Call center (implementation)

Today in the market the trend of growth of the competition between the companies offering both the organization of own call center, and service of outsourcing "hot lines" is obviously designated. When choosing ready-made solutions of call centers the customer company should have a clear view of activity of the future center of processing of the entering / outgoing messages namely what tasks this center will carry out in the course of the work: these tasks are very different on the specifics. So it is necessary to carry out contrastive analysis of the tasks which are carried out by different call centers. For example:

• Work with the minimum costs for one call / full consultation
• The principle of call processing (level of operators different levels match/are necessary)
• The used phone number (new / existing / 8-800)
• Operation mode of operators (only the working day / round the clock)
• Expected quantity of calls in day
• The choice of service provider, proceeding from the offers existing in the market.

How to transform call center to the model organization for individual customer service at the highest level? For creation of call center of the world class meeting the current and future consumer requirements it is necessary to execute certain steps^[1].

Indicators of efficiency of the organization of work in call centers

There is a number of key indicators which are "indicators" of efficiency of the organization of work in call centers. One of the most significant indicators is SLA (% of the calls answered in the set interval) and also, the related % of lost calls which control allows the company to increase customer service quality. It is important to understand that their values in many respects depend on rational distribution of temporary resources and load of agents^[2].

If we consider call centers in which there are two groups of agents: the first group - is responsible for processing of inbound of calls, the second group – is engaged in implementation of outbound of calls, - that, in this case, the issue of optimization and redistribution of loading becomes especially relevant. Load of each of groups changes under the influence of different factors at what, depending on an organization type and influencing factors (existence and type of marketing activities, a time frame) rates of redistribution of loading vary. Thus, for example, in case of increase in load of the agents processing inbound calls necessary is a switching of a part of agents from processing of outbound of calls. When falling loading to execute the return switching. It is possible to perform switching by three methods:

• according to the set schedule;
• switching of loading by the supervisor;
• at change of certain indicators, such, as: change of threshold SLA values, average time of waiting, queue depth. The last option allows to organize most effectively work of agents of call center and to observe SLA.

Decrease in % of the lost calls is promoted also by Callback function use. If when implementing inbound of calls there are no free agents, or such indicators as depth of queue or average time of waiting exceed the set threshold, the choice is provided to clients: they can wait in queue, or order callback. This function by means of a design of a form on the website, mobile application of the company or, even, in waiting time in queue is performed.

Besides that Callback gives a choice opportunity to clients, use of callbacks allows to optimize also load of agents - a part of requests for callbacks can be processed when load of the entering agents decreases.

Define necessary mechanisms of interaction and provide their measurability

First of all it is necessary to define correctly key performance indicators because, based on incorrect priorities it is impossible to improve consumer service. Many organizations already refuse the fulfilled technique of fast processing of incoming calls. Heads came to understanding that the aspiration as soon as possible to free the line does not promote strengthening of relationship with consumers and improvement of perception of a brand. The most successful organizations shifted focus to such purposes as the successful problem resolution of the client, sale of more expensive or additional goods and services, and capability to induce it to recommend the company to friends and relatives.

Net promoter score (NPS) reflecting the probability that the consumer will recommend your goods or services to other person was of particular importance. Such recommendations — the powerful tool allowing to raise many times customer satisfaction degree.

Provide understanding of importance of interaction on several channels and use of its advantage

There passed time when customer interaction was performed mainly on telephone lines. Now consumers communicate with the organizations by e-mail, via websites, web chats, social networks, mobile applications, etc. Even more often interaction with the organizations is performed at once on several channels when clients organically pass from communication through social networks to direct communication with the operator through a web chat depending on type and detailing of the information required. It is necessary to define accurately what technologies, business processes and skills of personnel are necessary for support of such interaction.

Implement the necessary systems and components of infrastructure

It is perspective the conceiving heads already began transition from traditional infrastructure of the PBX or ACD to systems based on the protocol of initiation of communication sessions (SIP) keeping not only a voice communication, but also video transmission and files of other format on IP networks. The leading organizations use universal platforms of interaction with consumers not only in contact centers, but also in scales of all enterprise, performing communication on all channels and in all points of interaction. All of them involve numerous divisions of the company, including marketing departments, sales, technical support and customer service more often. The contact center also should maintain scalability and the advanced means of the complex analysis, especially in the conditions of increase in volume and complexity of the data sets processed by it and their communication with other divisions of the company.

Permanent optimization of personnel resources — from contact center to operations department

Functions of contact center cardinally change. At the same time with transition of clients to interactions on several channels the speed of these changes increases and there is a need for coordination of such multichannel interactions which can be performed also outside contact center, for example, in operations departments. In this regard it is necessary to organize timely the corresponding professional training of operators and other employees to meet the increasing requirements. When planning training it is extremely important to have complete analytical information about all agreements with clients on all divisions — from contact center to operations department. Modern technologies allow the organizations to define spaces in a set of necessary skills and to take necessary measures for permanent advanced training of personnel. Using means of speech and text analysis it is possible to estimate completely all cases of interaction immediately to correct a situation at emergence of problems. Exact and comprehensive assessment of skills in real time allows to improve and automate workflows constantly. It gives the chance to timely provide personnel training according to business necessity and to get rid of manual processes and delays in education and training. Transition to the automated optimization of working resources are not just a whim of heads, and real competitive advantage.

Begin to obtain analytical customer information in scales of all enterprise

Workflows of successful contact centers are closely integrated with customer relationship management systems, resource planning and other applications supporting activity of the enterprise. Having a possibility of receiving any customer information in real time, the personnel of contact center can not only identify the subscriber, but also quickly receive the exact report about a status of relationship with it. Irrespective of the channel of interaction, whether it be the website of the company, social network or normal phone, personnel of contact center should have access to all customer information, including the history of interaction with them and data on last purchases, data on value for the company, potential future requirements or about compliance to criteria for special offers. Obtaining analytical information of this sort requires the open platform which is easily integrated with applications of a system on management of relationship with consumers and other systems supporting activity of the enterprise.

At assessment of suppliers and their solutions it is necessary to pay attention to a number of important points and to receive answers to the following questions:

• Whether a system performs monitoring of availability of the main personnel and presence at it of necessary skills and also whether makes task analysis, executed on different channels?
• Whether a system allows to personalize service, using the routing based on business rules, data on clients and a context and also whether it can independently change rules if necessary?
• Whether a system supports automatic access to analytical data in the dynamic mode by means of dashboards what allows to gain an impression about the current compliance to the set key indicators, including requirements of agreements on the service level?
• Whether it provides the optimized and centralized distribution of all volume of interactions by all communication channels?
• Whether easily this platform is configured according to unique industry requirements?
• Whether easily it is integrated with the existing systems and applications, such how management systems for relationship with consumers, enterprise resource planning, management of inventory and other solutions supporting request processing?
• Whether a system supports optimization of personnel resources on the basis of analytical data and also integration with infrastructure of all contact center at any moment to provide transfer of addresses to the personnel having necessary skills?

Design estimates

The estimate of this project includes initial capital investments and operating costs.

Initial investments

Initial (starting) expenses include purchase of the equipment and the software (furniture, computers, phones, management programs for calls and so forth), selection and personnel training (operators of one or several levels, the manager, the supervisor, the system administrator), connection of the phone number, lease and repair of the premises.

Monthly payments

Enter monthly costs for ensuring work of call center:

• The rent for the phone number
• The rent for the occupied premises
• Constant payment of telephone traffic, sometimes long-distance
• Salary to operators and specialists
• Repair of the equipment

Besides, the hardware-software complex has terms of "obsolescence", and it means that as at most annually the equipment and the software of the center will demand updating.

Options of work of call centers

The call center can function according to the following schemes:

• The system of interactive interaction of IVR (the voice structured menu in which called independently performs navigation)
• The operator of the first level – the selected specialist. Such creation of work is characteristic of the "hot lines" focused on sales of goods or services or difficult consultation. At emergence at the client of the general questions the call is transferred to the "general" operators.
• Identical skill level at all operators. Calls receive readdressing directly on the customer at emergence of the questions which are not entering competence of operators.
• The operator of the first level – the "general" operator, skill levels of operators in the center are different, at emergence of difficult questions calls are transferred to operators of the following level or to the customer.

Own call center or outsourcing?

Own call center, as a rule is by one and a half-two times more expensive for the company, than use of outsourcing. But the call center allows to conduct most total quality control and monitoring, assessment of its efficiency and statistics that helps development of new perspective business development strategies. As a rule, the companies prefer to trust work on communication with clients to specialists in this case, i.e. address to third-party outsourcing call centers. To that there are two more reasons. The first: at dissatisfaction with service the customer can always address for similar service in the competing call center. The second: the market of call centers on outsourcing extends, in it there is a competition, and it means that the prices of services of this sort will fall.

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Notes

• The Marketingpro magazine N3(11) for 2005