Telecommunications - Call Centre

IMPROVING THE SCHEDULING PROCESS WAS PRIORITY #1

COUNTRY: Canada

AREAS WORKED IN: Customer Call Centre

PRIORITY OBJECTIVES:

The priority objectives can be summarized as the following:

• To improve the scheduling process to better match work hours to call volumes
• To increase departmental productivity levels over their base performance
• To positively impact the customer experience – grade of service (GOS), average handle time (AHT), etc.

In addition, the changes needed to be sustained. Coordinators were trained to support this objective through the on-going coaching of the management team and the implementation of the PIT Process and Internal Audits.

PVA’s RESPONSE:

These objectives were achieved through working collaboratively with the Client to:

• Clarify roles and responsibilities and increase the levels of active supervision being performed by the Managers.
  • Managers are now spending more time actively supervising their people and less time in meetings and doing project work. They are more regularly reviewing work performance data, conducting 2-3 tours per day, sharing the team’s results, and working on action plans to improve performance.

• Implement effective Daily Schedule Controls for the Front Line Managers to better set expectations and follow-up on results achieved.
  • Managers are now identifying more variances and are resolving more obstacles affecting their employee’s work day.

• Enhance and streamline the scheduling process in terms of:
  • Elimination of a step in the process
  • Confirmation of parameters (business rules, budget vs. GOS, AHT, overhead)
  • Developed a timeline for schedule changes
  • Developed a communication strategy
    • Streamlined communication process between Business and GOS (day of)
    • Ensured change requirements are understood by the Business
    • Formalized day of skill set change process (routing vs. skill set changes)
    • Enhanced the existing escalation process
  • Investigated system capabilities for maximum utilization
  • Implemented a time off planner
  • Developed and implemented a post-mortem process

• Enhance Management Operating Systems and KPIs to manage and measure more effectively.
  • A new weekly report was implemented that combined traditional KPIs, with some new measures (i.e. productivity, schedule attainment, etc.), and increased the focus on some others that had not previously been regularly analyzed.

• Develop and install an employee skills training program with a focus on call control techniques with the following objectives:

• Provide standard processes for handling calls
• Ensure effective call management by the FLMs (productivity)
• Ensure consistency in handling customer calls by providing the service reps with call control skills, information and training (quality and service)
• Provide training on skill and knowledge gaps


• Focus on continuous improvement through enhanced target setting and the further development of team goals.

PROJECT RESULTS:

The following improvements have been realized:

• Increased Calls per hours worked through decreased levels of AHT (average handle time) and ASA (average speed of answer)
• Improved levels of GOS (grade of service)

PERPETUATION OF RESULTS:

In order to ensure that the above improvements were sustained the following activities were established:

• Coordinators were trained and certified to be responsible for maintaining all aspects of the project installation through audits and coaching.
• A Process Improvement Team (PIT) was installed to manage improvement opportunities that will continue to be submitted by the employees.
• The local management team is committed to sustaining all of the changes and staying the course.

PVA External Audits are also occurring over an 18 month period and will further support the sustainment and evolution of the implemented changes.