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How do you go about deciding what metrics and KPI's your contact centre should use, and how can you be sure what you are measuring is consistent with the rest of the industry?
These are two constant questions that are in the minds of most Contact Centre professionals. So, what are the best ways to measure performance? Are traditional call centre KPI's still relevant and how important is it to look at the overall company strategy and business objectives to ensure there is alignment?
Whilst many will acknowledge that looking at broader strategic drivers is more important than ever, the average contact centre measures still tend to be Calls Answered and Abandoned rates and the most "strategic" measures Customer Satisfaction and Complaint levels. We, at Merchants, don't believe this is good enough any longer nor are these measures going to give you a picture that can really positively influence your customer interaction channel. We believe that now more than ever Contact Centre KPI's MUST also be linked to the overall business objectives. Obviously, the traditional metrics need to be in place to ensure that the Operation has the right information on hand to manage individual performance and to ensure the centre is efficient within its own right. The key, therefore, is to find the balance between the two to ensure that both strategic objectives and contact centre operational performance metrics are being met.
Once you've decided on your key metrics, how do you compare against previous years and against the industry as a whole? One thing is clear, making comparisons between current and historical performance metrics is challenging enough but even more difficult when you introduce benchmarks from your industry peers.
Merchants have been comparing call centre metrics for 10 years ago. In the 2008 Dimension Data Merchants Global Contact Centre Benchmarking Report it looks like performance has decreased dramatically. And whilst this is the case, we believe that these results require closer analysis. Rather significant changes in technology and customer behaviour are driving many of the differentials, for example, the rise of self service channels and the implementation of IVR's. Over the years, customers have accepted this method of interaction and it is now a proven channel of engagement. So how and why has this affected performance metrics? We are seeing that a much higher percentage of non-complex calls are being serviced within the IVR - no agent interaction needed! The result is that the calls being handled by agents tend to be complex in nature leading to higher call lengths and reduced 1st call resolution rates. Many organisations are doing whatever they can to force the customer down the self service route, making it increasingly difficult for customers to speak to a "live" agent! No wonder, there are some performance metrics that really do show a decline. Performance metrics have also become more complicated. How do you compare apples with apples and are the comparisons relevant and appropriate for your business and customer dynamics? Merchants have been operating contact centres on behalf of a variety of customers for many years and it is this insight that means that Merchants Consulting can assess your contact centre metrics with a high degree of pragmatism and relativity. It is pointless to benchmark and compare unless the metrics are relevant and appropriate for your business. Our Benchmarking Comparison Service can help you compare your centre's performance not only against other centres within organisation but also against the industry as a whole. We will guide you through a process that allows you to draw comparisons that point you in the right direction and monitor metrics that add value to your business and allow you to improve.
If you would like to find out more about this engagement, please contact Paul Scott on +44 (0) 7812 009 569
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