Our client is one of Canada’s leading national communications providers, delivering innovative products and services to their customers in consumer and business markets across Canada. They produce approximately $1.9 billion in revenues annually. Through their national broadband network, they provide a wide range of communication solutions including high-speed Internet, wireless, digital TV, converged IP, and unified communications. The PVA project was completed within their customer call centre which represents approximately 600 employees.
Improving the scheduling process to better match and balance work hours to call volumes.
Increasing the call center’s productivity levels over their historical performance levels.
Impacting positively the customer experience, specifically related to grade of service (GOS) and average handle time (AHT).
Clarifying roles and responsibilities of the First-Line Managers and middle Managers.
Enhancing the current Management Operating Systems (MOS) and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) to better manage, control, and measure operational effectiveness.
Assessment Findings
Work Time
Non-effective Time
Customer Service Representatives (CSR’s):
Putting Customers on hold for up to 6-7 minutes to retrieve information resulting in Grade of Service (GOS) levels less than 50%.
Putting Customers on hold so that customers will “feel” that they are being helped.
Not controlling calls with Customers causing longer than necessary discussions.
Ineffective scheduling of labor resources (the number of CSR’s at work did not match the call volume profiles).
CSR’s were unsure about normal operating procedures and needed assistance from management.
Inadequate CSR knowledge as it related to Customer needs and Customer interaction skills (i.e. CSR’s would repeatedly interrupt Customers).
CSR’s looking for assistance where none may be available and disturbing other CSR’s in the process.
First-Line Managers spent a great deal of their time completing administrative activities.
First-Line Managers had access to on-line service indicators and CSR performance information but they were not using this information to proactively address opportunities with their CSR’s.
First-Line Managers generally let the level of activity follow its course, leaving the CSR’s to manage the work volumes.
First-Line Managers were not communicating or following-up on any expectations with regards to how long a call should take or service levels.
Performance issues were part of the daily work activities that took place in the area and there was no dynamic problem resolution process in place.
PVA's Response
Clarified roles and responsibilities of the First-Line Managers, and increased the levels of proactive supervision being performed by the First-Line Managers.
Analyzed the +/- Performance Analysis Report throughout the day (which matches labor hours available to call volume demand), and made scheduling adjustments as required.
Increased CSR participation in both reporting performance levels, and identifying and resolving operational problems.
Trained and coached the CSR’s on product / service “Up Selling”.
Implemented call performance work activity standards.
Trained and coached the First-Line Managers on understanding and managing the relationship between various metrics to increase overall effectiveness of the department.
Increased Grade of Service (GOS) levels while reducing average handling time (AHT).
Enhanced the planning and forecasting activities for the call centers which drove their ability to manage crewing levels according to volume profiles.
Identified and managed “not ready”’ time factors to increase the effectiveness of the First-Line Managers in driving improvements with through CSR’s.
Developed and implemented weekly reporting processes, Management Operating Systems (MOS), and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) based on key measures such as: GOS, AHT, ASA, Total Not Ready Time, % Not Ready, and productivity (calls per hour worked and orders per hour worked).
Developed and implemented CSR skills training programs with a specific focus on call control and maximizing the “customer experience”.
The Results
Hover over graphs for more information
Some significant results obtained by our Client included:
26% improvement in GOS (Grade of Service).
10-15% improvement in AHT (Average Handling Time).
15-40% improvement in Not Ready Time.
30% improvement in calls handles per hour worked.
30-50% improvement in ASA (Average Speed of Answer).
Improvement in Supervisory Activities
Telecommunications Call Center Supervisory Activities
PRE-PROJECT
4%1%72%1%22%
POST-PROJECT
45%5%35%0%15%
Active Supervision
Training
Administration
Manual Work
Available
Improvement in Consumer Sales & Service
Telecommunications Call Center Calls / Hr (Consumer Sales & Service)
Telecommunications Call Center Grade of Service
Telecommunications Call Center Total Savings
Long Term Work Continuation
A Client Coordinator was trained and certified during the PVA engagement.
A quarterly audit program of the new Management Operating System was developed for the Coordinator.
PVA conducted audits over 18 months to ensure compliance to the continued utilization of the Management Operating Systems.
These Audits resulted in recommendations and action plans to further identify additional opportunities for improving operations.
The PVA tools empowered our front line managers, and the way they worked with our Director team to drive these changes through was quick and noticeable within a few short weeks. Again from my Support role, the opportunity gathering was a great lesson learned in combination with Director and corrective team prioritization has been a huge asset to my team and finding the greatest most cost effective win for our employees. Boosting Employee morale, in terms of a feeling of their concerns are being heard and addressed. As well, bringing additional opportunities to the forefront we have never considered before. The experiences I have had with those groups who have adopted the PVA methodology has been very effective and practical. It has been over a Year, and we continue to see the positive results from our sales manager/teams with the time they now spend with their employees and out from behind their desks.
