TMCnews Featured Article
September 19, 2011
Call Center Operations Benefit from the Knowlagent RightTime Platform
By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor
With various activities simultaneously taking place within the call center, it’s hard to believe that agents could ever have downtime. In reality, however, agents have activities to complete when they are not on the phone, including reading internal emails and other center communications. Although this information is critical, this activity contributes to only 2 percent of shrinkage within the center, according to a recent survey from Knowlagent, a provider of call center operations.
As harmless as this time spent reading communications may seem, it can truly add up, negatively affecting the bottom line. It is very important for call center operations to better allocate small increments of time for important communications, which can simply be done through Knowlagent’s RightTime Activity Queue. The cost of shrinkage within the call center operations can be dramatically reduced through this platform as communications are now completed during Active Wait Time.
Any third-party application used within call center operations can be seamlessly integrated with RightTime, due to the fact that the call center can utilize Outlook or any internal instant messaging system to quickly distribute all pertinent company material. RightTime quickly identifies where downtime is available, transitioning it into Active Wait Time through prompts that are sent directly to the agent to read email or chat with supervisors. The system also monitors call volume and service levels to keep call center operations efficiency levels high at all times.
Performance within overall call center operations are greatly improved through the Knowlagent RightTimeproductivity platform, which creates an activity queue to provide agents with necessary off-phone activities through a personalized, prioritized to-do list. It also identifies small pockets of idle time between customer interactions across all call center agents, and aggregates this time into larger blocks of free time for selected agents. The result is the dynamic delivery of must-read communications for all center agents, on the fly.
The RightTime plafform being implemented within call center operations can enable the center to optimize operational efficiencies, while also ensuring all agents remain continuously updated on important internal communications.
This approach to reducing shrinkage can be measured in the bottom line, as call center operations tighten the control over the potential loss and make better use of agent time. Communications within the call center are critical but they must be managed effectively to ensure agents focus the majority of their time on handling customer interactions.
Knowlagent’s RightTime solution is designed to make the most use of agent time, through monitoring call volumes and keeping the center on track with performance expectations. This efficient approach to managing all elements within the call center can reduce the total cost of customer service operations and keep the organization focused on core initiatives, instead of the cost of the call center.
Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Jamie Epstein
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