Recommendations
How many contact codes does your company use to describe customer contacts?
You should give this some thought. Your answer was “50,” which means you haven't done everything you can here. The best possible answer was “21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30”.
It is important to understand contact codes and how to use them. Also, learn how to develop an optimal contact code system and how to improve the number of contact codes your company uses.
Additional Resources
What types of self-service help offerings does your company offer to customers?
Looking good! Your answer was “Frequently asked questions, Account history, Transaction history,” which means you're on the right track.
Your self-service portal should provide many ways for customers to answer “how to” questions. Online information such as documentation, advisories, policies, and updates is essential. Having the option to submit and to track the status of service requests is even more customer-friendly.
Additional Resources
- Strategic Customer Service: Managing the Customer Experience to Increase Positive Word of Mouth, Build Loyalty, and Maximize Profits(See Chapter 7, “Technology and the Customer Interface”)
- Building a Web Self Service Portal: Keys to Success
- How to Provide Customer Self-Service Online
Videos
Does your company have a self-service help center available to customers?
Looking good! Your answer was “Yes,” which means you're on the right track.
Incorporate self-service functionality into your website. Begin with the basic but essential components such as FAQs, contact information for support, and a customer feedback form. Also consider adding more advanced features to increase customer engagement. Live chat, screensharing, and an online customer forum will help customers help themselves even better.
Additional Resources
- The Best Service is No Service(See Chapter 3, “Create Engaging Self-Service: Instead of Preventing Contact”)
- How to Provide Customer Self-Service Online
Videos
What is your company’s customer service supervisor to agent ratio?
Looking good! Your answer was “8,” which means you're on the right track.
The most efficient custom service supervisor to agent ratio is typically between 8:1 and 15:1. The best ratio for you depends on your business model, customer support demands, and agents’ experience level. Finding it is essential to your company’s success, however. Under-supervision causes low morale and customer churn, while over-supervision can increase costs.
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Does your company use process measurement tools such as balance scorecards and dashboards to reduce escalation sources and promote customer-centric changes across the company?
You should give this some thought. Your answer was “No,” which means you haven't done everything you can here. The best possible answer was “Yes”.
Use a broad range of metrics in your process measurement scorecard rather than financial data alone. Quantify your long-term goals by using the scorecard at all company levels. Coordinate business goal setting with financial planning. Identify areas for improvement through constant feedback. By aligning short-term actions with big-picture goals, you will get a better picture of your company’s health, reduce escalation, and improve customer service.
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Does your company’s service strategy strike an appropriate balance between service and cost?
You should give this some thought. Your answer was “No,” which means you haven't done everything you can here. The best possible answer was “Yes”.
Your service strategy should help you achieve cost-effective, long-term satisfaction. To accomplish these goals, segment service levels. Be sure to keep your customer service budgets stable over several budget cycles. You should also remember to share accountability while constantly looking for efficiencies. That way you’ll have customer satisfaction as well as sustained growth.
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How many Key Performance Indicators on customer service performance does your team track?
You're on your way! You responded “3,” which is a good sign.
Tracking three to five key performance indicators will allow you to measure your progress against your goals with greater accuracy. To avoid confusion, however, limit the number of metrics used.
Additional Resources
- The Best Service is No Service(See Chapter 8, “Deliver Great Customer Experiences: How to Delight Customers with Awesome Support When They Need It)
- What Are the Right Metrics for Customer Service
To be effective, your KPIs should reflect both your company’s strategic objectives and the key drivers to executing your customer care strategy. These metrics typically include service costs, satisfaction levels, problem resolution cost-efficiency, reported issues, growth, and revenue.
Additional Resources
- Choosing The Right Metrics For Your Customer Service Operations
- Why Management Teams Should Consider Adopting Contract Renewal Rate as a KPI
- Key Performance Indicators: Developing, Implementing and Using Winning KPI’s(See “Developing and Using KPIs: A 12-Step Model”)
- 6 Net Promoter Score Mistakes that Derail Customer Management Process
Videos
Are your company’s customer care strategy and goals well integrated with those of the rest of the company?
You're on your way! You responded “Yes,” which is a good sign.
Align your customer service strategy with the company’s vision. Use tools such as strategy maps and balanced scorecards to ensure that everyone in the company, including senior managers, can both visualize your strategy and support it.
Additional Resources
Does your company have a seamless escalation and performance review process for agents?
You're on your way! You responded “Yes,” which is a good sign.
Create clear guidelines around how agents escalate customer issues to supervisors while empowering them to resolve issues themselves. Incorporate customer satisfaction, productivity, and areas for process improvement into performance reviews. All of these metrics can be captured easily and automatically, through case-tracking, by observation, or by customer surveys.
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Does your company have a process improvement program that is empowered to facilitate or integrate process change within customer service and other functional areas?
Here's something to work on. You responded “No,” which means there's room for improvement. The best possible answer was “Yes”.
Carefully consider the links between customer satisfaction and company-wide internal operating policies across all functions. Empower your process improvement program to facilitate process changes more effectively based on the findings.
Additional Resources
- Improving Customer Satisfaction, Loyalty, and Profit(See Chapter 2, “Strategy and Planning”)
- Why Does the Employee’s Voice Matter So Much?
- 5 Steps to Customer Driven Service Improvement
Is your company able to respond to customer issues/complaints within 24 hours?
You're on your way! You responded “Yes,” which is a good sign.
Your customers need to know you take customer service seriously. Make sure they know your company will address their issues within 24 hours and their urgent complaints within a matter of hours or even minutes, regardless of what channel they use to contact you.
Additional Resources
- The Best Service is No Service(See Chapter 8, “Deliver Great Customer Experiences: How to Delight Customers with Awesome Support When They need It”)
- Customer Service Strategy: 9 Ideas for Driving Customer Promotion
Videos
Which channels does your company encourage customers to contact you through to raise issues or requests?
You're on your way! You responded “Voice, Online chat, Web, Email, Social media,” which is a good sign.
Identify specific criteria for targeted customer groups. This strategy will help you determine which communication channels are most effective for each group.
Additional Resources
- Customer Communication Strategy: Identifying the Most Effective Mediums
- Multichannel Customer Service Is Dead. Long Live Agile Service!
Videos
Does your company’s management process provide two-way communication among business partners, vendors, outsourcers, all corporate management and staff?
You're on your way! You responded “Yes,” which is a good sign.
Follow the steps outlined in Craig Carrow’s “Communication is Key in Successful Vendor Management Programs.” This article explains how successful vendor communication depends on several key factors and the action steps within them, leading to improvement in your company over time.
Additional Resources
- Communication is Key in Successful Vendor Management Programs
- How to Turn Vendors into Your Business Partners
Foster strong two-way communication in your company by structuring it around effective internal education and marketing, as well as potential areas for input from third parties.
Additional Resources
Is your company using Six Sigma or a similar lean process to reduce time to deliver support, foster a robust continuous improvement process and maintain quality goals?
You're on your way! You responded “Yes,” which is a good sign.
Create an effective, lean management process. To do so, first identify key success indicators and assess your company’s initial adherence to them. Then create an action plan for improvement available to all employees before implementing the program.
Utilize a range of tools to evaluate performance, while maintaining a continuous process of subsequent review and improvement. Expect to see substantial improvement within six months after implementation.
Additional Resources
- The Best Service is No Service(See Chapter 8, “Deliver Great Customer Experiences: how to Delight Customers with Awesome Support When They need It)
- Pursuing Perfect Service(See “Part 3: Deploying the Lean Sigma for Service Excellence Improvement Process”)
- Scrum Process and Resource Guide
- Production Quality Management