CRM Chapter 7 Call Centers

Evolution of call center  Call centers  Contact Centers  CICs – Multiple channel contact center that takes into account new technologies and contact points for “call support”

Planning  1) Choose a service level objective  Handle time, resolution time, open to close  2) Collect data  3) Forecast call (contact load)  4) Calculate base staff  5) Calculate hardware needs

Planning (cont)  6) Calculate rostered staff factor (considers absenteeism, breaks, training time, etc.)  7) Organize schedules  8) Calculate cost  9) Budget for a higher and lower level of service

Finding Solutions  Case-based reasoning: A best practices model for resolving customer issues that involves retrieving historical cases that are similar to the customer’s issue and using them to work toward a resolution  Optimize profitability of service interactions, don’t just keep costs down (eg. Customers happier with your company than they had been)

CIC Technology  Computer telephony integration (CTI) – combining phone & data capabilities  Automatic call distribution (ACD) – How a call gets routed based on the call traits  Automated voice response and interactive voice response (current balances, appointment schedules, etc.)

CIC Tech (cont.)  Voice speech recognition – Self learning technology to improve recognition and response accuracy  Text-to-speech services – Improve service for the blind  Fax services

CIC Tech (cont.)  Automated callback – Leave information and get a callback estimate with auto dialing from a CSR  Automated appointment services – self service appointments on the phone or web  Hosted FAQ

Workforce management  Workforce management in call centers is unique  Often 24/7 needs  Various types of employees operate different shifts  Phone skills are unique  Encouraging personalization while monitoring consistency  ature=related ature=related ature=related

Agent analytics  Call stats such as call volume and average speed of answer  Quality monitoring – Opening, closing, satisfying resolutions  Agent performance – Similar to QM, customer satisfaction scores, number of customers helped over time  E-learning/E-training helps give ongoing coaching to employees

Call Center: For profit or cost center  Cost center – supports customer needs to maintain relationships  Profit center – Upgrades, add-ons, cross- selling