using performance metrics and conditioned response to improve quality and productivity dave brown...

Using

Performance Metrics and Conditioned Response

to Improve Quality and Productivity

Dave Brown – Support Center U.

Melanie Lewis - Sage

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Introductions

• Dave Brown– 30 years experience– Author of 1 book & 40+ articles/papers– Specialized expertise in Support Centers

• Melanie Lewis– Director of Customer Support @ Sage– 17 years in software industry– 10 years previous in financial sector

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Agenda

• Case Study• Past & Present Approaches• The Future• Q & A

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Sage SalesLogix

• Customer Relationship Management application and development platform

• High degree of variation between customers• Customized• Centralized, distributed, Windows, Web, Mobile• 2 – 2500+ seats

• 34-person staff handling 1200 cases/month– Customer and Partner frontline teams provide IS-level support– Advanced troubleshooting team– Technical Account Management– Knowledge Management

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The Frontline

• Unpredictable call volume– Average 50/day, but ranges from 35-80– No pattern: Peaks may occur at any time

• 50% First Contact Resolution Rate• 38% of analyst time handling inbound calls• Most time spent researching backlog issues, consulting

with others, writing articles• Team/volume size preclude specialty queues

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Collaborative, “Touch and Hold” model

Performance Measurement Challenge 1

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Average Speed of Answer too high at 5 min - 8 min. Hold time ranged from 1 min to over 30 min.

No sense of ownership or accountability for ASA. Queues are mix of customer and partner calls. Frontline teams share queues.

Reorganize into Customer Team and Partner Team, and route calls accordingly. Add ASA as a team and manager performance objective.

Challenge Reason

Action Result Immediate drop to 2.1min ASA FCRR dropped from 60% to 50% Average Time to Resolve

increased by one workday

Performance Measurement Challenge 2

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20% of frontline staff excelled with stretch goals while 80% lacked motivation to meet certain goals if they did not enjoy the work.

Incentive plan awarded top performers only. Many team members had so far to progress, they would not make the effort.

Replace monthly/quarterly top performer incentive with Cash in the Chip$: weekly/ad hoc rewards with multiple ways to earn chips. Any employee could attempt incremental progress.

Challenge Reason

Action Result 70% earned chips. Top

performers still earned elite status

Too many chips? Stretch or replace the goals.Difficult to forecast costs – needs

frequent monitoring$ Requires investment: $12k vs $3k. Was there a return?

Increased cases resolved vs. other closed status by 6%Increased surveys sent by 6%Increased responses by 17%

Increased Top-Box Sat from 56% to 63%

Lessons Learned

• Accountability drives behavior• Agents must feel accountable• Happens only if they understand . . .

– Why the selected measures and targets matter– How their behaviors change results– Too much focus on one area can hurt another

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Performance Measurement Timeline

A Support Center ‘is’ a process of profitably managing Labor

Traditional Reporting

Workforce Mgmnt

Call Recording

Speech Analytics

Call Data

Balanced Scorecard

Quality Monitoring

Customer Survey

Mystery Shopping

Reports

K P I’s

Feedback

Management Info.

Statistics

Tools Historical & General Manager

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Real-Time Feedback

they surface look at their scores –

and begin to mentally plan

“how do I do better on my next try…?”

This is what we need our Agents to do

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Agent Conditioning

Workforce Mgmnt

Call Recording

Speech Analytics

Call Data

Balanced Scorecard

Quality Monitoring

Customer Survey

Mystery Shopping

Metrics System Server

- - - - - R E A L T I M E - - - - -

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Continual positive neural stimulus throughout the shift

She does her best job - likes her job more -- stays longer

… transforms knowledge into desired human action

Conditioned Behavior

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Motivating the ‘New Generation’

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Generation Born Age Group Working Style

Boomers 1946 to1964

Mid-40s toEarly-60s

round-table, cooperation

Gen X 1965 to1979

30s toEarly-40s

unstructured, consensus

Gen Y 1980 to1994

under 30 unstructured, spontaneous, interactive

Pay For Performance

Still a primary driverand business necessity!

With the right tool….

you will always know the exact ROI of each agent … every day

better yet, so will each agent!

stay above the redon every agent !

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no more ‘guessing’ required

Games At Work

Rather than just make up games for agents at work….

Transform work into a game!!

awesome motivation for Gen Y’ers

u ’n o … t h e d u d e s i n o u r c a l l

c e n t e rs 16

The Social NetWorking ‘vortex’exceeding

daily work goals

finances

&

enhances

in social gaming & virtual worlds

participation

&

enjoyment

of

level

an Agent’s

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Next Generation Products…will combine these features

• Real-time data presented to agents while they perform their tasks– Positive Immediate Consequences!– Intertwined with their outside interests

• Games• Social Networking

• Results in ‘conditioning’ of agents to perform optimally

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Actual Results

Attrition Productivity Quality Customer Sat Agent ROI

- 75% + 24% + 5% + 13% + 87%Auto Maker

Enterprise Helpdesk

Attrition Productivity Sales Convrts Training Qual Busy Work

- 52% + 41% + 15% + 25% - 15%Retailer

Central Call Center (inbound)

Billable Mins Calls Handled After Call Work Sales Convrts Agent Sat

+ 45% + 44% + 61 + 17% + 37%BPO

Used on Inbound Tele Co Client

LG

Earnings Increase 2006 to 2008 as a direct result of employee ROI conditioning

+ 620% (6X)

Wall Street Journal Case Study on Employee Conditioning

Self Motivated Employees! improvements made by

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“[This product] is a phenomenal concept and something that is sorely missed in a market crowded

by all sorts of technology. This is one that really hits at the core of a major pain point, and something many

assumed could only be left to the subjective thoughts of a manager.”

Robert M. JohnsonVice President – IT Vendor

Practice

Industry Analyst Opinion

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Q & A

• Dave Brown– 303-494-4932– dave.brown@SupportCenterU.com

• Melanie Lewis– 480-368-3700 x4492– melanie.lewis@Sage.com

• Please take article/handout!

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