Uncovering the Hidden Inefficiencies

 in Contact Centres 

​In the fast-paced world of contact centres, balancing customer service with efficiency is key to delivering top-notch customer experiences consistently. Eric Young, a seasoned contact centre and business optimization consultant, sheds light on a common yet overlooked source of inefficiency that virtually all contact centres can tap into and realize concrete annual savings without the need for capital investment.  To do this, we identify and distinguish between a Logical Reality and an Illogical Reality that exists within virtually every contact centre operation.

The Logical Reality

The Investment in Technology and Multitasking Agents

The logical realty within the contact centre world is the pragmatic/sensible approach to managing the complex operations involving people, process & technology. This approach justifies tremendous investment and attention to measuring all work performed in the contact centre.

The fundamental premise therefore, is that;

…it is only possible to manage what is measured

The justification for supporting technology in the contact centre such as CCaaS platforms, WFM, CRM, IVR, AI etc. is all premised on the reporting the base level technology provides.

Investment in technology enables agents to multi-task efficiently and manage diverse customer inquiries seamlessly across different channels is all justified by understanding all activity that occurs within the operations at any given moment.

This is the Logical Reality. The massive investment and effort is all focused around fully understanding what is happening within these operations, so that they can be managed. However, this effort and investment is all undermined from a broader Customer Experience perspective with the Illogical Reality that exists in every call centre.

Illogical Reality

 Untracked and Unmanaged Work Off the Phones

Despite the logical investments, our extensive experience auditing more than 100 contact centres reveals that agents can spend as much as 70% of their time off of the phones doing other work; typically work that is needed in order to deliver positive customer experiences.

The illogical reality, is that this work is almost never tracked or measured in any way and as a result, it cannot be managed effectively. In every case, this describes the time agents spend doing “other” work and even extends to entire back office or administrative departments all doing non-contact work to complete customer inquiries. And because this work is never tracked or measured to the same degree that customer contact activity is tracked, the result is many people working on the same things but in their own way, at their own time and in their own time without nearly the same amount of management that occurs in the pure contact centre activity.

The Consequences of Unmanaged Work

Here we need to underscore the critical role of contact centres in the overall customer experience. While contact centres may excel in handling direct customer interactions, the unmanaged supporting work can undermine these efforts. Delays in completing tasks or neglecting administrative work can erode the customer experience, no matter how efficient the contact centre is with direct interactions.

Why Does This Inefficiency Persist?

If all work aims to assist customers, then why isn't it treated equally? Despite the straightforward fix of implementing a unified approach to tracking and managing all types of work, the inefficiency persists across contact centres. The lack of attention to the supporting work, often performed by non-phone personnel, remains a pervasive issue.

Secondly, the harsh reality is that this is happening everywhere. Untracked “Other” work is not only undermining the overall customer experience but it is also the source of significant unnecessary cost. Whether in the contact centre or a back office department, “work” is “work” and it’s all there to help customers; so why don’t we treat it all the same?

Conclusion

 Addressing the Harsh Realities

Contact centres need to confront these harsh realities. It will benefit them financially and at the same time provide best in class overall Customer Experience.

The industry must recognize the importance of unifying the tracking and management of all tasks, whether they involve calls, chats, emails, or administrative work. By doing so, contact centres can enhance efficiency, deliver a seamless customer experience, and ultimately bridge the gap between logical and illogical realities in their operations.

Eric Young
President
Tele-Centre Assist Inc.
www.telecentreassist.com