Adding Intelligence to the Next-Generation Contact Center

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Adding Intelligence to the Next-Generation
Contact Center

• Nathan Stearns, IEX Corporation

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People. Processes. Technology.

• The next generation contact center must focus on
  all three in combination.
• In the following slides, we will explore three
  concepts that require a new focus on people,
  process, and technology.
• When applied effectively, these concepts will
  give you a competitive edge.

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Back Office Optimization

• People
• Transplant WFM staff from the inbound contact
  center
• Train managers and supervisors on the art of
  balancing backlog management with agent
  optimization
• Processes
• Re-use proven WFM techniques
• Performance Management focus on key drivers of
  success
• Accountability vs. flexibility
• Effectiveness vs. efficiency
• Technology
• Desktop transaction measurement software
• Advanced WFM that includes bi-level forecasting
  and work propagation
• Closed-loop feedback using simulation to plan and
  schedule blended workers

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Back Office Performance Management

• Unlike the call center, many companies do not
  have visibility into back office work
• How many work items should be handled per day per
  person?
• Some workers may handle all their work by 3pm and
  surf the net the rest of the day
• Lack of visibility means
• Lack of KPIs to measure performance
• Lack of incentives to drive performance
• Lack of information to drive staffing and
  planning decisions

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Back Office Performance Management

• Capture AHT and number of emails, chats, claims,
  and other back office work items as history for
  forecasting, planning, and scheduling
• Capture agent desktop activity for historical
  adherence and performance reporting
• Integrate real-time agent desktop activity for
  real-time adherence to schedule and to
  application usage

• Start with basic time and motion studies using
  your QM system
• Advance to a full desktop monitoring platform

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Measure Back Office Desktop Activity
Identify application usage by employee throughout
the day
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Measure Back Office Desktop Activity
CRM Application OUTSIDE
Total amount of time employee used OUTSIDE
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Monitor Back Office Desktop Activity
Detailed log provides specific information.
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Manage Back Office Desktop Activity

• Trigger workflows and messaging after usage of an
  application hits a certain threshold
• E.g. 1 hour of internet explorer usage per day

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Manage Back Office Processes
Identified Process New Mortgage Customer
Steps Identified as a Process
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Unified Command Centers

• People
• Job enrichment cross train functional silos
• Resource re-allocation reduce operations
  headcount while still maintaining proper coverage
• Process
• Process documentation to identify inputs/outputs
  (hand offs) between functional groups
• Co-locate functional groups
• Technology
• Well equipped command center for visualization of
  enterprise status
• Dual monitors for extended desktop
• Robust WFM software for enterprise-wide real time
  monitoring and management

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Unified Command CentersChase Home Lending
Desktop Support
WFM
Telephony
HR Support

• Merging traditionally siloed groups into one
  organization to create operational efficiencies.

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Unified Command Center WFM

• Forecasting Scheduling
• Long term (through next year)
• Mid range (next month)
• Capacity Planning
• Scheduled shrinkage
• Schedule changes within the current week
• Overtime and Voluntary Time Off management
• Intraday
• Same day schedule changes
• Service Level monitoring

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Unified Command Center Telephony

• Routing
• Network Level
• Post IVR
• Real-time
• Monitoring
• Mission Critical Resources
• WFM Software
• News/Weather
• Administration
• New Hire and Agent Infrastructure
• Skill Changes
• Phone Hardware Support

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Unified Command Center HR Support

• Human Resources
• Termination Processing
• Leave of Absence Requests
• FMLA Requests
• Job Abandonment
• New Hire Orientation
• Expense Management
• Monthly headcount and expense forecast based on
  attrition trends and training class schedules
• Corporate Advances
• Invoice and Expense Report Processing
• Data Changes
• Communication
• Plasma display screens for graphic communication
  with call center staff
• GCC Flash email notification of system issues
  affectingservice level
• Attrition Reporting

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Unified Command Center Desktop Support

• Support for PC Hardware and imaging
• First line of contact for software issues
• Reimage and cleanse PCs after terminations

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Unified Command Center

• WFM, Telephony, Desktop Support and HR Support
  teams share a single large room.
• Managers are in the back of the room with
  analysts sitting in arched rows facing the
  displays and monitoring screens.

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Unified Command Center

• Each team is aware of what is happening with all
  other teams
• If members of one team are unavailable, members
  of the other teams can take over monitoring of
  their operational statistics
• WFM Intraday and Real-Time screens aid in this
  process
• Analysts from different teams can easily see when
  the areas managed by the workforce team have
  breached a threshold and take appropriate action.

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Advantages of the Unified Command Center

• Improved Agent Adherence
• Overall schedule adherence has risen to
  approximately 90.
• Flexible Schedules
• By developing and monitoring more flexible
  schedules, Chase decreased total OT expenses by
  almost 25
• Reduced Customer Impact
• By viewing routing, staffing and RTA for all
  sites on consolidated monitor boards along with
  CNN and the Weather Channel Chase can respond
  to changing conditions quickly
• Reduced Staffing
• Process automation, paperwork reduction,
  exception handling and resource planning have
  resulted in a 40 reduction of WFM staff
• The operations management staff spends more time
  on coaching and staff supervision.

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At Home Agent Populations

• People
• Professional, mature, educated, self motivated
• Internet literate organized quiet work space
• Flexible availability
• Process
• Take advantage of very flexible part time or full
  time schedules
• New supervisory paradigms
• New training regimens
• Technology
• VoIP as the enabler for the interaction
• Advanced workforce scheduling techniques and
  algorithms
• New supervisor/agent communication methods (IM,
  video)
• No other special technology necessarily required

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Attendee Exercise

• Split into groups of three
• Share how you have developed the next generation
  contact center by focusing on the combination of
  people, process, technology
• You can you use one of the preceding examples and
  share your key learnings
• Or, share a new idea.