This is an example of the 21 Call Center Best Practices that I and my staff designed, developed and deployed to Call Centers. These practices delivered increased focus on the customers, increased agent morale, improved productivity, increased revenue and reduced turn-over. Within this presentation I have only presented the marketing data but we developed procedures, and training materials to go along with all the Call Center Best Practices we deployed globally. See the attached presentation for how all the Best Practices fit together to drive Customer Delight. For additional information please feel to contact Brian Hughes.

1. You’re Business & Clients
You’re Work Environment
You’re Career
Call Center Processes – Best Practices
Customer
Employee Excellence Performance
Excellence Excellence
Transform to Grow
New Processes
Operational Processes help you make
New Agent Essential Skills
Training the most of all you do.
More focus on customer
service skills The new operational processes are simplified, streamlined and
relevant for the work you do. These changes mean consistent
Introducing the “Academy
delivery, increased focus on the client, and the power to better
Team” to get new hires out balance your work schedule and your life. When the
on the floor faster operational processes are in place, no one will be able to
match your ability to manage your contact centers.
Up-Selling and Cross-
Selling Communicating expectations about work performance and
Coaching for Success attendance can be a tricky part of a leader’s duties. Fortunately, the
new Career Commitment Process is providing some structure to
manage those responsibilities in a consistent manner that supports
Employee Scorecard
the team, contact center and organizational objectives.
The Employee Scorecard
provides objective From quality monitoring, which provides better opportunities for
measurements on: recognition and accountability, to a balanced life account that
Quality enables you to better manage time off; these new processes are
designed to put you in charge of the service you provide your client,
Accuracy the co-workers you may support, and your career.
Productivity
Attendance
Contact: Brian Hughes Bah66@tx.rr.com
Schedule Adherence

2. Call Center Operational Processes & Training
• Section 1: Call Center Best Practices (Name,
Definition, Benefits)
• Section 2: Best Practices Linkage Document (See
additional for the document)
• Section 3: Best Practices Marketing Flyers
• Section 4: Training Courses Marketing Flyers
• Section 5: Job Aids Examples (See additional file)
Employee Performance
Excellence Excellence
Transform to Grow
S
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3. Call Center Processes and Training
Customer
Employee Excellence Performance
Excellence Excellence
Transform to Grow
S
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4. Phase I
1. Performance Measures employee performance based Reduces attrition through consistent
Evaluation upon defined performance metrics, and feedback to employees on job
(Scorecard) facilitates providing feedback, rewards performance, using industry standard
and recognition, and coaching. metrics for call center excellence.
2. Quality Facilitates monitoring and evaluating
Monitoring work performance of agents, recording • Optimizes agent performance
calls and data transactions, and providing through coaching and
feedback to agents. identification of opportunities for
reward and recognition
• Promotes objectivity, improves
performance against service level
standards and customer
expectations.
3. Recruiting and Enables consistent recruiting and Increases productivity and quality through
Selection selection practices from the completion of providing qualified candidates as quickly
the staffing request to preparing for the as possible, and decreasing screen-out
applicant to start work. time.
Provides several job aids and checklists,
and electronic resume collection.
4. Supervisor “Lite” Provides training curriculum and delivery Reduces attrition through equipping
Training methods for acclimation and training of supervisors with the performance and
call center delivery employees at the coaching skills needed to align agents’
supervisory level. skills and knowledge to organizational
goals and achieve call center service
excellence.
Phase II
5. New Agent Provides agenda, facilitator, participant Reduces attrition and improves quality
Essential Skills materials, and Train-the-Trainer activities, through equipping new agents with the
Program for acclimating new agents to their jobs, skills and knowledge needed to achieve
and their customers. measurable performance expectations as
Training can be combined with sites’ quickly as possible.
current best training practices.
6. Recognition and Provides assistance to leaders in Reduces attrition and optimizes
Appreciation developing a program to recognize performance through recognizing desired
employees’ achievements. results, and capitalizes on sharing ideas
Includes a database of creative ideas between sites.
from all sites for activities.
7. Career Planning
Facilitates coaching in identifying Increases retention through career goal
employees’ desired career path. motivation, improving skills and personal
growth.
Motivates contact center employees to
improve their skills, continue their
education, and cross-train.
8. Administrative Provides procedures and guidelines for Reduces future attrition by encouraging
Exit managing voluntary or involuntary candid feedback from separated
separation of an employee. employees, and enabling contact centers
to analyze the data.
Phase III
9. Performance Provides guidelines to assist leaders in Reduces attrition by providing early
Improvement consistently addressing problem recognition and documentation of
performance, attendance and/or problems, and a uniform method to
misconduct by employees. conduct improvement plans.
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5. 10. Performance Provides a measurement and feedback
Management program, specifically focused on agent • Reduces expense and
Program (PMP) performance. administration time through a
Facilitates consistency between streamlined process.
scorecards and Agent PMP • Improves employee satisfaction
measurements, using scorecard scores through focused consistent
to update each agent’s PMP record on a performance management.
quarterly and annual basis.
Streamlines the form and annual
performance review process for agents.
11. Leadership
An internship or apprenticeship program • The program provides selected
Development
for agents to gain experience and employees with an opportunity
Program
exposure to management they can use to determine
responsibilities. whether a supervisory role is of
career interest to them,
increasing employee satisfaction.
• The program also enables a
leader to adapt to fluctuations in
the demand for supervisory
manpower by providing a
temporary pool of experienced
candidates for supervisory roles,
enabling better cost and people
management.
12. Balanced Life Provides common methods and tools Reduces attrition by offering solutions to
Account that assist employees in managing their agents who may need help managing
time off. their time, while encouraging them to
manage their schedules and time
effectively.
Phase IV
13. Change Provides a framework, methodologies, Reduces attrition and costs through
Management and training for contact center employees enabling contact centers to remain
to manage operational and management focused and effectively manage change.
changes.
14. Project Provides a formalized process and Reduces salary costs by providing a
Management training to structure and enable project consistent, prescribed methodology for
management with the contact center. managing projects in the contact centers.
15. Escalation Provides for the creation of an internal Reduces the need for escalation and
Process & help desk that is driven by service levels, improves customer satisfaction by
Structure available all of the time, and staffed with providing a process to evaluate trends
leadership development program and develop plans to address
candidates and/or high performers. deficiencies.
Facilitates tracking of complaints.
Leadership Training
16. Leadership Instructor-led course that focuses on the It creates consistency among contact
Academy I basics to successfully lead a contact centers, regardless of the tenure of the
center team. Newly hired or newly- supervisors and their managers located at
promoted front-line supervisors in the the site.
contact centers will have a safe
environment in which to learn and
practice leadership skills.
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6. 17. Leadership Instructor-led course that allows
Academy II supervisors to gain a better • Practice business communication
understanding of roles and skills, review P&Ls, and review basic
responsibilities; HR issues; innovative contract measurements. Our goal is
thinking; team building; business to help the supervisors understand
communication; reporting financial how decisions they make can impact
information; recruiting; transition from the bottom line.
temporary agent to employee; retention; • Review Co. tools available such as
and career planning. Talent Mgmt System, Job
Competency Matrix, IDP, SAP
Vacant Positions Report, etc. In
addition, supervisors will discuss
how to have reactive career
discussions.
18. Coaching for
Intended for individuals who provide any • Establishes the value of using a
Success
type of coaching feedback to contact Coaching model.
center agents, including call-monitoring
feedback, monthly Scorecard, yearly • Follows through on identified
review, PMP, career planning, and other developmental action items results in
day-to-day issues. agent job satisfaction and retention
as a result of improved metrics,
quality scores and relationships.
19. Strategic The Strategic Leadership Upon completion of this program,
Leadership Management Program (SLMP) participants will be able to maintain
Management equips contact center managers constructive relationships; focus on the
Program (SLMP) with a strategic sequencing of situation or behavior, not the person;
key actions that lead to employee maintain the self confidence and self-
satisfaction and commitment, esteem of others; lead by example, and
customer loyalty, thought evaluate work in terms of its impact on the
leadership, and business customer.
success.
The (SLMP) is a performance
improvement system with a focus
on behaviors that enhance
collaboration, interaction, and
coaching in a positive growth
environment where people are
involved and recognized for their
contributions.
Agent Upsell/Cross-sell Program
20. Building on Instructor-led course provides modern Improves the quality of service our
Success with Soft- telephone techniques that are proven to agents provide our customers while
Selling be effective for expanding the business increasing sales and profits.
base by up-selling and cross-selling.
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7. Recruiting and Selection
Call Center Processes
Hire the Best Candidates Faster
New recruiting tools and more appropriate best practices for
the call center environment are giving you the ability to get the
best candidates in the door faster.
Agent turnover is a fact of life in the contact center environment. But
unfilled or poorly filled positions don’t have to be. By making use of
the new Recruiting and Selection process, you’ll gain access to the
tools and proven practices that will help you attract, identify and
retain the best candidates.
Recruiting collateral is being introduced to assist in the hiring
process, as well as best-practices such as group information
The intent of the Recruiting and sessions and information/feedback gathering sessions with agents,
Selection process is to: conducted at specific intervals, once agents are on board.
New recruiting tools are:
Attract the best candidates
• A job profile worksheet to assist in developing the Staffing
Decrease the time to
Request
identify candidates
• Hire.com, a Web-based interface between Web job boards and
Assist leadership in
company site. It populates qualifying resumes in a tool
qualifying best candidates
accessible by recruiters through their desktop application.
for open positions
• A Realistic Job Preview pamphlet
Ensure consistency in • An automated phone skills assessment tool
recruiting and selection • Interview checklists
Improve agent retention • An applicant tracking sheet populated with corporate reason
codes for denials
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8. New Agent Acclimation and Training
Call Center Processes
Achieve “Top Box” Scores by Delighting your
Customers with Company New Agent Acclimation
and Training
Newly-hired agents are equipped to delight your customers by
performing their responsibilities more effeiciently and with confidence
through the New Agent Acclimation and Training Process.
You’ve just gone through the time and expense of hiring the right candidate
for your open agent position. Now rely on the New Agent Acclimation and
Training Process to help your new hires get up to speed quickly and
effectively. There are four primary benefits:
• Equips agents with required skills and knowledge to perform duties in a
controlled, non-intimidating environment
• Helps new hires feel part of the company, and more self-confident
when reporting to their work unit
• Ensures consistency in new hire training processes that can be
leveraged across all contact centers
• Provides “Best-in-Class” customer service training to all contact center
agents for performance and positive business results
There are four phases to New Agent Acclimation and Training:
Foundation Training Client Specific Company Systems Academy Team
Client Training ( New Hires only)
1 Week 2 – 4 Weeks 1 Day Min. 1 Week
Features Features Features Features
• Overview of CRM and Company Values • Client History and • Company and CRM History • Mentoring
• Call Center Industry Business Model
• Brief Intro to Career Planning • Introduction to Performance • Nested
• Product and Services Management Program Environment
• Personal Change Management
Training
• Visit by Call Center Management and Tour
• Introduction to Career • On-the-Job
of the contact center
Planning Program Training
• Introduction to Customer Service
• Delighting the Customer: An Introduction • Company Policies and • Graduation and
to Quality Background/ Benefits Celebrations
• Keeping the Skills Alive: A Customer
Service Refresher
• Building Rapport to Delight the Customer
• Creating a Dream Team: The
Fundamentals of Teamwork
• Listen to Calls
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9. Performance Improvement Process
Call Center Processes
Ensuring Commitments to the Job
The Performance Improvement Process gives call center
leaders a framework to address employees’ commitments in
job performance.
Communicating expectations about work performance and
attendance can be a tricky part of a leader’s duties. Fortunately, the
new Performance Improvement Process is providing some
structure to manage those responsibilities in a consistent manner
that supports the team, call center and organizational objectives.
The purpose of the Performance Improvement Process is to:
• Ensure consistency in the administration of professional work
expectations for all employees with the focus on attendance
and performance.
• Provide contact center leadership with a framework that will
enable them to address their employees’ professional
The Performance commitment in the areas of attendance, performance or
Improvement Process conduct issues.
provides leaders with • Provide a stepped program to move an employee’s behavior
guidelines on how to help from unsatisfactory to satisfactory in a consistent and timely
agents improve their manner.
performance or change their This process will assist contact centers through the following:
behavior or conduct. This
process offers leaders the • Early recognition and documentation of a problem.
following: • Early notification to the employee of the issue through verbal
Guidelines for early discussions or documentation.
notification, warnings and • Continued observation and documentation.
corrective action plans. • Presentation of a verbal and/or written warning with “or else”
consequence.
Shared templates for
writing warnings and • Presentation of a written improvement plan.
corrective action plans. • Conclusive action (e.g., successful completion of the plan or
appropriate disciplinary action).
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10. Quality Monitoring
Call Center Processes
Taking Customer Service to the
Next Level – Quality Monitoring
The difference between good customer service and great
customer service lies in knowing what the customers wants
before they ask for it. Quality Monitoring gives you ongoing
feedback to identify your next opportunity to exceed your
customer’s expectations.
The key to continuous improvement is continuous feedback. The
Quality Monitoring (QM) process provides qualitative and
quantitative feedback to contact center agents based upon
reviewing and monitoring a percentage of their interactions with
The value of the Quality customers. Additionally, the QM process reinforces our continued
Monitoring Process is as use of best practices in customer service. The QM process will be
follows: an important component in recognition of achievements in agent
performance, as well as measuring how we are all performing in
The QM process
begins during the meeting customer Service Level Agreements (SLA).
New
Hire/Acclimation Through the use of the QM process, you can expect the following:
Training and is an
iterative, on-going Better opportunities for recognition and accountability
process.
Early problem identification to resolve performance issues
Reviewing this quickly
feedback helps us A faster path to reward and recognition
all to learn more
about what works The following principles guide the QM process:
and what doesn’t
with our Call centers will seek consistency in quality monitoring, quality
customers. And standards, and processes where practical
that means more
satisfied QM feedback will be provided to agents in a timely manner
customers—every Random samplings of customer interactions will be used to
day.
ensure a consistent process, where practical
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11. Performance Evaluation (Scorecard)
Call Center Processes
Customer Satisfaction Is Up To All
Of Us. How Do You Measure Up?
We all know that keeping the customer satisfied is our most
important job. But how do we know how we’re doing? The
Employee Scorecards keep us in the know.
It’s a fact of human nature that we can only improve when someone
tells us how we’re doing. We all need objective feedback that
identifies strengths, patterns of performance, and areas for
improvement. Now we have the employee scorecard to help all of
us in the contact center—whether agents, supervisors, or leaders—
to understand more clearly how we’re contributing to customer
satisfaction and where we can get better in the days ahead.
The Employee Scorecard Process provides on-going, frequent
The Employee Scorecard provides feedback to employees. This ensures that the performances of all
objective measurements on: employees who deliver customer service are assessed using data
Quality and metrics specific to their work environment. This includes:
Accuracy Agents
Productivity
Supervisors
Attendance
Schedule Adherence Center Managers
The Employee Scorecard Process helps us all become better by:
Providing us with frequent feedback and recognition on our
performance, as appropriate,
Encouraging a coaching relationship and communication with
our leadership, and
Providing a regular means to receive guidance in relevant
competencies, such as leader skills or call handling.
However, the most important reason for using the Employee
Scorecard Process is that it increases credibility with our
customers through an up-to-date view of overall Center and
individual performance, reassuring customers that your company is
closely monitoring Call Center performance to provide excellent
service.
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12. Administrative Exit Process
Call Center Processes
Recording Employee Exits in a
Standard Fashion
To the extent that is practical, we all need to record information
about employee separations from a company in a standard
manner that can be leveraged across the enterprise.
The intent of the Administrative Exit Process is to ensure
consistency, to the extent that is practical, when employees are
separated. This ensures that information captured—particularly
employee feedback from voluntarily separated employees about
why they are deciding to leave company employment—during this
process can be leveraged across all contact centers.
There are four major steps to this process, as shown below:
Identify type Notify parties Complete Complete all
and reason for as appropriate, payroll administrative
separation i.e., ER, information tasks
employee, HR,
security
This process applies to all separations that occur in the contact centers except for employees
separated because of a workforce reduction or account closings. The process:
• Begins with the decision to end employment.
• Encompasses both Voluntary and Involuntary separations.
• Includes Exit Interviews for both Voluntary and Involuntary separations.
• Ends when the separation is completed, recorded, and separation data is reviewed.
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13. Recognition and Appreciation
Call Center Processes
Create an Environment that
Motivates Everyone
The Recognition and Appreciation Practice creates an
environment in which people are motivated about work
priorities, improving morale, client satisfaction, and employee
retention rates.
Recognition and Appreciation plays a critical role in motivating
employees and rewarding them for accomplishments. Recognition
is critical to any sustaining effort in support of key corporate
initiatives focused on customer satisfaction, productivity, efficiency,
There are four components to and cost reduction. The challenge at work is to create an
a Recognition & Appreciation
environment in which people are motivated.
Practice. They are as follows:
The Recognition and Appreciation Practice creates a framework for
Recognition of individual
sites to conduct recognition and appreciation activities appropriate
status
to contact centers. The practice contains the following components:
Recognition of individual
employee and team Appreciation Activities - show general appreciation to large
excellence groups, generally the entire site or a program/account team
Recognition of individual
Individual Status Recognition – create status with visible forms of
and team improvement
recognition for performance excellence and/or metric target
Appreciation activities for
attainment. Individual status recognition is not necessarily tied to
all site/team members
Benefits of the R&A Practice rewards of value but rather is intended to convey individual
contribution, achievement, and value to the organization.
include: Short Term Individual and Team Recognition - provide
performance incentives for teams and individuals within those
Creation of a database of teams to ensure continued motivation of high performing and
ideas improving individuals and teams
Increased motivation of
Peer Spot Recognition - encouragement for recognition at peer
team members
levels
Increased employee
satisfaction Supervisor Discretionary Recognition - allow an independent,
Reduced attrition flexible means for immediate or near immediate recognition of
Better ability to influence individuals and/or teams for actions and performances not covered
the bottom line through elsewhere. Further, this component allows the leader to make the
meeting or exceeding recognition special and unique for the individual.
performance standards
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