For companies in contact center-dependent industries such as automotive, financial services, retail, cable and telecommunications, superior customer service can set them apart from competitors and have a marked impact on bottom line operations.
Demands on contact centers have increased. More than simply the telephone operations facilities of years past, today’s contact centers handle phone calls, emails and online communication such as instant messaging. Underlying the technology challenges presented by these additional methods of customer contact is the challenge inherent to customer relations regardless of industry: employee engagement.
Engaged employees deliver better customer service. The Gallup Organization reported teams with higher engagement earned 12% higher customer service scores than their less-engaged counterparts.
Today’s contact center environment is more challenging than ever. While centers have access to customer information such as sales histories, customers are increasingly savvy and expect immediate results. Contact center professionals must be informed and courteous, but they must also solve problems quickly to prevent customers from migrating to the competition, which is often just a web site away.
Resolving customer issues efficiently improves customer satisfaction and leverages that goodwill into opportunities for cross-selling additional products. While in keeping with the general marketing trend to promote products through all channels, this strategy only increases pressure on employees. Contact center employees must be the best and brightest and their level of knowledge of company offerings must be as up-to-date and complete as possible. Given the nature of the work, which is normally at an individual terminal with headphones, it is easy for individuals to become isolated from each other and from overall corporate strategy.
While the challenges are many, developing a contact center workforce that is actively engaged can help companies in many ways.
First, engagement helps maintain customer relationships. The use of automated contact center technologies has alleviated some stress on contact center professionals, but the automation also means that the customer experience is no longer personal. Specifically, if customers feel that they are a series of call option numbers, then they’re more likely to think of their bank (or mortgage supplier or cable operator) as just another company. Without connection, customers are easily wooed by the competition.
Second, more engaged employees are more likely to stay with the company. According to the study, business units with many actively disengaged workers experience 31% to 51% more turnover than those with many engaged employees. All contact center managers are uncomfortably familiar with the high rates and related costs of turnover in the profession. Turnover results in real dollars lost – dollars spent on lost productivity, training replacement staff and bolstering morale for the remaining workers. Most importantly, more seasoned employees provide a more consistent customer experience.
Engaged employees also maximize sales and contribute to overall company performance. Because the sales process has gotten more complex, it is important for employees to understand which products or services are most profitable. With this understanding, they can maximize each transaction. If an individual employee has insight and understanding of overall corporate goals, he is more likely to treat each transaction like one that can affect the bottom line.
Providing "line of sight" is the first step to developing an engaged contact center workforce. Companies must provide context to employees at all levels and make a compelling case for WHY their company is different and valuable and how it fits into the industry. Employees must see the effect their customer interactions have on the company’s ultimate success. In addition, line of sight empowers contact center employees to effectively resolve customer issues without elevating the call to the next in line supervisor. Line of sight plays helps employees understand what types of resolutions are acceptable and how these resolutions can ultimately support the strategic direction of the business.
Line of sight also enables employees to make quick decisions, such as which product to promote to a particular customer. In the telecommunications industry, for example, line of sight is essential to companies whose offerings have broadened from the traditional telephone lines. With the convergence of cable and phone and the additions of DSL, cellular and other offerings, contact center employees have multiple opportunities to broaden the customer relationship. Employees with line of sight know the financial realities of the business, such as why new products are more profitable for the company, which in turn motivates them to sell those new products to customers.
Strategy can come from top-level executives, but to be successful it must have buy in and support on the call center floor, at the team and individual level. A key for contact centers is to develop implementation that fits seamlessly within the existing daily work process. For example, managers can consistently reinforce the strategy and provide visibility into the decision-making process at the daily or weekly pre-shift meetings. In demonstrating their support and engagement, managers set the standard for other employees.
Once the strategy has been introduced, employees should have the ability to extract supporting information at their own pace and using familiar tools. E-learning is an excellent example of a contact-center-appropriate training application. Because working on individual terminals is already part of the job, employees will find terminal trainings easy to emulate and practice.
Once all employees understand the big picture, additional training should be provided that reinforces the messages. Finally, strategy implementation must be reviewed, revised and updated until it becomes part of the daily job for each employee.
Savvy contact center executives recognize that engaged employees provide better customer service though more developed customer relationships, more consistent customer experiences and maximizing individual transactions.
Employee engagement is an investment that pays dividends in customer satisfaction and overall contact center performance.
About Root Learning:
Root Learning is a strategic learning company that engages and connects people to create results. Root Learning has helped nearly 500 companies worldwide to address complex business challenges by combining consulting, learning and communication disciplines into a unique creative problem-solving approach
Published: Thursday, July 19, 2007
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