September 1998

Performance, Health And Productivity Linked To Correct Computer Keyboard Use

BY BOB BORSARI, MINDSCAPE

It's a busy day: thousands of calls, tens of thousands of keystrokes and eight hours of constant, focused activity at the computer workstation for hundreds of representatives. Yet these are some of the common denominators of a typical day at any call center nationwide.

The call center manager has the difficult responsibility of bringing order to this "fire station" atmosphere. It is a balancing act of delivering increased productivity and optimized call service - two objectives that sometimes seem at odds. One overlooked skill could be a significant part of a solution.

Your company may have trained its employees how to use the phone system, navigate the software, and manage calls. But do these employees know how to use their computer keyboards - correctly and comfortably?

Probably not. According to 1991 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, there are more than 40 million office computer users nationwide. Yet data suggests 85 percent of these employees require keying skills training. So how does this relate to your call center's issues?

Good keying skills influence the bottom line through data that is accurately and quickly input during a well-serviced call. A rep who knows how to key "without looking" can focus on listening and responding to the call - instead of hunting for the letter "j" on the keyboard. After-call data processing time also can be cut-down or eliminated, certainly improved.

You may want to seriously consider implementing a computer-keying training program for your representatives - it could increase overall performance and provide a significant return on investment. As with many things in life, sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference.

The Key To The Bottom Line
Most call centers managers we talk with include a computer keying skills test in their applicant screening process. They know that someone who keys roughly 33 words per minute, with 99 percent accuracy, still makes 100 errors per hour - or 84,000 errors a year!

However, traditional job applicant "typing tests" are typically designed to measure word processing speed and accuracy at a typewriter - not numeric processing speed and accuracy at a computer keyboard. Have you ever watched your well-qualified reps when they begin to enter numbers? Their focus can be completely on hunting and pecking!

Yet numbers are mission critical to most call centers, where reps need to correctly and quickly input customer account numbers, credit card numbers, phone numbers and addresses. Transposed numbers make for costly mistakes. A miss-keyed number can mean call delay, the wrong catalog order or in the worst case, an emergency vehicle sent to the wrong address.

An accurately processed call must also be handled efficiently and productively. Time - how it is used, time to answer and length of call - is another issue call center managers grapple with daily. However, there are only so many ways call time can be optimized.

Using well-designed menu options is one method, but customers despise the inability to reach a "real live" person when they need one. Once a call is in progress, a manager cannot make people - reps or callers - talk faster or ask and answer less questions. Hiring additional staff to handle the call volume is usually not an option. A well-trained staff is the obvious best solution, and keying should be a part of your traditional rep education process. Reps who can key and interact simultaneously are better able to process calls more quickly, to cross-sell additional service or to simply provide the caller with better, more personalized attention.

Better-trained employees are also better retained. Because they have solid skills, they are less likely to feel overwhelmed by that "fire station" atmosphere and either leave or be asked to leave the company. It is also easier for a company to train equipment usage skills than to find a rep with the right thinking and human interaction capabilities.

Such employees are a call center's greatest asset. Their skills, attitude, and comfort affect a call center's service - every day. In fact, the rep who feels comfortable after an intense day in front of a computer screen and keyboard will naturally be productive. In a call center environment, correct keying is not only an essential skill, it is a direct link to office ergonomics. Good ergonomics and good performance go hand in hand.

A Healthy Ergonomic Solution
Office ergonomics - buzz words increasingly familiar, and important, in today's corporate environment. Office ergonomics is the science of adjusting the workplace to the worker and training the worker to use workplace tools for better efficiency and comfort. Not only can it increase productivity, it can be a valuable element to decreasing certain risk factors thought to be associated with repetitive strain injuries.

Repetitive strain is no small matter. In 1997 reports, the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) estimated U.S. businesses spend $13 billion annually on musculoskeletal disorders and, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, $100 billion on related losses. In fact, repeated trauma accounts for 62 percent of all work-related illnesses according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Call centers may be particularly vulnerable to repetitive strain injuries due to reps' long hours seated at a display terminal and keyboard. While this may not directly be seen in workers' compensation claims to the company, it may be affecting productivity, performance and employee absences.

Office ergonomics begins with correct keying skills. If reps "hunt and peck," they will feel the unfortunate effects of eye, neck and general body fatigue caused by constantly looking up and down from the keyboard and misused muscles. By adjusting the workplace to the user and teaching individuals how to correctly use the computer keyboard, call centers can increase performance and reduce certain known risk factors associated with office-related cumulative trauma disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis.

Getting Your Hands On The Right Keying Training
If you think keying skills could be a solution to your bigger issues of productivity and performance, you will want to identify a training program that suits your company's needs. Some initial questions: Can the program be customized to your environment? Is it cost-effective? Will it track results? Is there a guarantee? Who endorses the product and what do other clients say about it?

Accountability should be essential. Look for a training program that can track performance increases in accuracy, productivity and comfort. A worthy program should be able to provide a minimum 50 percent improvement in performance - increases in both accuracy and speed. The results also should be able to reflect a return on investment.

Ease and cost of execution may be other top concerns. Several programs are implemented through computer-based training software designed for mainframe, LAN or PC use. Employees simply log on at their workstations at any hour in the day that fits their work schedule. The software provides keyboarding skills lessons over several weeks. This enables companies to efficiently train a large group or entire base of employees at once. Such training is often less than the cost of an ergonomic chair, something most companies don't think twice about providing.

Last, the training program should incorporate some level of ergonomics instruction and awareness. Even employees who use correct keyboarding technique need to learn how to sit properly, adjust the monitor to the correct level and take ergonomic exercise breaks.

In today's call center, nearly every cubicle is home to a phone, a computer keyboard and a resulting host of productivity and ergonomic issues. Without correct keying skills, optimal performance and office ergonomics are not possible. Call center employees who have to look at the keyboard to hunt and peck their way through a call are simply more distracted, slower and more likely to feel the strain of constant neck, eye and improper finger movement than their counterparts who are able to use the keyboard transparently.

Bob Borsari is president of the KeySoft division of Mindscape, a subsidiary of The Learning Company. Based in Novato, California, Borsari is responsible for the development and sales of KeySoft Performance System, a measurable corporate solution that provides personalized and computer-based keying skills and ergonomics instruction. KeySoft Performance System, which guarantees a 50 percent performance increase, uses historical field validation dating back over 15 years. The ergonomic exercises and comfort surveys were developed following NIOSH guidelines. Borsari has more than 20 years experience in the software and computer industry, the last seven as a senior executive with KeySoft.

1. Workstation should adjust to your height. Work should be done at elbow height. Elbows should hang loose at your side, slightly below the level of the keyboard.
2. The top-most line on the display screen should not be higher than your eyes.
3. The document holder should be directly next to the display screen to minimize eye, neck, and back movement.
4. Keyboard placement should be as close to you as possible so the fingers are comfortably curved to decrease wrist movement.
5. Chair design must be adjustable and provide back support.
6. Chair height is correct when the entire foot sole touches the floor and the back of the knee is slightly lower than the seat.
7. Footrest can provide additional comfort for leg circulation.
8. Chair seat should be slightly concave and tilted forward for even weight distribution and less stress on the lower back region.
9. Chair backrest should support the entire back, including the lower region.
10. Lighting should be direct so it does not shine into the eyes when looking at the screen or against the screen, causing glare.

Wrist and Hands:
Make a fist and place hands out in front of you. Then spread fingers as far apart as possible. Hold for five seconds. Relax. Repeat five times.

Rotate wrists while keeping fingers relaxed and elbows still. First turn palms up, then rotate them down. Repeat five times.

Let hands dangle from the wrists. Gently shake hands up, down and sideways. Repeat until tension in hands is gone.

The Body:

• Place arms over the head. With fingers stretched, reach toward the ceiling. Hold for five seconds, relax, and repeat five times.
• With your hands dangling at your side, roll shoulders forward five times, then backward five times. Repeat cycle five times.
• Stretch the lower back by placing your hands on your hips and bend backward gently.
• While sitting, move around in the chair. Slouch, slump, wiggle, look away from the screen, and dangle your arms. Repeat as often as necessary.

Eyes:

• Move your eyes in all directions: up, down, around and diagonally.
• Trace the edge of the ceiling.
• Close eyes tightly for a few seconds.
• Glance across the room and focus on an object at least 20 feet away.
• Roll or blink eyes.