Call Monitoring and Agent Coaching Best Practices Dr. Jon Anton Director of Research Center for Cust

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Call Monitoring and Agent Coaching(Best
Practices) Dr. Jon AntonDirector of
ResearchCenter for Customer-Driven
QualityPurdue UniversitySponsored
byHyperQuality
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A special thanks to our Sponsor

• Monitor and evaluate your calls overnight
• Recommend specific actions for coaching
• Off-premises and on-demand

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Some amazing statistics!!!
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200,000

• The number of contact centers in the world

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15,000,000,000

• The number of contacts between customers and
  companies in 2007

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• Average number of agents per contact center

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5,000,000

• Approximate number of agents working in contact
  centers worldwide

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Contact Centers are
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• a BIG industry
• that
• requires a lot of people
• and
• complex enabling technology

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• A very exciting time to be in customer service
  contact centers!

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All slides can be found as follows 

• Go to www.BenchmarkPortal.com
• Search for Monitor and Coaching

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TM
Call Monitoring and Agent Coaching
Your Name Here
has attended a seminar focused on Call Monitoring
and Agent Coaching leading to operational
efficiency and effectiveness.
March 2007
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Topics

• Introduction to BenchmarkPortal
• The 24 key processes in all call centers
• Agent coaching best practices
• Call monitoring best practices
• Example of evaluations tied to coaching
• Return on investment (ROI)
• Conclusions and Recommendations

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1. Introduction to BenchmarkPortal
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The BenchmarkPortal Database

• Largest call center performance database in the
  world
• Collecting data since 1995
• Over 46,000 members of our Benchmarking Community

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Multi-Channel Benchmarking

• Telephone
• IVR
• Email
• Chat
• Web self-service

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Benchmarking Center Processes

• Hiring
• Screening
• Compensation
• Monitoring
• Coaching
• Many more.

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We aggregate the data into Business Intelligence
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(No Transcript)
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Metrics related to Quantity of calls handled
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Metrics related to Quantity of calls handled
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Compared you to others in the your industry
Metrics related to Quantity of calls handled
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Performance Matrix
Quality
Caller Sat
Cost
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The real challenge is balancing Quality and
Cost
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Performance Matrix
Cost Index
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Performance Matrix
High
Low
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Performance Matrix
Caller Sat
Quality Index
Cost Index
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Performance Matrix
Low High
Caller Sat
Cost Index
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Performance Matrix
Quality
Please take a quick guess. Which quadrant are
you in?
Caller Sat
Cost
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Performance Matrix
Corporate Liability
High Quality
Low Cost
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The Quality Index
This is where you want to be
The Cost Index
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Your name here
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Centers of Excellence are the BEST because they
focus on implementing BEST Practices.
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Best Practices result when highly creative
companies optimize the combination of people,
processes, and technologies to achieve the
highest possible customer satisfaction at the
minimum cost
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2. Twenty-four key processes in all call centers
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Telephone Channel
Moment of Truth The Call
Internal Metrics
External Metrics
AHT ACWT Response Time Service Level And More

• Customer Experience
• Reaching an agent
• Getting a response
• Issue resolved

24 processes that Impact The Call
Hiring New Employees
Call Quality Monitoring
Training Employees
Call Routing
Employee Development
Reporting
And eighteen more processes
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24 Processes affecting The Call
Analytics and Reporting
Hiring New Employees
Call Center Performance Evaluation
Training Agents
Caller Satisfaction Measurement
Agent Development
Caller Service Recovery
Real-Time Expert Help for Agents
Agent Satisfaction Measurement
Agent Compensation
Caller Self Service
Telephone Service Improvement
Performance Benchmarking
Information Access
CRM Implementation
Agent Workforce Optimization
Teleservices Outsourcing
Call Quality Monitoring
Facilities Management
Agent Coaching
Call Routing
Information Technology
Call Center Communications
Telecommunications
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We expect our Agents to do everything!
handle more customers
address more complex requests
handle more volume
give customers choice and control
provide more information
be more available and accessible
personalize it
do it faster
incorporate new technologies
lower costs
generate revenue
ensure closure and commitment
deliver great service
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3. Best Practices in Coaching
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What can we learn from Professional Coaches?
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In sports, the following are universal
equalizers

• the size of the arena is fixed,
• the rules of play are set in concrete,
• the caliber of the referees is universal,
• the selection of players is controlled by league
  rules,
• the number of total players (50) on a team is
  controlled (football),
• there is a salary cap for the total team, which
  limits the rich from getting richer,
• to name only a few.

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In call centers, almost everything is
uncontrolled regarding coaching

• the budget allocate to coaching is different at
  every call center,
• agents are geographically different,
• agents are culturally different,
• the ratio of coaches to agents is different
• who does the coaching is different

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The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

• Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Longest serving President
• Great depression President
• World War II President
• Coaching a nation

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"Build up your weaknesses until they become your
strengths."

• Knute Rockne
• Knute Rockne had such an outstanding career that
  he is an American folk hero.
• Coached Notre Dame to five undefeated seasons
  without a tie.
• Known as one of the most innovative and
  charismatic coaches of his era.

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They call it coaching, but really its teaching!

• Vince Lombardi
• Super Bowl trophy was named the Vince Lombardi
  Super Bowl Trophy
• Named NFL Coach of the Year in 1959
• Named NFL Coach of the Decade in the 1960s

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When coaching, seek first to discover before
passing judgment!

• Charlene Stringer
• The only coach in NCAA history to lead three
  different women's programs to the NCAA
  Championships.
• Led her teams to 20 NCAA Tournament appearances

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I'm here to be your coach I'm not here to be
your friend.
Herb Brooks Considered by many to be the
greatest ice hockey coach ever. In 1980, he
coached the U.S. Olympic team to beat the
Soviets, considered by many to be the greatest
ice hockey team in the world at the time.
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I don't yell a lot. In fact, yelling will be
rare. When I get mad, I usually talk at the
same volume I'm talking now. But, when I get
really mad. I whisper .

• Tony Dungy
• First African-American head coach to win the
  Super Bowl on February 4, 2007, when his
  Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears.
• The first coach in Colts history to make the
  playoffs and win at least 10 games in six
  consecutive years.

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Most people have the will to win, few have the
will to prepare to win.

• Bobby Knight
• Had 902 career wins
• Winningest coach in history
• National coach of the year four times

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I dont mind being tough, because my dad was
tough, I dont mind showing affection, because
my mother showed affection .

• Patricia Summitt
• As head coach of the 1984 U.S. Womens U.S.
  Olympic Womens Basketball Team, saw her team
  bring home the gold.
• The first woman basketball coach to break the
  million-dollar-a-year salary ceiling.

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Just because a guy doesnt have experience
doesnt mean he wont be good.

• Lou Holtz
• He is the only coach in NCAA history to lead
  six different programs to college bowl games.
• He was the third winningest head football coach
  in the country

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Believe deep down in your heart that you're
destined to do great things .

• Joe Paterno
• Holds more bowl victories (24) than any coach
  in history.
• Is the only coach to have won each of the
  current five major bowlsRose, Orange, Fiesta,
  Sugar and the Cotton Bowl, at least once.

Coaching is a learned skill that needs to be
taught, practiced, and continually developed.
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A coach is someone who can give correction
without causing resentment.
John Wooden Coached UCLA Bruins Basketball 10
national championships (7 of them in a row) 88
consecutive victories
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What is coaching is

• The art of mastering change and standing for
  values that dont change
• The science of motivating people to meet their
  goals
• The ability to inspire and develop others
• The art of creating a vision and coaching others
  to strive to achieve it
• The science of protecting your students from
  danger and exposing them to reality

Herb Brooks
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What is the coaching status at best-in-class call
centers in our database?
Purdue Research
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Who does agent coaching at your center?
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How important do you think coaching is to the
success of your center?
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How are coaches selected at your center?
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What kind of training does a new coach receive?
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MOST important coaching attribute?
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Agents will not actively look for reasons to
leave the company when the supervisor
Purdue Research

• treats them fairly
• coaches them personally to enhance their
  performance
• advocates issues important to them
• operates with integrity consistency
• shows flexibility in finding solutions to unique
  situations

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Agent Attrition Problem
55 of front line workers are often thinking of
quitting or are already making plans to quit
within the next year
Source Sibson Company
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High Cost of Agent Turnover

• Average Cost to Recruit, Hire, Train an Agent
  6,500/agent
• Annual Turnover Rate in 2007 23
• Average Call Center Staffing in U.S. 100 Agents
• Average Annual Replacement Cost of Turnover
  228,000

This Does Not Account for Hidden Costs
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Hidden Costs of Agent Turnover

• Lost Knowledge and Experience
• Impact on Employee Morale
• Rescheduling Costs to Balance Workload
• Overtime Costs to Maintain Coverage
• HR Costs of Separation (Exit Interviews, Halting
  Payroll, COBRA)
• Productivity Drop

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Employers Level of Influence over Employees
Decision to Stay
High
Low
Employees Level of Control over Decision to
Leave High

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Who Should Coach the Agents?
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Who Should Coach the Agent?

• The primary coach should be the supervisor
• If delegated, it normally falls to the team lead
• The least effect method is to have the QA person
  do the coaching

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Supervisor The Critical Link

• I am the youngest member of the management team!
• I have the most direct reports!
• I have very little coaching experience!

Oh my!
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How Often do Agents Need to be Coached?
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Agent Coaching

• Minimum five times per month
• Preferably, there should be coaching every week
• If there is a problem detected in how the agent
  is handling customer calls, the coaching should
  be immediate
• New agents need to be coach much more often,
  potentially every day

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The Best Way to Coach Agents
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Seek first to discover before rendering
judgment..ask questions like

• Tell me about...?
• Why...?
• What do you think about?
• How do you feel about?
• What was your understanding?

John Wooden
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The Results 80/20 Coaching Rule (who does the
talking)
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80
Coach
Agent
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Pure listening is when you are NOT
Pat Summitt

• multitasking
• thinking about lunch
• watching people walk by your office
• answering telephone calls
• setting up appointments
• text messaging

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How to Facilitate Constructive Performance
Feedback
Joe Paterno

• A safe environment ensures honesty
• Feedback should be specific and mutually
  developed
• Build on strengths and unique potential
• Dialogue creates shared responsibility
• Challenging limiting assumptions leads to
  awareness and action

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SMART Performance Goal Setting Characteristics

• Specific
• Measurable
• Agreed upon
• Realistic
• Time bound

Lou Holtz
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What Winning Coaches Do
Purdue Research

• Attract, select, retain the best people.
• Develop the individual to augment the team.
• Are doers, not preachers.
• Develop a strategy vision for the individual.
• Relentlessly upgrades the team by evaluating,
  coaching, and building self-confidence.
• Ensure that people not only see the vision, but
  that they also live and breath it.
• Get under everyones skin, exuding positive
  energy and optimism.

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What Winning Coaches Do (more)
Purdue Research

• Establish trust with candor, transparency, and
  credit.
• Have the courage to make unpopular decisions and
  gut calls.
• Probe push with a curiosity that borders on
  skepticism, making sure their questions are
  answered with action.
• Inspire risk-taking and learning by setting the
  example.
• Celebrate the successes of their people through
  their people.

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Agent CoachingCurrent State
Future State

• Evaluation (evals) always late
• Supervisors too busy to coach
• Lucky to be coached a few times a month
• No training for coaches
• Agent often demoralized by untrained coaches
• Process produces minimum behavioral changes

• Move call monitoring to a third party located
  off-shore
• Add a caller feedback system
• Do more evals for less
• Ensure that all evals are ready for agent
  coaching at the beginning of the next day
• Drive feedback directly back to the agent thru a
  dashboard for self management
• Dont tie quality scores to performance pay
• Conduct word mining to dig deeper into caller
  feedback
• Develop coaches into retention champions

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6. New Best Practices in Call Quality Management
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What are a Callers Top Needs??
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• We asked a statistical sample of callers
• and
• found the following hierarchy of needs

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Hierarchy of Caller Needs
Unique
Advice
Partner
Know Me
Value My Business
Accurate Answer
Caring, Empathic Voice
Fast Access to Assistance
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What are the challenges in todays call
monitoring systems?
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So why isnt your Agent monitoring process
working today?
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Lack of time to monitor
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Call Center Time Management Quadrants
Important and Urgent
Important but Not Urgent
Not Urgent and Not Important
Urgent but Not Important
Source Stephen Covey
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Lets review the current approach to call
monitoring
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Monitoring Components
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Monitoring Components
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Challenges with Internal QA

• Moving your best Agents off the phone to do
  quality monitoring,
• When call volumes go up, monitors often go back
  to call handling,
• Monitoring scores are more often questioned when
  done by local staff,
• Favoritism can occur due to normal promotion from
  within.

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Outsourcer Time-Management Quadrants
Important and Urgent (Call Evaluations)
Important but Not Urgent
Not Urgent and Not Important
Urgent but Not Important
Source Stephen Covey
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An Outsourced Partner Can

• listen to your calls,
• score for script adherence, intelligibility,
  grammar, or use any other criteria you set,
• flag exception situations for your follow-up,
• generate direct feedback to your Agents and/or
  Coaches

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An Outsourced Partner Can

• Free-up your supervisors for agent development
  through coaching.
• Get you feedback quickly by providing hourly,
  daily or weekly reporting as well as annotated
  copies of all reviewed records so you can provide
  fast feedback to your agents.
• Youre in control. You set the schedule, the
  criteria, the sampling and the reports. The
  outsourcer executes based on your instructions
  and change with you as your needs evolve.

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Call Quality MonitoringCurrent State
Future State

• Record calls
• Random monitoring of individual agents
• Fill out forms (check-lists)
• Provide written feedback to agents
• Give evals to supervisors to coach
• Tie quality scores to performance pay
• Often takes top agents off of the phone to do QA

• Move call monitoring to a third party located
  off-shore
• Do more evals for less
• Ensure that all evals are ready for agent
  coaching at the beginning of the next day
• Drive feedback directly back to the agent thru a
  dashboard for self-management
• Dont tie quality scores to performance pay
• Conduct word mining to dig deeper into caller
  feedback

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With this kind of feedback

• Coaches can focus on those Agents that really
  need coaching
• Coaches can listen to those calls where the Agent
  scored poorly
• Coaches can delegate service recovery on calls
  where the caller was disappointed

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8. ROI for new best practices...
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Biggest Savings for Outsourcing Call Monitoring

• Save at least 20 off of current cost
• Put your best Agents back on the telephone
• Achieve the credibility of third-party
  impartiality

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Effective agent coaching easily pays for it self
many times over by

• Reducing agent turnover (16)
• Reducing call handle time (22)
• Improving caller satisfaction (14)
• Increasing sales (26)
• Increasing sales add-ons (11)
• Minimizing negative impact of complaints (18)

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Become Bilingual
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Contact Center Lingo

• We increased contacts handled 12.
• We reduced average handle time 8.
• We increased CSR Occupancy 10.Up-sells improved
  7.
• We benchmark in the top 20 of our industry.

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Business Lingo

• We increased contacts handled by 12 and added
  120,000 in revenue per month
• We reduced average handle time 8 and saved
  28,000 per month
• Up-sells improved 7 or 52,000 per month

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Show Results in Both Languages
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Peel the Onion
What are the layers of value?
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Basic Value Triad
Customer Satisfaction
Financial Measures
Competitive Position
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ROIs need to be substantial!
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9. Conclusions and Recommendations
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Aligning Vision with Action

• Think Big
• Act Small
• Scale Quickly

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Conclusions

• Focusing on the little things
• Experimenting with what works best for you in
  coaching
• Adopt a style that works for you
• Dont do everything at once, instead pick the low
  hanging fruit
• Improvement is a continuous process, not a big
  bang happening

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Thank you!!!Be in touchDrJonAnton_at_BenchmarkP
ortal.com