From Call Center Agent To Net Rep: Web-Enabling Your Front-Line Staff
BY PAMELA TRICKEY AND PENNY
REYNOLDS, THE CALL CENTER SCHOOL
While telephone calls still make up the vast bulk of customer contacts
today, the percentage of transactions arriving by e-mail or over the Web
is increasing at Internet speed. Customers who interface with call centers
are no longer satisfied using the phone or fax to communicate with
companies and are demanding the option to mix and match alternate channels
based on type of contact, situation and personal preference.
Many call centers are making huge investments to become 'Web-enabled'
in terms of implementing the latest in technology, but are forgetting to
enable the most critical part of the operation ' the front-line staff.
As multimedia contact volume grows, front-line agents must be prepared
to handle transactions in whatever media choice the customer selects.
However, more than just technology is required to transform telephone
agents into 'net reps' or 'cyber agents.' As the contact mix
changes and technology is implemented, it becomes critical that contact
centers also implement a comprehensive hiring, training and performance
measurement plan to ensure that staff is equipped to meet and exceed
customers' expectations.
As a company migrates its call center operation to respond to Internet
contacts, it will need to find or create the ideal agent to support these
Web interactions. The call center should provide an environment that
fosters agents' professional growth as well as one that responds to the
evolving needs of customers. What follows is the four-stage process of 'Web-enabling'
your front-line staff.
Step 1: Needs Assessment
In performing the initial needs assessment, it is important to
consider the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively handle Web
transactions. Web-enabled agents must have the skills to respond
professionally to a variety of interactions including e-mail messages,
text chat sessions, instant messaging, co-browsing and online forums.
We asked a group of call center executives what characteristics they
felt were important in this new realm of multimedia responsibilities. In
their opinion, supporting Web interactions will mean acquiring staff who
have the following qualities:
- Are adept at using technology,
- Can learn quickly and adapt easily to a rapidly changing
environment,
- Have outstanding verbal and written communication skills,
- Can comprehend, capture and interpret essential customer
information,
- Pay attention to detail and quality,
- Analyze the components of a problem and develop logical solutions,
- Reduce complex issues to workable solutions, and
- Work smarter to prioritize and execute tasks with efficient use of
resources.
While all the above characteristics are certainly desirable, they might
just as well describe attributes needed for an industrial engineer,
college professor or even a U.S. senator! In other words, they're not
really specific enough to the task at hand to define what you may be
looking for in finding ideal front-line personnel. Specific definitions
that relate to Web agents' roles are needed.
In assessing your training needs, it's important to first define the
knowledge and skills necessary. Beware of generalities in defining your
goals. Instead, assemble a team that can come up with clear knowledge
components and measurable skills that are needed. Once these are defined,
you're ready to determine which of these your staff has now and what the
'gaps' are that you'll need to address in your training program.
Step 2: Assembling The Web-Enabled Workforce
Based on the ideal attributes listed above, what's the job
description for today's Web rep? Where will you find these candidates
and how can you ensure a good motivational fit for your center?
First, don't make the mistake in assuming that agents who perform
well on the phone can translate those skills to communicate using the
written word. Not all of your agents will be qualified to handle these new
communication channels. Some may be stellar performers over the telephone,
but may not have the writing or reading comprehension skills required to
support the inquiries that arrive via the Web. So you may have to go out
and search for them.
If you determine that your best option for finding Web-savvy agents is
to recruit rather than train existing staff, the Internet offers instant
access to a market of staggering proportions. According to Nielsen Media
Research, there are over 250,000,000 Internet users worldwide, with over
half residing in the United States ' so surely some of them are in the
vicinity of your call center! While not everyone is using the Internet for
job-hunting purposes, it still offers companies a phenomenal number of
potential candidates.
Four reasons to use the Internet to recruit candidates are as follows:
Better candidates. Online job seekers are, at the very least,
technologically literate.
Immediate communication. Job posters and seekers can submit
openings/resumes instantly.
Convenience of 24/7 access. Posting/searching can be done
anytime day or night.
Lower cost. Online job postings for 30 days can be less
expensive than newspaper ads for one day!
How can you launch a successful recruiting campaign using the Internet?
The initial step in recruiting candidates is to post your job opening on
your company's Web site. You should have a 'Career' or 'Job
Opportunities' link directly from your home page. By directing potential
candidates to your Web site, you could also conduct screening and
qualifying surveys using a Web-based application form to see if their
skills and experience match your profile.
Next, look into posting services. These are Web sites that allow
companies to post job openings for a fee. There are many generic job
boards available such as Monster.com,
but since you are seeking call center candidates, you will want to
research industry-specific Web sites such as www.callcentercareers.com
or www.callcenterops.com.
Now that you have access to a pool of potential candidates, how do you
go about selecting the ideal agent? As you try to match the ideal
candidate with your job description, you are basically looking for two
characteristics: 'Can Do' and 'Will Do.' The 'Can Do'
capabilities of problem solving, decision making and analyzing information
are critical baseline characteristics. But in addition to those, make sure
you look for the 'Will Do' traits of motivational fit, quality
orientation and job interests. The latter characteristics are likely to be
the better predictors of a long-term successful match of employee to the
job at hand.
We all know that the call center industry is unique. There are numerous
tools on the market today to help you test candidates specifically for
this unique industry, such as pre-screening tools and call center
simulators. The multimedia test from Employment Technologies Corporation (www.etc-easy.com)
gives potential candidates simulated calls from customers. Another tool is
the CallCenter HIRE Assessment from FurstPerson (www.furstperson.com)
that helps predict the motivational fit and mental ability compared to
your call center job.
Step 3: Training For Web Reps
What training is needed for your existing continued from previous page
staff to transform them into Web reps? How will you train new people to
handle a full mix of contacts? What's the most effective training
platform?
You need to supply your staff with the appropriate tools and training
to give them every chance of succeeding. As you introduce Web
interactions, your agents will need to try out their new skills with
role-playing scenarios. Create simulations to replicate the types of
interactions the agents will be required to support. You can easily
evaluate their response time, accuracy of the solution they provide and
grammar/spelling errors.
Another area to include as part of your training curriculum is the use
of browsers and search engines. The two most frequently used browsers are
Netscape and Internet Explorer, and your agents should be comfortable with
both platforms. Features such as 'favorites' or 'bookmark' should
be explored since these provide quick access to Web sites and URLs. If
your agents are not familiar with search engines, you can structure
several interactive 'surfing' safaris to search for information.
During this expedition, agents are assigned products to find as they
explore the wilds of the Web using tools you provide as part of their
survival kit (search engines such as Yahoo!, Google, etc.).
Your training plan should also address business writing specific to
online communications. With Web chats or e-mail, it is very difficult to
express emotions as well as in a telephone conversation. Written messages
lack intonation, gestures and a shared environment. Traditional business
writing courses can provide the necessary foundation for basic techniques,
but specific writing skills for effective online communication should
include how to edit the response to be as clear as possible, proofreading
to catch errors, using a simple and concise writing style, acknowledging
the customer's feelings, the appropriate ways to state the
solution/problem/request, and how to explain the next steps.
Another important consideration in delivering the training is the
platform and delivery vehicle. Since you are focusing on the Web-enabled
agent, you may wish to use online resources and Web-based training
wherever possible. Make sure you've considered each of the following
types of Web-based training in your plan.
Standard slide presentations with audio recordings are helpful. Several
inexpensive technology solutions are available to supervisors that enable
them to create customized presentations with specific verbal guidelines
with audio recordings saved as part of the final file. Using only a PC, a
telephone, a Web browser and a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, anyone
can create and publish Web-based presentations enriched with audio. Two
such tools are HotFoot for PowerPoint from Digital Lava (www.digitallava.com/hotfoot)
and the Brainshark Communications Platform from Brainshark (www.brainshark.com).
Several training organizations are using Web collaboration platforms
such as Placeware to deliver Web-based call center training on a variety
of topics. These electronic, instructor-led (e-ILT) sessions allow users
to listen to the live instructor, 'raise their hand' when they have a
question and actively participate in the presentation by sending questions
using a text-chat mode and providing responses to polling questions. These
interactive Webinars provide a financially feasible alternative to
traditional classroom training.
An increasing number of call centers are using software that is
integrated with quality monitoring, telephone and workforce management
systems. These systems can push training to the agent's desktop when
training gaps have been identified. Combined with a link to the workforce
management and telephone systems, these modules are pushed to the agent
when they are scheduled to work and when call volume is low. Additional
features include reports that provide feedback on students' performance
and can be set up to alert supervisors when the agents do not demonstrate
a grasp of the concepts.
Part of the training will be ensuring they know where to easily find
information once they begin handling contacts. Obviously, you'll want to
make sure as many as possible of these references and resources are online
too.
Online Resources
Call centers can create the most basic level of online resources by
migrating paper-based reference material used by agents to a company
Intranet. Documents that would be appropriate for this format include
product information (features, benefits, etc.), product manuals, selling
tips and new product announcements.
Create automatic acknowledgments. The majority of e-mail
management systems will allow the call center to automatically notify
every e-mail sender that their inquiry has been received. This allows the
customer to know their inquiry hasn't been sent into a black hole and it
also allows the call center to set the expectation for the response time.
Create automated responses using macros. Creating templates with
macros can eliminate the need for agents to type the same replies over and
over. Some templates will allow the agents to insert additional
information using a cut and paste routine to customize the response.
CAUTION! Although e-mail response templates can be helpful, agents must
still be able to understand what the customer is telling them. Using
canned responses that do not address the customer's request can lead to
additional correspondence from frustrated customers, prompt escalations to
senior agents and management and generate more phone calls.
Policies And Procedures For New Media
One of the most critical components of your training program will be
the creation of policies and procedures to serve as the cornerstone for
how your agents manage Web interactions. When migrating from the spoken
word to the written word, the legal ramifications of putting something on
'paper' grow exponentially.
We all know we should have good manners (etiquette) when we speak with
customers, but are there different rules when we 'speak' using the
Internet? Yes'netiquette (network etiquette) is a set of unofficial
rules of behavior in cyberspace.
As agents learn more about the Internet and cyberspace, they will
become familiar with acronyms and icons used to represent emotions. Below
are popular acronyms and emoticons used in e-mail and various types of Web
interactions.
What if your customer is using a text-chat interface and begins to use
acronyms to save time and typing? Will you allow your agents to use
acronyms once the customer initiates abbreviations? While you may not want
your agents to sign off their correspondence with a happy face, you'll
want them to at least be able to recognize some of the more common
emotions to ensure they are aware of the customer's emotions and mood
when they respond to a question or request.
Step 4: Evaluating Performance
Just as Web reps require different skills and attributes than
traditional telephone agents, the way you measure their performance will
also change. What are the key performance indicators in the Web-enabled
contact center? What traditional measures are no longer relevant when
measuring staff performance?
Traditional call center strategies focus on the efficient management of
phone contacts to minimize cost. The Web-enabled center's strategy is to
maximize each customer relationship through efficient management of all
channels of customer interaction. As the business strategies have changed,
so have the metrics. The following is a list of metrics you should include
for Web-enabled call centers:
- Average response time for all media,
- Length of time since the request arrived,
- Number of open requests in queue,
- Percentage of closed requests versus open,
- Number of Web responses each agent processes,
- Error and rework rate for each type of media.
Tips For Evaluating Performance
E-mail inquiries. Hold e-mails in queue and have supervisors monitor
responses before transmitting.
Chat sessions. Have the supervisor monitor the session during
the chat, or afterwards by examining the chat logs.
Balance workload. Are Web inquiries assigned to the agent who
has the fewest number of inquiries waiting in queue? If so, this could be
a demotivator for one agent to work harder and quicker than another. Can
Web responses be balanced by alternating the delivery of messages? If you
choose to do this, will the slower agent have inquiries that stack up,
thus delaying response time? This has many of the same challenges as
skills-based routing of phone calls.
Monitor performance. Do you know how many Web responses each
agent processes on an hourly and/or daily basis? Do you know the category
of questions received on a daily basis and the average time to respond?
What is the error rate?
Track open inquiries. How long has it been since the inquiry
arrived? Has the customer received an acknowledgment? Does the agent know
the answer to the question, or did he or she fail to close out the
inquiry?
As market changes are putting new pressures on call centers, companies
need to prepare agents to support a broader, more complex set of customer
interactions. Technology can be used to open alternate channels of
communication, make more customer information readily available and route
contacts to the right agent, but your front-line staff must have the skill
sets to use and support these transactions.
The four-stage process defined in this article will assist you in
finding or creating the ideal agent to support Web interactions. By
following these steps, you can provide an environment that responds to the
evolving needs of your customers, and your staff will be 'Web-enabled'
to meet and exceed your customers' expectations.
Pamela Trickey and Penny Reynolds are co-founders and senior
partners with The Call Center School (www.thecallcenterschool.com),
a Nashville, Tennessee-based consulting and education company. The company
provides a range of educational offerings for call center professionals,
including traditional classroom courses, Web-based seminars and self-paced
e-learning programs.
[ Return
To The February 2002 Table Of Contents ]
|