March 2009 | Volume 27 / Number 10
From The Analysts Desk
Study Shows Companies Need New Strategic Metrics
By Susan J. Campbell, A new survey on performance management released by Genesys (News - Alert) Telecommunications Laboratories indicates that businesses need a new set of strategic metrics to retain customers and drive sales. The research determined that UK firms are more likely to adopt strategic metrics than other regions to better assess customer service delivery and retention, yet there is still work to be done. Contact center managers tend to use traditional metrics, including call duration or average speed to answer, to assess the customer experience. Unfortunately, only 30 percent of contact centers actually measure revenue per call, which could in fact provide more useful customer intelligence. Nearly one third of UK businesses surveyed are currently taking actions to address performance management and reporting in the next 18 months. These contact centers have also implemented proactive business management strategies to enhance end-to-end customer interactions. “A downturn can be an opportunity for an organization to gain a competitive advantage. Some companies will certainly have to close their doors, but those with more focused efficiency strategies, meaningful employee performance measurements and customer-related targets, have the potential to thrive in the current climate,” commented Keith Pearce, Marketing Director, EMEA, at Genesys. The research also found many businesses still do not measure revenue from customer care interactions. While 77 percent of UK respondents reported that the contact center plays a role in revenue generation, only 33 percent of customer service professionals and 28 percent of C-level executives said that their customer service is measured on revenue per call. “Now more than ever, businesses should assess how performance is measured and how employees and customers are managed,” continued Pearce. “And our research shows that UK firms are taking the lead here and embracing strategic metrics more readily than their global peers.” “A much higher proportion of UK businesses (55 per cent) track customer expectations compared to only 48 per cent in other regions, with over 28 per cent of companies in the UK planning to link business drivers with customer behaviors,” Pearce said. In this economic climate, more than ever contact centers need to focus more clearly on measuring revenue per call. Businesses of all sizes and in nearly every industry are cutting back and paying closer attention to the cost of operation. In order to protect current contact center operations and continue to deliver a high standard in customer service, these companies must more accurately measure overall performance.
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