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

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