ICMI's Customer Management Insight - December 2007 - (Page 50) EXPERT’S ANGLE informed and more demanding of excellent service. The transactions that need live assistance will require agents equipped with higher levels of knowledge and better tools than ever. The trends are clear. Many call centers are hiring people with more education and giving them more responsibility. We need people with the smarts, training and skills to understand the processes they are a part of, and to contribute to improvements. People will make the difference in the new generation of call centers. Unprepared call centers will be increasingly overwhelmed by the demands placed on them. Even now, some are struggling with what economists have referred to as the “skills gap” — the gap that exists between the skills needed and those that exist. Their pay structures and career paths — or lack thereof — are reminiscent of the days when call centers were filled with entry-level positions. The call centers that will be successful are preparing now. They investing heavily in the skills and knowledge of their employees. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER strengthening the call center’s support of the organization. An important part of that effort is to ensure that key managers outside the call center have an awareness of the fundamental principles that make call centers unique. That will provide the necessary understanding on which to build. • The call center is an important part of a much bigger process, and call center managers who consistently get the best results know that. They take the initiative in coordinating with other departments. They work hard to integrate call center activities with developments in other parts of the organization. In sum, they have an incessant focus on BRAD CLEVELAND is President of ICMI and author of Call Center Management on Fast Forward. bradc@icmi.com Short-term, long-term staffing models that get the staff you need AND the expertise to back it up ICMI’s Workforce Planning Consultants will provide remote development of fully customized budget staffing models. MODEL FEATURES • • • • • • Fully customizable to incorporate multiple sites and call types Demonstrates both phone and support staff needs—in people and dollars Demonstrates expected customer wait times based on the staffing you choose Incorporates all of your off phone activities Hiring and attrition planning built right in “What if?” ready-flexible design allows for quick changes to answer those nagging, “What if we…” questions Starting at $9,500 EXPERT SUPPORT • Accurate Monthly forecasts that take key drivers and changes to your organization into account • Workload capture to ensure you get ?credit? for all the work your agents are doing • Step by step analysis to identify your REAL shrinkage • Identification of opportunities to improve your long term staffing outlook • Remote development, delivery and training of all facets of the models and presentation • Complete training and transfer of all models and methods used Contact Cindy Smith, cindys@icmi.com, for more information or visit icmi’s insight www.icmi.com/consulting | DECEMBER 2007 www.icmi.com 50 http://www.icmi.com/consulting http://www.icmi.com
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