Research Report for publication by
Cranfield School of Management and FujitsuAs an integral part of most organisations today call centres
play a key role in the service delivery chain. Value creation
is in the eye of the beholder, if organisations fail to
deliver value to their customers, there will inevitably
be a loss for stakeholders over the longer term.
Presently in many industries, call centres are the primary
source of contact for customers. This important role
implies that the performance management of call centres
is of critical importance to organisations, especially the
delivery of customer satisfaction.
In this research the ways organisations measure and
manage customer satisfaction in call centres is explored.
Clear evidence that current measures of performance in call
centres are often counter-productive to achieving customer
satisfaction is revealed. Many call centres seem to
have fallen into the trap of believing that operational
measures such as call duration are indicators of customer
satisfaction. Evidence indicates that they are not; they are
only measures of efficiency, which in turn is seen as
determinant of financial performance. Most call centres seem
to miss the important link between employee satisfaction,
service quality, customer satisfaction, and profitability.
In 12 case studies of world-leading call centres, the
research identifies various managerial implications to avoid
the "efficiency trap" in measuring and managing call centre
performance. The managerial implications of this research
are as follows:
l Call centre performance is increasingly important for
delivering customer service. Call centre performance
should not be measured in isolation from the performance
of the whole organisation. In most cases they are not
detached operations with a solitary goal of driving down
costs. Call centres are an integral part of an organisations
value chain delivering its services and products. Therefore,
the performance measures of call centres need to reflect the
strategic direction of the entire organisation.
l A more balanced approach to measuring performance
based on strategic objectives is valuable, especially if
visual representations of service delivery and value
creation are used. This enables easy communication
of overall performance and puts efficiency targets in
perspective. Best practice seems to be to track the
following areas of performance as well as their interactions: employee satisfaction, service quality,
customer satisfaction, and satisfaction of other
stakeholders (e.g. financial performance) with particular
emphasis on the intangible performance drivers.
l Customer dialogue is important and call centres are in
fact listening to and speaking with customers all the
time. Measuring customer satisfaction should start
with understanding customers. Communication is
often very task orientated, whereas call centres need
to recognise the importance of listening to the
customers in order to:
- understand their needs and requirements from
their perspective
- detect failures, bottle necks, or improvement
potential
- deliver service that satisfies the customer.
l It is critical to understand and classify the nature of
demand. Often calls are unwanted or even unwittingly
generated by other parts of the organisation. By analysing
and classifying demand, it becomes more manageable
and more predictable. Unwanted calls could then be
reduced or even eliminated.
Overall, a strategy-driven and integrated approach towards
performance measurement in call centres will, therefore,
improve operational efficiency and contribute to continuous
innovation of the organisation as a whole.Centre for Business Performance
Cranfield School of Managemen
Is data on this page outdated, violates copyrights or anything else? Report the problem now and we will take corresponding actions after reviewing your request.