ICMI's Customer Management Insight - September 2007 - (Page 13) S T R AT E G Y achieving legal compliance. Do design human resources policies to ensure that proper candidates are hired and retained. Hiring practices should ensure that new-hires possess characteristics that indicate a willingness and ability to comply with company policies. Research into the backgrounds of potential candidates, including drug screenings and criminal history checks, can be helpful in identifying risk factors. Information regarding a candidate’s creditworthiness may also shed light on, but certainly not be dispositive of, a candidate’s ability to abide by company policy, as poor credit could be an indicator of a predisposition to cut corners or commit fraud. Companies should also take steps to limit attrition among agents. High attrition rates may signal underlying sources of stress and dissatisfaction among employees and may also indicate that, at any given time, a number of agents do not plan to stay with the company. These agents could be more inclined to violate policies and procedures for their own short-term gain. Further, high turnover rates result in a constant influx of new agents. These agents may be more likely to inadvertently violate company policies due to inexperience. Do implement effective and ongoing training programs. regarding necessary improvements in training may be feedback from employees who have completed a training program. A formalized process for identifying the ongoing training needs of agents should include interviews or questionnaires issued immediately after initial new-hire training. Subsequent feedback, obtained 90 to 180 days after agents are on the floor and unaware that the call is being monitored). In order to obtain a true picture of an agent’s behavior, a statistically significant number of calls should be monitored on a monthly basis. Lastly, it is important to check with your legal department prior to monitoring, as state laws regarding authorization to monitor and record calls may vary. Span of control (the ratio of A single rogue, non-compliant employee can expose a company to extensive liability, particularly in a high-volume environment. taking calls from customers, may be useful to identify additional areas where the training could be improved. Do prepare telephone scripts and call-handling guides with compliance in mind. Central to an effective compliance program are telephone scripts and call-handling guides that provide clear and unambiguous direction to agents. If customers request information outside of the scripts, agents should be directed to solicit the assistance of a supervisor or manager, as consistent messaging is key to compliance. In that vein, scripts should be reviewed by a company’s legal or compliance department prior to being used and whenever revisions are made thereafter. Do monitor and supervise customer service reps for compliance issues. Monitoring frontline agents who report directly to a manager or supervisor) is another important factor in maintaining compliance. Factors to consider in determining the proper ratio include the mix of new versus experienced agents, user-friendliness and technological capabilities of computer systems, hours of operation and volume of calls. Typically, the optimum ratio falls between 10 and 15 agents per supervisor. Do develop compensation and incentive packages that encourage appropriate and compliant behavior. Compen - Training programs should clearly communicate the importance of compliance to employees, particularly for new-hires. Training materials should also be regularly reviewed and revised to ensure that messaging is up-to-date and consistent with the company’s policies and changes in the law. One source of information icmi’s insight calls on a regular basis is an effective way to ensure compliance with company policy. Monitoring should be conducted by a variety of means, including side-by-side (where instant feedback can be provided) and remotely (where the agent is sation and incentive packages are often designed to encourage customer service agents to optimize sales. While this goal is undeniably important, care must be taken to ensure that compensation programs do not inadvertently promote unethical behavior. Plans with higher incentive quotients (low base salary, high bonus potential) reflect a higher degree to which agents must persuade consumers to purchase goods or services and, as such, could invite non-compliant behavior. State and federal regula| SEPTEMBER 2007 www.icmi.com 13 http://www.icmi.com
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