Properly selected and trained agents require the support of good technology to allow them success with customers. Proper IVR and routing capabilities, good Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, well-chosen and continuously maintained Knowledge Management (KM) systems, and fast and accurate payment and order tracking systems are all essential to enable agents to deliver superior service.
If systems are lacking, not only does it hurt customer satisfaction, it damages agent morale as well. Where agents must toil with slow systems, multiple legacy applications that do not “talk” to each other, or CRM and KM systems that are inaccurate, incomplete or non-intuitive, they will tire of their tasks and have a lower opinion of their jobs.
Resources and Technology |
5. Strongly Agree |
4. Agree |
3. Neither |
2. Disagree |
1. Strongly Disagree |
Net Score low 2 |
|
I have adequate access to the resources I need (knowledge base, hotline, walk-around experts...) to answer my questions. |
24.2% |
33.2% |
23.3% |
13.4% |
5.9% |
38.1% |
|
I have desktop access to the information I need to effectively serve our customers. |
31.9% |
50.0% |
9.8% |
6.5% |
1.8% |
73.7% |
|
The desktop screens I use to serve the customer are easy to navigate. |
35.1% |
51.4% |
8.0% |
4.3% |
1.2% |
81.0% |
|
Category Averages: |
30.4% |
44.9% |
13.7% |
8.1% |
3.0% |
64.2% |
The third question in this category (“desktops are easy to navigate”) rates quite well, with a Net Score of 81%.
However, responses to the “adequate access to resources I need” question produced some disturbing findings in terms of knowledge access. This first question elicited the high levels of “disagree” and “strongly disagree” responses. The Net Score of 38.1% was the lowest of the entire survey.
Interpretation
The responses to the questions in this category present some challenges for interpretation. On the one hand, response to the navigability of desktop screens has an enviable 81% Net Score. At the other end of the spectrum, a significant minority of responding agents do not feel adequately supported by resources needed to answer questions from customers, resulting in the subterranean 38% Net Score. In between is question no. 2.
I infer that, while screens are generally easy to navigate, and desktop-furnished information technology is reasonably accessible, human-based resources, such as hotline (also called “expert hub”) and walk-around experts are lacking
Investing in expert hub resources can have important impacts on performance and productivity as well as on agent morale. Agents who are empowered by their systems and by their colleagues to satisfy their customers, are themselves more likely to be satisfied and productive.
The value of resources that support expeditious and accurate call resolution can be quantified in dollar terms. Improvements can save significant sums of money and may make the ROI of required investments very high.
Metrics Affected
|
Resources IT: Impact: |
· Average Talk Time, After Call Work · Calls on Hold, Transferred for Resolution · Technology Systems and Knowledge Processes |
My Agent Voices blog posts are the result of research on over 5,000 agent surveys conducted in North America. - - Bruce Belfiore