For those who didn’t know, along with being trained and certified, it is also important that call centers go through the right assessment program in order to improve performance levels. With one of the largest databases of call center metrics in the work, Benchmark Portal’s (BMP) assessment programs offer organizations the key to a successful call center.
The main reason for going through assessment programs is cost savings and to understand how an organization is doing in comparison to others in the industry. As the industry changes and grows, centers need to see how they are performing. It will allow a business to not only increase customer service, but also retain customers, add value to their services and increase sales to their clients.
Here is a step by step summary of how BMP’s program works:
- Identifying strengths and weaknesses in efficiency (costs) & effectiveness (quality)
- Identifying improvement initiatives that reduce expenses and improve quality
- Helping calculate results of improvement initiatives in terms of:
- Financial benefit and ROI (identifying projects with the highest benefit for the lowest investment – “low hanging fruit”)
- Customer satisfaction
- Rewarding superior operational performance with certification as Center of Excellence.
BMP refers to this assessment as an annual “report card,” which it is, as it gives each call center a score based on its performance levels, management tools, decision making and results tracking over time. By comparing metrics to those of competitors, a call center is able to set appropriate goals and achievements that will help put them ahead of the game.
But unlike other programs, according to Crystal Kay, marketing and college director at Benchmark Portal, “BMP looks at 3 main components during our assessment program- performance benchmarking, agent satisfaction (which we benchmark in our database), and customer satisfaction survey. Combining these 3 elements provides a richer analysis of the center and allows us to measure how effective and efficient the center is.”
“Also, with our two day on site assessment it allows our experts to truly help clients optimize their centers with the most current best practices in the industry,” added Kay.
The program also includes components that promote financial return, such as:
- Cost of gap calculations: For each cost-related metric, the reports compare a call center’s performance to industry averages.
- Identification of processes which are the causes of negative gaps
- Identification of solutions to processes that can result in savings or in higher revenues
- Experts to help calculate ROI on these solutions, and assist in tracking results.
It is interesting to see just how much a simple assessment can improve a call center in otherwise unimaginable ways. For more information about BMP’s programs, click here.
Edited by Blaise McNamee