Measuring the contact centre
5 Aug, 2020
How long did they wait, how many seconds did they talk, how often did they call, what was their concern, how much turnover did they make, how quickly did they resolve their concern, how accessible is the target group?
This is how customers are measured today
How high is the conversion rate, how much do employees cost per minute, how many days is she/he sick, how many calls were answered, how many were successfully handled in the first attempt?
And this is how employees are measured
And at the end of the day, there is one central question: what does each call actually cost and what revenue was generated?
If you can answer all these questions with the corresponding figures for your customer service, then you are well, even very well measured. Now you "only" have to use these numbers cleverly, put them into correlation and operate the call centre on this basis.
Knowledge and numbers
There is hardly any other department where so much is measured as in the contact centre. Time and again, a call centre has to prove its value to the company. Does that still make sense in a digitalised world in which more and more is bought online and, of course, inquired about online? Apparently, satisfied customers and happy employees alone are not enough. Or maybe they are? But these figures are even more difficult to record and that is why we try to prove the efficiency and effectiveness of the centre with clear key figures?
The word key figures already contains the essence: knowledge and numbers. With numbers, you know the performance of your contact centre. But unfortunately it is not quite as simple as it seems at first glance, because there are a large number of KPIs = Key Performance Indicators that are interdependent and opposing.
Even if you can prove the appropriate figures in your call centre, these figures still have to be correlated. After all, what is the point of increased revenue if customers are not happy and leave? What is the point of a high service level if the costs skyrocket? What is the value of a short call duration if the customer's concern has not been solved, but the agent has simply hung up? And do you know whether your customers will accept a longer waiting time if their concern can be solved on a case-by-case basis? The consulting company junokai has named a comprehensive "meta-KPI" "Performance Index" and thus provided a solution approach for customer service departments.
Analysis and evaluation
However, it is important not only to record the key figures, but also to analyse and evaluate them consistently. Be clear about what your goal is - and thus what exactly you want to measure and why. Because the key figure in itself usually does not provide any information about the quality of the transaction processing. Measure not only how long people talked, but also what was discussed. An accumulation of certain topics and concerns could indicate a fundamental problem in sales or service, or show that there is a new competitor, or that customers do not understand the navigation on your website.
And also put your service costs in relation to your sales, and your key figures for productivity and performance in relation to time and costs. Never look at your figures in isolation, because higher revenue will not sustain your business in the future if your customers are not satisfied. Likewise, low costs for your employees will not help you if they leave.
In conclusion: Quality - as the match between the customer's expectation and what you as a company actually deliver - is and remains the decisive goal.
