Boosting Contact Center Performance: 5 Best Practices

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Best practices are just that — best practices. They’re widely accepted processes that work — not scientific principles, like the laws of thermodynamics or the Bernoulli Principle. As such, they’re open to investigation and continuous improvement. If the improvement is effective, it increases the activity’s value to the business & call center services team’s performance. Best practices are also open to change. What was a best practice 20 years ago may not be a best practice today.

But there’s one thing all best practices have in common:

They achieve a desirable, measurable end result—one that ultimately increases an organization’s effectiveness and provides a tangible business benefit.

In other words, they help you grow and prosper.

The five best practices below make a tangible impact. They’ll help you grow and prosper by increasing contact center effectiveness:

  • Boost First Contact Resolution (FCR)

FCR is the most efficient and effective way to resolve a customer’s issue when they can’t do it themselves. It’s about deploying resources to facilitate a speedy resolution on the first call.

FCR increases customer satisfaction, generates a quicker return on productivity, and reduces the cost of delivering end-to-end services. To boost FCR shift repetitive and recurring issues—such as “how-to” questions—to a self-service portal.

Also, tools like skill-based routing, remote take over, and knowledge and document management can help you increase FCR rates.

  • Make UFFA A Priority For Better Performance

UFFA is a knowledge center best practice. It’s an acronym that refers to (U) use, (F) flag, (F) fix, and (A) act. These four activities are integrated into a single incident management process.

Support people who follow the integrated process enhance an organization’s knowledge base with every incident. This knowledge can help others support analysts during an incident management process and facilitate FCR.

  • Mapping Call Types For Action

This activity’s goal is simple: increase efficiency and productivity. Ideally, you map call types to determine the root cause of a reoccurring problem. Then, you develop recommendations to eliminate the problem.

Start by discovering the details about the caller, the reason for the call, and key issues. Then analyze the problem, determine business impact, and develop ways to resolve the issue.

Resolving the issue often includes re-directing the call, training agents in a new skill, and/or introducing new diagnostic tools.

Action Point: Find a call type that is a recurring problem. Analyze the problem, determine business impact, and develop ways to resolve the issue. Execute them.

  • Implement Customer-Focused Strategy For Better Performance

Developing a customer-focused strategy starts at the top. Your executive team must first champion this strategy. Then live by it daily. Leverage senior commitment throughout the rest of the organization.

Also, capture your strategy in the design (or re-design) of your support center’s strategy and structure. Tight contact center strategy and structure deliver on every moment of the customer interaction.

A customer-focused strategy also spells out how services are delivered against customer expectations and state your customer-focused commitments. Reporting is a key element of this strategy (see below).

  • Effective Use Of Reporting Tools

Reporting drives continuous improvement. Key reporting tools include dashboards, metrics, and scorecards. Balance scorecard storytelling, however, is the key to effective reporting.

Scorecards have more of a long-term perspective. They measure higher-level or multiple measurements collectively. Think trending charts and data tables. Also, they benefit from graphical representations.

Best practices are just that—best practices. They aren’t proven scientific laws like the laws of thermodynamics. Nor are they ironclad rules that can’t be changed. As a result, they’re subject to alterations.

But all best practices have one thing in common: They work toward achieving a desirable, measurable end result with a tangible business value. In other words, they help your company grow and prosper.

Use the five best practices above to help your company grow and prosper.

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