Contact centres are not “set and forget” environments. Businesses change, customers (and their expectations) change, and technology changes. Unfortunately, many contact centres do not review their operation in the light of these changes on a regular basis.
Every contact centre should have a strategy – a plan for the next 1 to 5 years – to allow for growth planning, budget planning and changes to customer service. This strategy should be reviewed every two years or so to ensure it is still relevant, to include any evolving technologies that are appropriate and to cater for any changes to customer needs.
At the same time, a comprehensive review of the current operation should be undertaken – not just from a technology perspective, but overall. This includes organisational structure, staff skills, training, rostering and scheduling, recruitment, internal and external communication, use and effectiveness of technology, and customer service.
The health check should cover technical, operational and personnel aspects of the contact centre and will provide a baseline of current capability and recommendations to proceed into the future, considering the likely expectations of customers and the business itself.
The health check should cover all areas of the contact centre, including:
- The current technology including versions and support.
- How the technology is used, including whether there is additional functionality that could be activated easily to improve business outcomes.
- IVR configuration and call routing.
- Reporting and metrics.
- Scheduling and rostering.
- Job descriptions and KPIs.
- Recruitment and training.
- Staff skills.
- Organisational structure, roles and responsibilities.
- Customer service and call quality.
- Internal and external communications.
- Contact centre features and facilities.
At the conclusion a detailed report including prioritised recommendations will be produced. The report will provide an objective, independent opinion of the best way to progress while considering the short, medium and long-term business requirements.