with a quality interaction. They would go away feeling good about the company and the services they purchased. So, why did it matter if she took a long time talking with each customer? This discussion changed my explanation of quality and quantity forever. I explained to her (and everyone else, on every team I ever coached going forward) that Quantity is not a separate goal from Quality. Quantity is actually efficiency, and efficiency is part of Quality. Instead of focusing on the number of calls we took in a day, we must talk about this performance goal in terms of how efficiently we took those calls. Did we use the time we had with them appropriately? We can not say that we offered the customer a Quality Interaction if we kept them on the phone for 25 minutes trying to solve their issue. On each call we owe the customer courtesy, information, honesty, answers and EFFICIENCY. A customer who received the answer they called looking for in 3 to 4 minutes will be happier than one who reaches their answer after 10 minutes. In addition to the individual call, the time one representative spends on a call with one customer can also affect the perspective of the customer who is waiting in queue. I'm not suggesting that team members rush through calls to answer the next, but it is important to be aware of the impact of the time you spend on each call. The more efficient you are on each call, the more effective the department will be as a whole. We ensure the efficiency part of Quality by being prepared for each call. Preparation includes knowing the tools and systems we use to answer the customer's needs, being up to date on new products, services or issues the customers may be calling about, and having our best Customer Service attitude ready to talk to each customer. All this has become my Quality message. I have been known to pull up a soap box in the break room and spread this good word. Quality is built on quantity or efficiency. Offer clear, helpful, efficient customer interactions. My team learned it and improved in each one of their performance goals.
Let the Quality vs. Quantity battle end. Your customers will thank you. |
More Articles:1. Why "Good Enough"... Isn't By V. Berba Velasco About a year ago, I had an opportunity to have dinner with the CEO of an engineering startup company in Pennsylvania. As we discussed engineering design matters over Chinese food, he took a few moments to talk about his business philosophy. "As far as I'm concerned," he told me, "if a product is good enough, then it's perfect." He explained that in his view, product improvements should only be performed with the specific goal of increasing sales. "Anything else," he said, "provides no benefit … 2. Time to Quit the Rat Race? By John McKee 1. Most leaders die with their mouths open.I recently read an article in Fast Company magazine about the issue of leadership. In it, they quote Ronald Heifetz, the founder of Harvard's Center for Public Leadership, who made the above comment back in 1999. He followed it up by saying, "leaders must know how to listen - and the art of listening is more subtle than most people think it is. But first and just as important, leaders must want to listen."You'd think this is simply basic stuff, right?… 3. Work Life Balance - Getting It Right! I have previously covered the importance of business strategy, and achieving work life balance is an important factor in developing an ability to think and plan strategically.In recent years working practices and hours have become more flexible and it has become normal practice for employers to grant maternity and paternity leave. This has enabled many workers find a better balance between their work and personal lives.However, owner managers face a more taxing situation. Many think they have n… 4. How to Deal With Salespeople By Steve Kaye If you are an executive, you may sometimes feel like a open jelly sandwich at a picnic. Every crazy critter in the world wants to bite into your budget. Here's how to protect your time and preserve your sanity.Ask questionsMany salespeople work from a script. Rather than let them read it, interrupt with, "Excuse me." Then determine the purpose of the call by asking questions such as, "What are you selling?" or "Why are you calling?" Set bounds on the call by stating that you will take one m… |
||||
