call center management

Using KPI's for performance measurement is a well documented, tried and tested management tool. Issues arise however, with what the metrics are actually telling us and the validity of the underlying raw data. You can see what we mean when you consider some of the top metrics commonly used to measure call center performance; call quality, service level, customer satisfaction, average speed of answer, first call resolution, employee satisfaction and so on. The fact is that many of these metrics are subjective and not qualitative.

Achieving consistency across the metrics being gathered becomes even more problematic when you consider the number of different sources from which the raw data is collected. Call time is easily and accurately measured, however customer satisfaction comes from the customer themselves and one customers perception will differ from another and the same applies to employee satisfaction. Other KPI metrics, such as adherence to call center telephone policies will fall to be reported by a supervisor or other observer adding yet another source of metric data and broadening the problem of consistency with the raw data.

It becomes important therefore that rather than simple isolated metrics being used, that they are weighted and collated to give an holistic picture of what is actually happening with the call center. This is where balanced scorecards that provide weightings to appropriate KPI's play an important role within call center performance measurement. Applying appropriate weightings to the importance of a given metric will and combining the isolated weighted metric with the other KPI measures will assist in smoothing anomalies in data collation from inconsistency and the variety of data sources.

Ensuring that the metrics that are used with a balanced scorecard are valid we must consider what makes a valid call center performance measurement metric. As performance metrics selected will be relevant, they must carefully collected on a timely basis, be a complete or absolute value and clear. What appears to be a relevant metric may in fact not be so, call center managers themselves may be influenced by their own working practices and not in touch with the broad mission of the organization. An accurate metric measure will also lend confidence in the measure if it is unambiguous and the closer to the raw data this can be, the greater the degree of accuracy expected.

Unfortunately, call center managers are blissfully unaware of the real power of balanced scorecard and KPI metrics believing that they are useful for performance measurement and not anything more. The real power of KPI metrics lies in their diagnostic ability when used holistically, as the balanced scorecard attempts to do, not only for performance measurement but also for benchmark performance against industry competitors, identifying performance gaps and proscribing remedies as well as providing team members with individual responsibility for their part in over call center performance.

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call center management

Call center management software refers to the IT function or process applied to multiple tasks across all operations and all industries. It is a broad concept dealing with large inbound-outbound traffic in Customer Relationship Management. This software allows contact center managers to effectively balance work factors such as optimal staff levels, anticipated workloads, campaign timetables, resource availability and technological capability, all while considering practical elements. This is also known as Workforce Scheduling Software.

Supervisors and call center team leaders are provided with the information and control tools necessary to make fast and accurate workforce and project decisions. This software gives the management a broader and more correct picture of different perspectives or views of call center data. Enterprise-wide or drill-down views can be customized to provide information such as locations, teams, agent groups, projects or individual agents. The package enhances efficiency by allowing managers to set performance thresholds and by providing audio-visual signals or alerts at the managers desk. This also allows supervisors to adapt strategies in real-time. In some packages, there is the facility to allocate personnel and maximize call center productivity. Archive information database is also provided for compliance and client reporting. And there can be web-based reporting that allows managers to reports in any location with Internet access.

There are various packages available for call center management. Unable to perform Translation:

Call Center Services provides detailed information on Call Center Services, Online Call Center Outsourcing Support Services, Inbound Call Center Services, Outbound Call Center Services and more. Call Center Services is affiliated with Contact Center Consultants.

call center management

To increase the performance levels and go extra miles to ensure the success of your company, outsourcing customer support services is the best way indeed. The quality of the services, wide range of solutions and professionalism of BPOs are catalytic for any business. The optimal combination of technology and quality oriented value based services of contact centers is capable to spearhead any business across various verticals.

The increasing demands of outsourcing services have resulted in the boom of business process service providers. It's a universal truth that services of offshore customer support help you to cut costs and increase the working capabilities within the organization while in -house staff can dedicate time to core work issues rather concentrating on mundane processes. Call centers help you to establish professional management system and technology based model as per your requirement and business specifications.

They fully coiled and management, marketing expertise to provide you with real-time, centralized and unified work program. BPOs managers ascertain end-to-end quality levels. A quality centre based on set of rules and preordained principles can be found in every service provider to assure targeted approach towards work. Thanks to the adherence to rigorous quality checks, they have been able to increase operational efficiency within the budget and time allocated. The management level exercise continuous revision and adaptation of new quality tactics and strategies to keep in pace with increasing competition and to enhance the efficiency of their centers.

Among other outsourcing countries call centers in India have been able to earmark the whole outsourcing phenomena by providing outstanding quality and exceptional range of services. They are fully equipped with right technology, latest software, rich database and prowess. With the inclination and aptitude to provide quality customer support and management services, they are pioneering the outsourcing industry. They deploy latest technologies to evaluate and analyze the performance of their agents. Apart from daily monitoring, daily reporting, live tracking and side by side supervision are also conducted.

With the qualified management help you can sit back and relax about your company's growth and administration. They provide you 24X7 services so that you don't miss a single chance to prosper your business.

Cally Parkar is associated with Call Centers India(CCI) and working as Asst.Marketing Manager. Call Centers India(CCI) is a leading BPO,an International Call Center outsourcing company provides cost effective call center services, technical help desk, back office, chat support Services and Telemarketing services Globally. We help clients to achieve higher customer satisfaction and increase revenue growths. Any suggestion, queries regarding customer services or outsourcing is more than welcome at http://www.callcenterinindia.net

call center management

Does the person managing your call center have enough experience for this position. In the smaller call centers I have noticed that those in charge do not understand the complexity of this position nor have a grasp of the technology. I have encountered several call center managers who don't even know what an ACD is or how it operates. Generally these people have been promoted from some other department in the organization. This position is not just about managing people, it is about managing all of the resources that keep the call center in operation.

The call center today is no longer a back office operation (well maybe not everywhere). This is a multi-million dollar industry with new technology emerging daily. Companies spend thousands of dollars every year investing in new technology for their call centers, and yet will put someone in charge who has limited or no knowledge of the operation.

I recently met with a manager who has been in this position for over a year. This person rarely looked at performance reports for the center and agents, and never looked at the real-time stats throughout the day. When someone else in the organization requested a report they discovered that one of the agents call duration was four times that of the other agents. When questioned the manager was at a loss. Since these were not considered consistent, this agent was not aware that the talk time is so dramatically by a line group averages.

In the smaller call centers there is generally only one person who is responsible for staffing, scheduling, coaching and training agents, analysis of performance metrics, and resolving personnel problems. And so, it is sometimes difficult to keep up with the daily tasks.

At the minimum when considering someone for this position, look for these traits/skills:

• Understands the technology - what and how the technology (or lack of) is being utilized
• Worked in a call center (preferably) - so as to understand the culture of call centers
• Management experience - likes working with people and not afraid of conflict
• Flexible - open to new ideas

Linda Hogan, managing partner of PTel Inc. has been in the call center industry since 1993. PTel Inc. provides a variety of products for managing call centers. PTel's call center knowledge and Centrex expertise is a valuable resource for many organizations. For more information about the company and products, visit http://www.ptelinc.com and http://www.callcenterstore.com or email linda@ptelinc.com

call center management

It is common knowledge that workforce management is a necessity for call centers of all sizes. For larger centers, automated software programs calculate and forecast scheduling. For most small centers, however, many workforce management systems are cost prohibitive. There are alternatives available for small centers.

The principle of workforce management software is the same for all programs, but there are subtle nuances that may or break your effectiveness and your budget. Before purchasing a hosted workforce management solution, look for these features to ensure you are getting the most benefit for your money:

• Pay as you go, and grow. You need predictable costs for budgeting purposes.
• No long-term commitment required. You shouldn't have to sign a contract for the long-term when your needs are certain to change over time. Look for scalability to meet your growing needs.
• Little or no IT required. Being required to have IT personnel to manage your software defeats the purpose of the low cost benefit.
• No hardware to install and maintain. You should be able to access your software anywhere and at anytime with an internet connection. It should also offer complete integration with your ACD.
• The same features as an enterprise solution. You should receive the same benefits that a fully implemented system would offer.
• Customizable access to only the functionality you need. Don't choose a one-size-fits-all solution. You choose the features and functions needed for your center and don't pay for features you can't use.
• Thorough security and access privileges. Rest assured that your software is available only to authorized users.
• Advanced proven forecasting and scheduling algorithms. Don't purchase a hosted solution from a company that does not offer the best forecasting and scheduling software. Their hosted solution will be no better than their complete enterprise solution.

Bob Webb, VP Sales, Pipkins, Inc. http://www.pipkins.com

call center management

Most companies would agree that buying services is not as easy as acquiring products. While outsourcing helps one to focus on core business and offers numerous other benefits, it may become a liability if the process is not managed judiciously.

Many businesses, these days, are turning to call centers that carry out both incoming and outgoing calls for businesses round the clock. But, without proper checks, the process of buying and using outsourced call centers can turn out to be a real dampener, fraught with difficulties.

Following are some of the problems and a few guidelines on how to better manage the process of outsourcing your call center.

1. Invest time and resource while choosing your vendor

Take your time to choose a service and zero in on a vendor only after properly examining their level of expertise and areas of experience. Many companies do not give much time and attention to browsing and purchasing services. It would be a good idea to nominate a team-member for the purpose and devote the time to arrive at the best decision for your company regarding an outsourced call center.

2. Keep track of the profitability of the service to your company

Many a time businesses hasten up to invest in a service when needed but realize at a later stage that purchasing the service has not been profitable to them. May be a serious error of estimation and parametric measurements of call center services the company needed to. You might, for example, miscalculate the number of representatives needed for a campaign and hire substantially more that what would otherwise be sufficient. Analyze your business decisions at every step and keep in mind that outsourcing is supposed to help you make more money by increasing your revenue and lowering your costs.

3. Try to optimize your resources while outsourcing

Outsourcing should be in commensuration with the resources available at the service provider. Heavy dependence on one call center may give them a free hand in unduly increasing your costs. Appoint an in-house representative who can keep an eye on the process and accomplish some peripheral duties himself rather than depending on the vendor to resolve them.

4. Do your homework on call centers well

The chances of you going wrong can be minimized by some well-informed research. Get an idea about what to expect from a service and the advantages of hiring a service provider. You can also get quotes from several sources to estimate the pricing. Fully understand why you are purchasing services to ascertain if you are making the right business move. Allocate the smartest people in your company to do the research, to analyze costs and possible savings, to choose the right vendor and to maintain a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship with the vendor.

Outsourcing your call center is a judicious move that can bring greater efficiency to your business while it lowers your costs. Make sure you spend the time to understand your needs and pick the right partner.

Daljeet Sidhu is at TradeSeam. Read our call centers advice. Compare call center quotes.

call center management

With call centers becoming big business lately, another business that is growing alongside as rapidly, if not fast, is that of call center management services. In simpler terms, they are the services required to manage the operations and functionalities of a call center.

Call center management is either done by direct management or is outsourced to specialized call center management services firms. The main issues are managed by the service center call management are the questions of application of best practices, with requirements for service level met, reviewing the operations and management practices, make contracts and transition plans, and that the proper understanding of the service desk and practices for call centers and planning. Call center management services help a call center do these and much more.

They provide the call center with the understanding of their services using various documents and materials. They help a call center have a strategic perspective on their issues and cover a myriad of issues that include aligning a call center to the business they perform, identifying key issues, etc. They provide blueprints for service level agreements with various parties involved in the call center.

One of the most important aspects of a call center is training and presentation. Such call center management services provide help in getting the best practices for such training, including studies of positioning, organizational aspects, technology issues, tool selection, people issues, and a process approach.

Another important aspect that call center management services deal with is auditing the services they provide with the help of questionnaires and checklists that review their services. A call center also has to have a transition plan and blueprint in mind for any eventuality.

Inevitable changes keep happening in the market and in the environment that any call center works in. The management services help the call center function efficiently and cost effectively while keeping themselves up to date with the changing trends in their services and practices.

Call Center Services provides detailed information on Call Center Services, Online Call Center Outsourcing Support Services, Inbound Call Center Services, Outbound Call Center Services and more. Call Center Services is affiliated with Contact Center Consultants.

call center management