| First Call Resolution & Workforce Management: Why these topics will be critical at ACCE 2008 |
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 Guest Blogger: Brad Cleveland, President, ICMIFirst-call resolution (FCR) is becoming an increasingly popular performance measure in customer contact environments. And that’s a good thing: Unresolved contacts are a common source of customer dissatisfaction, and the organization tends to incur many additional expenses (e.g., repeat calls, rework, etc.) when issues are not fully resolved. However, despite clear benefits, FCR must be implemented carefully. Several important lessons have emerged, including: Keep in mind that accurate comparisons with other organizations are difficult since definitions of “resolved contact” vary widely. Focus on developing an appropriate definition for your environment, and stick to it so that you’ll have a stable, relative measure. Learn to think critically when interpreting FCR. An exceptionally high FCR rate may point to many simple contacts that can be prevented before they happen. Treat FCR as an organizationwide initiative. When an issue is not resolved on the first contact, the problem often may be found outside the call center (e.g., with product or service documentation, functionality, processes, etc.). Track FCR at least two ways—as an internal measure, and based on whether or not customers feel that their issues were resolved on the first contact (via survey feedback). If these measures don’t closely correlate, find out why. Above all, keep your eyes on the prize – true business results, such as customer loyalty, profitability and market share. Remember that FCR is just a supporting indicator, not the end game. Meanwhile, there are two divergent yet related trends in today’s call center environment that will impact many decisions in coming years. At the management level, job roles are becoming more specialized. Consider workforce management, which is seeing the emergence of forecasting, scheduling and real-time management expertise. Similarly, quality monitoring depends on monitoring and coaching, program design, calibration and data analysis. Technology can also lead to specialization; e.g., individuals specifically assigned to support, say, desktops, networks, quality monitoring systems or workforce management applications. Sure, if you manage or support a small call center, you may wear many of these hats – but they are more specialized hats, nonetheless. Interestingly, at the agent level, job requirements are becoming more generalized. Agents must increasingly understand the access channels customers use, the interrelated nature of services the organization provides, and the breadth of needs and expectations that customers have (e.g., to identify cross-sell and upsell opportunities). The most successful call centers will cultivate training and development programs at all levels that deliver specific skills and knowledge while reinforcing overall objectives. And the best leaders will encourage collaboration and an appreciation for the diverse responsibilities the call center requires – while keeping everyone focused on the business results that matter most. |
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