Dial 'M' for Success
By John Carver
September 10, 2002
Originally appeared on callvoice.com
I’ve had some success in managing a contact center, yet Service and ROI are
not what come to mind when I think back to the daily issues and fires to be
extinguished. Why was that? Shouldn’t the CC Manager and his Management Team
have the same priorities as Senior Management? Yes and no.
As the person responsible for the contact center operation, you, the Manager
and your team, are accountable for the results. However, I submit that you
will have more success when you focus on the strategies and tactics than on
the desired outcomes. Liken it to a runner who is obsessed with the thought
of winning … so much so that he cannot concentrate on the fundamentals required,
his strength, his endurance and his training. Think of the trip rather than
the destination and there will not be any unfortunate surprises when you arrive.
Our Executive Vice President had a habit of dropping by unannounced and asking
the question "what’s keeping you awake at night, John?" I would tell him the
issue of the day (week or month) that was causing me concern. After being
asked several times I came to realize that many of the issues that received
my attention during the day and consumed my thoughts at night (Management,
Motivation, Measurement and Morale) had something in common, hence the title
of this article, Dial ‘M’ for Success. There are other issues on the CC floor
that need addressing and solutions, but you will find that most, if not all,
will fit nicely into one of these four major categories. In fact, when you
think on these for a while you will come to think of the first three as shells
protecting the inner core, morale.
"Good management" encompasses so much that you may be thinking "easy to say
but not so easy to accomplish". You will find that it isn’t so overwhelming
when you break it down into small bites. My advice is to address your personal
"management" involvement to those areas that you deem critical to the smooth
running of your CC, and to concentrate on the tactics that will ensure your
success. Four examples follow:
1. Manage your hiring practices by establishing a solid foundation.
Yes, leave the hiring decisions to your Team Managers but ensure that they
have templates to follow … that they all understand and can clearly articulate
the role of the customer service officer … that they are consistent in the
behaviour focused questions they ask applicants, and finally, that, prior
to making a decision, they are confident enough to discuss the merits and
shortcomings of an applicant with you and/or their peers. This last action
will minimize the likelihood of "poor choices" and will reduce unnecessary
turnover.
2. Manage your training and coaching practices by getting involved.
As cumbersome as this may sound, review your new hire and existing agent classroom
training materials. Give new agents weeks of classroom training before they
take a live call. Occasionally show up and sit through an hour or two of a
training session. Empower your training group to be creative in the design
and delivery of programs. When expenses need to be reduced, make training
the last expense on your list to be cut. Have informal discussions with your
on-the-floor coaches to learn of their issues and how these are being handled.
3. Manage your IT and Marketing Departments as you would partners with
a common goal. It‘s sometimes tempting to think of these people as the
enemy. It’s also wrong. They are your partners and you will discover how similar
your goals are when you take the time to learn and understand each other’s
priorities. Give them credit when it is deserved. Include them in your celebrations.
Invite them to occasionally drop by and listen in on customer calls. Inform
them of your plans, strategies and tactics. In short, make them feel that
they are an important part of your team. When they do, you’ll never again
hear of a new initiative from a customer on the other end of the line, and
your IT people will run to your rescue when you call with a problem.
4. Manage your Team Leaders, as you would best friends. You wouldn’t
think of leaving your best friend out on a limb when you have an opportunity
to help. Be the same with your Team Leaders. They are critical to the success
of your center. Mentor them at every opportunity. Encourage and empower them
to make those on-the-spot decisions that are part and parcel of life on a
contact center floor. As critical as your team leaders are to your success,
the agents are to theirs. Invest in their development so they become true
people-management professionals. Give them the tools to recognize the varying
levels of agent performance, the knowledge to increase agent contribution
where possible, and the wisdom to help some agents come to the decision to
leave with their pride and dignity intact.
Ask for one suggestion on "Motivation" from each of your employees
and you will receive as many ideas as you have employees. The job of the Contact
Center Manager is to get quality work, efficiently completed through employees.
The successful manager understands that the trick is to motivate employees
to fulfill both of these requirements while enjoying the experience of doing
the work. I have learned that task-focused motivation (for example, specific
reward programs) will not sustain permanent gains. These approaches are inevitably
short lived when compared to results achieved through the creation of ongoing
employee job satisfaction. The degree to which you can create employee job
satisfaction will determine the willingness of your work force to apply itself
to the job over the longer haul.
My approach toward motivation is quite simple, and it works. Simply stated,
support all stages of employee development and encourage a culture of mutual
respect and team spirit. Have your training department report directly to
the Contact Center, and not to your company’s Human Resource area. Whenever
possible, hire training facilitators who understand your business, that is,
people who have been agents or coaches. Ensure your coaches have formalized
sessions (at least monthly) with each of the agents under their tutorage.
The coach should make the agent feel comfortable to discuss anything that
will help with his/her development … strengths, areas requiring improvement,
career planning, resume preparation etceteras. Celebrate at every opportunity,
whether personal (birthdays, anniversaries etc) or business related successes
(achievement of a target, advancement to other jobs etc.) Recognize an individual’s
achievements openly, so that the whole team participates in the celebration.
Allow employees the opportunity to share the expectations they have of their
managers. Employee feedback is the most effective way to know how you are
doing and how to improve your contact center.
Measurement … the third 'M' to be accomplished. I am an enthusiastic
believer in the adage "you get what you measure". With Senior Management insisting
on Exceptional Service and a good ROI, you must have measures in place to
address both expectations. I have yet to encounter a CC that does not recognize
the importance of putting into place those measures that are synonymous with
good customer care … service level, speed of answer, quality, first contact
resolution etceteras. These, together with an independent customer service
survey, will keep you well informed on your progress to achieving the goal
of providing exceptional service.
With regards to ROI, salary expenses are unquestionably the largest controllable
expense in a Contact Center. Good management and motivational practices as
described above will establish a climate where employees can succeed. Good
measurements will ensure that they do. If the role of the agent is to serve
customers, serve them well, and make a sale where it is appropriate to do
so, it follows that you need to measure each agent’s productivity, quality
and sales results. If you have a performance expectation, whether hard criteria
(e.g. attendance, log-on-time, improvement suggestions etceteras) or soft
criteria (e.g., attitude, coachability) you must have a corresponding measure.
Show your agents relative performance, that is, how they are doing relative
to their peers, and precisely how their contribution affects compensation
and performance assessments. I can tell you from my personal experience in
a Contact Center environment, when you eliminate the worry of bias, prejudice
and favouritism, agents love it. Most importantly, it will spur them on to
higher levels of performance thereby ensuring maximum return on investment.
Morale, the contact center’s inner core. By now you may have come to
the realization as I have, that good morale is a positive byproduct of good
management, good measurement and good motivation. With these accomplished,
you will not need to create specific action plans to address poor morale because
you won’t have a morale problem. That’s a promise.
In conclusion, concentrate on tactics and strategies. Get personally involved
in those areas you deem to be critical. Empower your management team and your
agents but always be there to teach, guide and assist. Work hard at maintaining
frequent open communication. Create a culture of respect and a climate where
others can succeed. Set clear, realistic performance expectations and measure
every one of them. Let your agents know exactly how their contribution will
be measured and how it affects their compensation package, bonuses and performance
reviews. No single activity (management, motivation or measurement) stands
alone. It is the cumulative effect of continuous effort that produces results
and good morale.