Managing performance effectively in Contact Centres

Presented by:

Lynnette Morris7 September 2010

Managing performance effectively in

Contact Centres

Presentation: Managing

performance effectively in

Contact Centres

September 2010

Lynnette MorrisManaging Member & Executive CoachMobile: 083 252 5154Office: 011 880 8375Fax: 086 636 0998

Physical Address: The Energy Works, 1 First Ave East, Parkwood, Johannesburg.Postal: P O Box 651571, Benmore, 2010

Presentation Overview

• Introduction to the Performance Management Principles

• A Step by Step Performance Management Process

• How to avoid the Common pitfalls

• CCMG Templates to maintain a correct and supportive paper trail

Performance Management

Provides a clear direction and a shared understanding of

what is to be achieved,

the leadership approach required and

supports the continual development

of the individuals to ensure it is achieved.

Pitfall : Managers Time Allocation

ACTCHECKDOPLAN

What % of Time is allocated to?

The “Shewhart Cycle” is a planning and continuous

improvement cycle for Managers - developed by

DR William Edwards Deming

ACT

CHECK

DO

40% 20% 30% 10%

TIME ALLOCATION

CHECK ACTDOPLAN

Performance Management Cycle “SMAACH”

Set performance

objectives

Measure

AppraiseAction Feedback

Check on improvement

“ SMAACH” Pronounced either as “Smaak/ Like it”

or “Smack”

Pitfall:Motivation or KITA Management?

• Psychologist Fred Herzberg - possible to generate ‘movement’ (i.e. getting someone to do something) referred to as KITA management – Kick in the Ass – or better known as the Carrot ( positive move towards) or the Stick (negative move away from)?

• Movement is not motivation!

• The challenge in a call centre environment is to provide a working culture in which employees can aspire to meaningful and tangible ‘achievement’.

• Fred Herzberg , 1968 publication One More Time, How Do You Motivate Employees? has sold more than 1.2 million reprints.

Nick Drake-Knight MBSCH , NDK Group. Author of Boomerang! Coach Your Team To Be The Best (Pollinger, 2007)

1. Develop a

Performance Plan

2. Define

expectations

3. Set objectives and

gain agreement

9. Develop

performance

improvement plan

plans

10. Document

performance results

and action plans

4. Measure

performance

5.Review

performance

6. Provide

feedback

7. Assess

performance

8. Rate

performance

Performance Management 10 Step Process

1. Set performance

objectives

2. Measure3. Appraise

4. Action Feedback

5. Check on improvement

Pitfall: No Clear Direction1. Develop a Performance Plan

Company Strategic Direction & Goals

• Increase Revenues

• Increase Customer Satisfaction

• Reduce costs

Contact Centre Strategic Direction

1. Set the DIRECTION

2. Define the Vision

3. Determine what is to be done? (PEOPLE; PROCESS; TECHNOLOGY & INFRASTRUCTURE)

4. How it is to be done?

5. What is to be achieved?

Templates

Process Step CCMG Templates & related documents

1. Performance Plan

Checklist: Performance Management documentation

Assess your performance management system

Checklist: Skills requirements for managingperformance

Pitfall: No Job Clarity2. Define & Agree Expectations

• Define the purpose of each Role

• Define the performance activity

• Develop Result Areas/ outputs

• Define the job Competencies

Templates

Process Step CCMG Templates & related documents

2. Define Expectations

Checklist: Job Profiling & Performance Contracts

Checklist: Interview Questionnaire

Checklist: Performance driven recruitment

Checklist: Identify Training Needs

Pitfall: Objectives do not measure the actual performance

3. Set SMART Objectives

• Define specific results to be achieved as measurable objectives for each role and job

5 Most important

Contact Centre

measures to indicate

performance level*

1. Cost per Call/ Contact

2. Customer Satisfaction Score

3. First Contact Resolution Rate

4. Agent Utilization

5. Aggregate Call/Contact CenterPerformance

Pitfall: Performance not measured daily

4. Measure performance

To improve performance – we need

to understand what the current

performance levels are

Use Dashboard Reports

“ To manage – you need to measure”

Pitfall: Current performance levels are not investigated or compared

5. Review performance • Identify the measures that meet or exceed the

required targets

• Review if measures are up/down from the previous months results

• Conduct investigations into specific performance results

Pitfall: No feedback discussions6. Provide feedback

Good feedback provides direction & developmental

needs, linking individuals with the bigger picture and

illustrates how they are contributing to the success of

the organization.

Pitfall: Supervisors Role

Is a coaching & feedback function

• Supervisors are not allocated sufficient time to coach agents on the floor due to high administration functions or they are responsible for too many agents, which limits their time.

• Supervisors should spend 60 percent of their time coaching

Pitfall: Supervisors Span of

control is highThe top performers analysed from 800 reviews indicated that the

centres with 8-15 agents per coach (or team leader) had a significantly better result on all of the other key metrics.* This results in:

• 10% higher ready time

• 5% higher availability

• 5% higher FCR

• Lower absence

• More satisfied agents

• Higher competency Mats Rennstam is Managing Director at Bright UK Ltd

Templates

Process Step CCMG Templates & related documents

6. Provide Feedback

Informal one-on-one performance discussion template

Pitfall: Reasons for poor performance not investigated

7. Assess performance

Conduct further analysis by assessing performance achieved and reasons for performance level.

AVOID ANALYSIS PARALYSIS

Pitfall: No Balanced Score8. Rate the performance

• “Balanced scorecards”, introduced by R.S. Kaplan and D. Norton in 1992, is a concept for measuring a company's activities to make managers focus on the important performance metrics that lead to success

• Rating of performance enables employees to identify their strengths, weaknesses and areas that require development.

• Achieved performance can be recognised and rewarded

Balance Score Card

Eric Zbikowski , MetricNet,

40%

60%

80%

100%

Consolidated Score

Objective 1:

Objective 2Objective 3

Objective 4

110%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Consolidated Score

Objective 1:

Objective 2Objective 3

Objective 4

110%

40%

60%

80%

100%

110%

Star ChartAGGREGATE/ BALANCE

SCORE

Pitfall: No Action Plans to address poor performance

9. Develop performance improvement action plans

• Document the performance levels achieved vs required

• and the areas that require improvement

• Develop an action plan to improve or maintain the performance result

• Define time lines

Templates

Process Step CCMG Templates & related documents

9. Performance Improvement Plan

Disciplinary Investigation Suspension

Notification of Appeal hearing

Appeal Hearing Form

Notice of Counseling session

Counseling Checklist

Final Request: Performance Improvement

Notice of Informal Incapacity Enquiry

Incapacity Flowchart

Templates

Process Step CCMG Templates & related documents

9. Performance Improvement Plan

Performance Decision Tree

Checklist: Performance Review

Checklist: Managing performance deviation

Checklist: Performance Deviation

Disciplinary Procedure

Record of Proceedings

Disciplinary finding and Sanction

Notification of Disciplinary Hearing

Disciplinary Hearing Flowchart

Pitfall: Inconsistent performance records

10. Document performance results and action plans

• Record all performance monitoring activities, feedback provided and discussions

• Store all performance records

Templates

Process Step CCMG Templates & related documents

10. Document performance results

Record of counseling session

Checklist: Rewarding and Recognizing good performance

ACTCHECKDOPLAN

Summary

Set performance objectives

Measure

AppraiseAction

Feedback

Check on improvement

If you do not know where

you are

going,

any road will take you there

– but how will you know when you

have arrived?

Parting thought…

Question & Answers

Thank you for your participation

Lynnette MorrisManaging Member & Executive CoachMobile: 083 252 5154Office: 011 880 8375Fax: 086 636 0998Physical Address: The Energy Works, 1 First Ave East, Parkwood, Johannesburg.Postal: P O Box 651571, Benmore, 2010

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