Overview Call Centre

Call Centers: Organization Chart

EVP/SVP of Customer Experience

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Workforce Management

The workforce management function is responsible for forecasting incoming call volumes and related workload and then staffing the group accordingly, as well as monitoring call center agents to ensure they are performing up to company standards..

KPIs• Average Speed to Answer (ASA)

Call• Call Occupancy Rate• Customer Satisfaction Rate

IVR/VRU Management

The IVR/VRU Management function is responsible for configuring and monitoring the usability of interactive voice response (IVR) systems and forming strategy for optimal use of the IVR system.

KPIs• IVR/VRU Containment Rate• IVR/VRU Utilization Rate• Average Time Spent in IVR

Call Center Training & Development

The contact center training and development group is tasked with developing programs to ensure that call center agents are properly trained on the program/product to deliver optimum levels of customer service.

KPIs• Annual Representative Training

Hours• Employee Turnover Rate• Total Training Cost

Call Center Technical Support

The contact center technical support group is responsible for addressing any internal technical issues and resolving any outages related to hardware or software used in the call center..

KPIs• Average Resolution Time• Tickets per Support Employee• Total Tickets Closed

Common Job Titles• Customer Service

Representative• Call Center Agent• Sales Support

Representative• Inside Sales

Representative• Account Executive

Common Job Titles• Staffing Coordinator• Recruiting Manager • Operations Manager• Call Center

Supervisor/Manager• Call Center Planning

Analyst

Common Job Titles• IVR Developer• IVR Analyst• IVR Designer• IVR Call Flow Designer• Application Support

Engineer

Common Job Titles• Call Center Trainer• Customer Training

Instructor• Contact Center Training

Manager• Training &

Development Specialist• Contact Center

Coaching Specialist

Common Job Titles• Call Center Technical

Analyst• IT Service Center

Analyst• Call Center

Administrator• Call Center Technician• Technical Specialist

Call Processing (Inbound/Outbound)

The call processing (inbound/outbound) function handles calls received and calls made in the contact center, routing them to the appropriate department or subject matter expert.

KPIs• Abandonment Rate• Average Handle Time (AHT)• First Contact Resolution Rate

Chief Operating

Officer

Employee Name Employee Name Employee Name Employee Name Employee Name

Contact Centers: Inbound Call Processing Workflow

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Customer call comes into the answer queue

Interactive voice response (IVR) gathers customer’s

reason for calling

Account Manager asks the customer the reason for the

call

Account manager verifies customer identification via other personal information

Account Manager provides answer to customer’s

inquiry

Advise customer about the transfer of call and put

him/her on hold

Account Manager thanks customer for holding and transfers the call to the

representative

Customer provides account number, name of caller, and

reason for call

End Call

Account Manager contacts the appropriate Senior Manager for additional

information

Account Manager advises customer that he or she will follow with customer when an answer is provided by

the Senior Manager

Account Manager escalates the call

according to the escalation hierarchy

Account Manager offers customer a particular

product he/she is eligible for

Account Manager continues to close the deal

Account Manager solves the customer’s issue

Account Manager updates the appropriate systems

Transfer to another department?

Escalation requested?

Does customer accept offer?

No

Yes

No

Client verified by IVR?

No

YesYes

Service Representative Contact Customer Issue Resolution Outbound Sales Pitch & Closure

Contact Centers: Customer Issue Resolution Workflow

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Caller calls and navigates through call routing

prompts to reach queue

Caller waits in queue until a retirement representative becomes available and is

then connected

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) verifies the

identification of the caller

Retirement Rep identifies the purpose of the call

Caller explains the reason for the call and asks

questions or initiates a request

Retirement Rep orders a personalize Retirement Plan Package for the

customer

The caller has received product X and has

questions

Retirement Rep answers all the customer’s questions

Retirement Rep answers any final questions from the

customer and updates appropriate systems

Customer requests a Retirement package?

No

Yes

Caller Identification Discovery & Resolution

Process View of the Call Center

• Inputs/Outputs – customers calling for service/customers completed the call• Flow Units – customers• Network of Activities and Buffers – answering customers’ calls• Resources – customer service agents (CSA), phone automated system (PAS), etc.• Information Structure – account management system, reference materials, etc.

Inputs OutputsProcess

Call Center Competencies and Architecture• 4 Dimensions for measuring the competence of the call center:

– Process Cost– Process Flow Time– Process Flexibility– Process Quality.

• Argentina call center focuses on the low cost.– Call center provides high-quality Spanish support.

• Argentina call center process architecture is defined by the types of resources (CSA, PAS, etc).– Call center falls somewhere along the spectrum between two extremes

(flow shop and job shop).– Flow shop fits better, as call center uses specialized resources that perform

limited tasks & produce large volumes with high precision and speed.

Three Key Call Center Measures• Flow Time = Time Customer spends:

– In automated phone system– Waiting in the queue for an agent– Talking to an agent.

Ex: October Average PAS time is 46, Queue average waiting time is 32 & handle time is 462 seconds.T=540 seconds

• Flow Rate = Number of customers that flow through a specific point in the call center process per unit of time.

• Inventory = Total number of customers present within call center boundaries.Ex: Argentina call center is 24/7 & call patterns are very different.

Therefore, to simplify calculations we will use I=27 customers

Little’s Law• Throughput = Average number of customers that flow through the call center

per unit of time.• Little’s Law - Average inventory (=) Throughput (x) Average flow time.

– I = R x T

Ex: We identified:T = 540 seconds (9 min)I = 27 customers.

Therefore, R = I/TR = 27/9 R = 3 customers/minute

Call Center Flow, Delays and Queues

Customer CustomerArrival Rate Throughput

Ri

CapacityRp = c/Tp

R = Min (Ri, Rp)

Ii + Ip = I

Ti + Tp = T

Queue + Service =Process

Number:

Time:

In:

Call Center Process Attributes• Inflow Rate Ri = Average rate of customer arrivals per unit time.

– In the Argentinean call center, Ri = 5 customers/minuteProcessing Time Tp = Average time required by agent to process the customer.

– Tp = 462 (agent) + 46 (PAS) = 508 seconds• c = Number of agents in the resource pool

– c = 36 agents in Argentina• Process capacity (Rp) = Total processing rate at which customers are processed

by agents in the resource pool.

– Rp = c/Tp or Rp = 36/8.47 = 4.25 customers/minute• Buffer capacity (K) = Maximum number of customers that can wait in queue.

– K = 120 (there are 10 lines that can hold 12 each at any given time)

Flow Rate-related Measures of Call Center Capacity

• Throughput rate (R) = Average rate at which customers flow through the call center process– R = min (Ri, Rp)– In our case, Rp is smaller, so R = Rp = 4.25

• Capacity utilization (ρ) = Average fraction of the resource pool capacity that is occupied in processing customers– ρ = R/Rp

– In our case, R = Rp and ρ = 1• Our resource pool is constantly busy processing customers.

• Safety capacity (Rs) = Excess processing capacity available to handle the customers inflows.– Rs = Rp – Ri

– In our case, Rs = 4.25 – 5 = -0.75• All the available capacity is busy processing arrivals.

Flow Time-related Measures of Customer Delay• Average waiting time (Ti) = Time that a customer spends in queue.

– Ti = 32 seconds.• Average theoretical time = Average processing time of a customer.

– Tp = 462 seconds + 46 seconds (automated system) = 508 seconds

• Average flow time in the process (T) = Average time that a customer spends waiting in queue & being served– T = Ti + Tp or T– 508 + 32 = 540 seconds or 9 minutes

• Flow time efficiency = Proportion of time that a customer spends being served rather than waiting in queue– Tp / T = .94

Inventory-related Measures of Customer Queues

• Average queue length = Average number of customers waiting for service– Ii = R x Ti

– Ii = 4.25 x 0.53 = 2.25 customers waiting for service

• Average number of customers in service = Average in-process inventory– Ip = R x Tp

– Ip = 4.25 x 8.47 = 35.99 customers in service

• Average total number of customers in the process– I = Ii + Ip

– I = 2.25 + 35.99 = 38.24 customers in the process

Call Center Flow, Delays and Queues

Customer CustomerArrival Rate Throughput

5 customers/min

CapacityRp = c/Tp

4.25 customers/min

2.25 + 35.99 = 38.24

508 + 32 = 540 seconds

Queue + Service = Process

Number:

Time:

In:

Performance Improvements

The following levers improved process performance:• Decrease variability in customer interarrival &

processing times.• Decrease capacity utilization (or increase safety

capacity) either by– Decreasing the arrival rate or increasing the unit processing

rate– Increasing the number of servers

• Synchronize the available capacity with demand.

Managing Capacity• Capacity utilization (ρ = Ri/Rp ) can be reduced by increasing

average processing rate (Rp)

• In order to increase processing rate (Rp = c/Tp) we recommended decreasing average processing time (Tp)

• To achieve a decrease in processing time:– Identified that billing & escalated calls took longer to handle in

this call center vs. similar centers.– Thus recommended & implemented 2 separate hour training

segments• Billing prorates explanation• How to handle escalated calls

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Key Performance Indicators

• Service Measures– Accessibility

• Blockage; hours of operation; abandons; self-service availability

– Speed of Service• Service level; average speed of answer; longest delay in

queue

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Key Performance Indicators

• Quality Measures– Resolution Metrics

• First call resolution rate; transfer rate

– Call Handling Metrics• Etiquette; knowledge and competency; error and rework

rate; adherence to procedures

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Key Performance Indicators

• Efficiency Measures– Resource Utilization

• Agent occupancy; shrinkage; schedule efficiency and adherence; availability

– Contact Handling• Average handle time; after call work time; on-hold time

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Key Performance Indicators

• Profitability Measures– Sales

• Conversion rate

– Use of financial resources• Cost per call

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PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PROCESS

Steps of Performance Measurement1. Define the ideal2. Measure current performance3. Diagnose problem4. Apply “treatment”5. Monitor progress6. Preventative maintenance

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PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PROCESS

• Defining Performance Standards– Quantitative standards– Qualitative standards

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QUALITY MEASUREMENT PROCESS

• Call Monitoring Policy– Various approaches– A formal policy is important

• Outline process• Describe tools and instruments to be used• Define how scores will be communicated

• Quality Forms and Standards

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QUALITY MEASUREMENT PROCESS

• Call Calibration = process of standardizing call evaluation and scoring process

• Scoring and Evaluation

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PERFORMANCE REPORTING

• Reporting Methodologies– Build a framework that CLEARLY defines:

• Purpose of each report• Recipients• Sources of data• Metric to be used

– Must be relevant, accurate, and timely

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PERFORMANCE REPORTING

• Communications channels for each report should be considered

• Communications strategies– Agents– Teams– Management– Funders