Take Performance Management to the Next Level

Sonia Rabone offers up some top tips on improving performance management.

1. Mobile number screening can save an agent time

By using mobile number screening in outbound dialling, agents don’t have to call those mobile phones that are invalid, off or roaming.

This typically equates to efficiency savings of 10-15% while increasing talk time by 30%+ on average, meaning agents can concentrate on speaking to those good numbers – the customers who are available.

Local and mobile number presentation is also another tool that can improve customer pick-up.

Your customers are 20% more likely to answer a call from their local area code than one from an 0800 or out-of-area location – and twice as likely to call back if they missed the call!

2. Make sure customers can contact your agents personally

We all believe it would be great if every call resulted in the desired outcome, but in the real world, many calls require follow-ups to close a sale or collect a debt.

By using agent calling line identity (CLI), where a caller’s own telephone number is presented to customers, your agents can build a more personal relationship with their customers.

Return calls can then be routed and queued directly to them, without skewing reporting systems.

3. Understand what the right KPIs are for your business

Understand what the right KPIs are for your business and follow these through to agent level, aligning agent goals to those of the business.

You can do this by developing profit-and-loss-type management information systems and use these reports to identify and compare performance.

For example, measure cost per sale at agent level and aggregate that up to organisational level. Or take the agent’s salary plus the data costs and compare against the revenue generated.

4. Use league-table-type reports to motivate agents and managers

Use league-table-type reports to motivate agents and managers. For example, in outbound sales or collection environments, reward top performers by giving them access to the best dialling data.

Start your trainees out on the old or recycled leads… But keep them excited and improve their lead chance as they progress by giving them calls where they can reach customers.

5. Use quality-scoring templates to identify and target specific areas

Keep an eye on real-time dashboards to stay on top of basic performance issues like too much time in ‘wrap’.

Relay to your agents that by spending too long on after-call work they effectively slow the pace of the campaign and their colleagues down.

6. The more agents you can allocate, the more productive everyone will be

It is best to avoid falling into the account ownership trap, segregating leads among specific agents or an over-reliance on personal call-backs.

Sometimes your customers don’t care who they speak to, as long as they get a quality service.

Don’t allow a misplaced bonus plan to encourage agents to disable predictive dialling by hogging ‘potential leads’ and continually scheduling personal call-backs.

7. Remember the two fundamental aspects of a campaign’s success

For improved performance, remember the 2 key things: your agents and the data that a contact centre performance management solution allows you to collect.

Make sure you dig into the detail when analysing the performance of either.

With thanks to Sonia Rabone at Magnetic North