ICMI's Customer Management Insight - April 2008 - (Page 18)

PEOPLE detailed assessment of each candidate’s spelling, grammar, vocabulary, tone and response content. e.Skills Simulation features another test in which candidates view written email messages, then retype them as quickly and as accurately as possible, as well as a data entry test that assesses candidates’ ability to accurately enter key customer information (e.g., account numbers, addresses, credit card information) into appropriate data fields using the keyboard and mouse. The full e.Skills Simulation assessment can be completed in about 30 minutes. The overall results include a prediction of each agent candidate’s potential for success as well as specific performance feedback and tips for improvement. Employment Technologies also tion offering. Aon’s REPeValuator product features not only simulated customer phone calls but also simulated customer chat interactions. “We already know the skills that chat and email agents need, says ” Dr. Seymour Adler, Aon’s senior vice president. “…The real challenge is to validly measure these characteristics in a prospective chat or email agent. ” SELECT CAREFULLY , USE APPROPRIATELY tion itself. Most importantly, ask about specific results; i.e., can the vendor clearly show how its assessment tool has led to measurable improvements in agent performance as well as retention in actual contact centers? (To learn more about choosing the right assessment tool, read HIGH VOLUME, HIGH STAKES: A BETTER STRATEGY FOR HIRING.) r With so many viable agent assessment tools on the market, choosing the right one can be a challenge. Walk into a product exhibit hall at any major contact center conference, and you’ll find plenty of vendors eager to show you how cool the graphics and interfaces are on their latest “revolutionary” selection system. The key is to not get overly distracted by bells and whistles, and to focus instead on what really matters: what the product can actually do for your contact center. Effective assessment tools are a key component of a successful hiring strategy. It’s also critical to attract high-quality applicants in the first place. To learn more about call center recruiting best practices, such as using personal sources, writing more effective job announcements and positive job branding, read SECRETS OF RECRUITING SUCCESS and JOB BRANDS: CHANGING APPLICANT REACTIONS TO YOUR OPENINGS. Once you find an automated agent assessment product that is a good fit for your organization, don’t expect it to automatically turn your struggling hiring program around. Ask any reputable provider or seasoned user of assessment systems, and they will tell you about the importance of using such technology to supplement — not fully replace — your less high-tech hiring practices. As Jeff Furst, president and CEO of the contact center hiring services firm FurstPerson, puts it: “We look at technology as a way to deliver more predictive assessments, but using technology does not solve all hiring challenges — the same way that simply implementing a CRM system doesn’t mean that you are all of a sudden going to sell more goods and services and increase customer loyalty. A contact center first has to have a solid hiring foundation and fully understand what they are looking for in an agent. Then a well-designed assessment tool can be invaluable. ” • offers e.Skills Simulation Bilingual, which helps contact centers identify agent candidates who can effectively communicate with customers in both English and Spanish via email or chat. Aon Consulting is another provider that has added an e-support component to its agent job simulaicmi’s insight When evaluating a prospective assessment tool, find out if and how the product content correlates — or can be customized to correlate — to what your contact center needs to measure. Ask about the vendor’s hiring expertise and, more specifically, their understanding of contact centers and the agent posi- GREG LEVIN is Creative Projects Coordinator at ICMI. gregl@icmi.com. www.icmi.com | APRIL 2008 18 http://www.icmi.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ICMI's Customer Management Insight - April 2008

ICMI's Customer Management Insight - April 2008 Operations: Small Call Centers, Big Potential Ad Index Contents Editor's Page Contact Center Spotlight People: Assessment Tools Recommended Reading Technology: Speech Recognition Special Feature: Best of Show Strategy: Service-to-Sales Success Expert's Angle - High Volume, High Stakes: A Better Strategy for Hiring Experts Angle - Secrets of Recruiting Success/Job Brands: Changing Applicant Reactions to Your Openings Experts Angle - Speech Analytics: Uncovering the Voice of the Customer

ICMI's Customer Management Insight - April 2008

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