| 1.
What are the standards of metrics used
by most call centers today?
The
most common metrics used by call centers
today are:
*
Speed of answer
*Talk
time
*Speed
of response
*Quality
metrics
According
to TARP, Inc., First Call Resolution
(One and Done) is the most important
standard. How do you pull off a
successful "one and done"?
It's quite simple, actually, TARP's
research reveals that the best-in-class
make this happen by:
*Empowering
frontline agents to deal with what used
to be "escalations"
*Trusting
their (agent's) judgment
*Training,
training, training
2.
How is cost per contact calculated for a
call center?
Every
call center needs to know the cost per
contact because you need to know exactly
how much it costs every time a customer
contacts you (or you contact a
customer). You can easily calculate the
cost per contact by dividing the total
costs to run the call center for a
period of time by the total contacts
responded to in that same period. Here's
a simple formula:
Cost
per contact = Cost per hour/ Contacts
per hour
3.
Is
homeshoring a bona-fide business option
for call centers?
When
done right, homeshoring (a
work-at-home-agent program) can have a
dramatic impact on costs, turnover, and
customer satisfaction. It is not unusual
for a brick and mortar call
center to have turnover rates of 100% -
200%, while work-at-home agents have
turnover rates of less than 25%. In my
opinion, homeshoring is so very
effective for at least three key
reasons:
Flexibility/Scheduling:
Many work-at-home agents enjoy
flexible scheduling in short increments,
which means a stay-at-home mom, college
student, or just about
anyone could work in a virtual call
center. If you're trying to attract and
retain Generation Y, flexible scheduling
is one of the biggest perks you can
offer. You owe it to your company to at
least explore homesourcing.
Motivation:
In some virtual call
centers, wo
rk-
at-home agents get paid only when
they're on the phone. This payment
schedule rewards agents for showing up
and producing.
Savings
on commute costs. Given the current
state of gasoline prices, who wouldn't
like to work from home at least a day or
two a week. Work-from-home agents are
saving both commuting time and money.
4.
What's the first step in setting up a
disaster recovery plan?
Call
centers of ALL
sizes must have a solid disaster
recovery plan in place. A disaster
recovery plan will be of immense help in
such situations as: Natural disaster
Power outage Equipment failure Telephone
system maintenance, emergency or planned
Construction or reconfiguration of the
physical plant Disruption of business
due to civil instability If you're just
starting out with a disaster recovery
plan, here areas you must immediately
address:
*Backup batteries and generators
Telephone network.
*Ensure customer calls
can be immediately routed to another
center (either one of your satellite
locations or an outsourcer you have pre-
arranged).
*Data access. In order to
continue to service customers during a
disaster, you must be able to access
company databases immediately and
effortlessly. Determine right now how
data will be accessed by a satellite
office or an outsourcer.
5.
How does a call
center accurately determine service
levels?
A
service level is your target for the
percentage of calls you answer within a
specified time frame. A call
center may target, for example,
answering 80% of calls within 20
seconds. Your service level must be a
good fit for your industry, your
customers, and just as importantly, must
exceed what your competition is doing.
When setting service level targets,
consider what everyone else is doing.
Look at other similar call
centers and even
your competitors. Track the trends of
your industry. Call
centers for home
shopping networks target answering 99%
of their calls within 5
seconds. That might not be relevant for
your industry or it might not be cost
effective. You have to do your homework
to come up with a target that's a good
fit for your industry, your customers,
and your budget. For goodness sake, just
don't arbitrarily choose a number.
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