Insight: Five ways to improve contact centre performance

The contact centre environment has undergone a revolution in recent years. Gone are the days of massive rooms filled with hundreds of agents and constantly ringing phones. The rise of remote work and cutting-edge technologies have created a move towards global ‘customer experience’ teams that can increase efficiencies while reducing costs. New channels are also constantly entering the market, allowing businesses to serve customers across platforms of their choice and at increased speeds.

One thing that has not changed is the need for contact centre managers to measure their teams’ performances and remain vigilant in the pursuit of improvements. Studies have found that 80% of customers expect quicker responses from businesses and that means contact centre leaders are under pressure to ensure their teams are working smarter, harder and faster.

It is no easy task though. Contact centres are well known for having high staff attrition rates, which creates a dual headache for managers. Not only are they forced to enter the recruitment market more than they would like, they are forced to have a stringent focus on ‘speed to competency’ – that is, doing all they can to ensure recruits are at their desks and effectively responding to enquiries as quickly as possible.

Improving performance is vital for all contact centre managers but the good news is it is within reach. From key performance indicators to collecting feedback from customers and agents to identify pain points, there are numerous ways that contact centres can enhance their abilities to provide excellent customer service and maximise business results.

Measure performance – contact centres are incredibly rich environments for measurables. From call abandonment rates and average handle time to first-call resolution, managers have access to a variety of key performance indicators (KPIs) that can definitively show how an agent or team is performing, not to mention valuable tools such as customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction surveys. It is one thing to have access to them though and another to utilise them to best effect. Clearly define what you are measuring, communicate expectations with staff and monitor results regularly. Also consider implementing a quality assurance program that acts as a framework to measure the quality of your service and products.

Prioritise permanency – staffing is a complex beast in 2023, with the likes of work from home, remote, hybrid and temporary employees creating a juggling act for talent acquisition teams. Creating the right ‘workforce mix’ has become a must and many contact centres are increasingly leaning towards permanent staff. Along with having stronger ties to their employers, a key reason is many businesses use their contact centres as training grounds to recruit into other areas and permanent employees make this process easier. Rather than relying on temp agencies to meet staffing needs, it is far better to link with on-demand talent platforms that are well positioned to service both permanent and temporary staff.

Invest in coaching and training – poorly trained or unmotivated agents are a burden for contact centre managers. Low productivity, unhappy customers and internal unrest are just a few of the headaches that stem from staff who feel disenchanted or do not feel confident in their jobs. That is why it is essential that training should not end with the onboarding process. Even long-term agents need ongoing coaching to refresh their knowledge or improve the skills needed to shine in contact centres. Staff also appreciate knowing their managers are invested in seeing them learn and grow in their roles, which can make a huge difference to enthusiasm levels.

Optimise workforce management – employing the best agents in the world will mean little if an organisation fails to deliver when it comes to workforce management. Something as simple as not having enough staff rostered on to a shift can result in long wait times and customer dissatisfaction. Conversely, there is no excuse for being overstaffed on traditionally quieter days or periods and, in turn, forced to pay unnecessary labour costs. Effective workforce management is a key step to improving contact centre performance and that includes partnering with quality talent platforms that can help seamlessly scale staffing numbers up or down as needed.

Leverage technology – outdated or complicated IT systems are Kryptonite for even the most motivated and efficient of agents. Whether they are too slow or missing essential features, the result will be the same – frustrated staff and unhappy customers. Give your people the power to do their jobs to the best of their ability by investing in the latest technologies and tools. User-friendly, cloud-based contact centre solutions have changed the game and there are countless suppliers waiting to help your teams reach optimal performance.

Summary

The importance of improving contact centre performance cannot be understated, with benefits such as more productive and motivated agents, happier customers, less attrition and, ultimately, greater profits. It also requires a multi-faceted approach that includes the likes of technology, training, KPIs and strategic resourcing. The good news? You now have the knowledge to make it happen.

Customer experience has overtaken price and product as the key reason customers are drawn to a specific brand. Learn five ways to improve CX for your customers.