A Stitch in Time…

Running a customer service centre is hard

It is a constant battle, trying to minimise cost and maximise customer service.

But we all know the game, we get employed to play it:

• Squeeze your head count down as far as you dare
• Ride the variations in customer demand
• Manage the backlog
• Set up a turnaround time target or service level agreement
• Edge as close to it as your nerve allows

Conventional wisdom is to average out your customer demands over time (make your customers wait) then you can minimise your costs. Staff your centre like this:

It is a bit like playing chicken

Staff close to the edge and sooner or later something will go wrong, a sales promotion will mess up, or a statement run will fail and wallop, you will have more customers calling you than you can deal with and weeks of stress digging your way out:

But most of the time you will be fine. And your costs will look good.  — Honest.

But are you fine most of the time?

Do your customers care about your S.L.A?  Most of the time you are sitting on repeat calls and chase paperwork.  You might be holding your own and hitting your S.L.A. but how much of that customer demand is chase demand?

There is another way

Overstaff… resource your contact centre like this:

Deal with today’s work today.

I know what you are thinking, “that will cost me money”. But will it?  If you deal with today’s work today you might just get less work tomorrow.

And besides, what are you here to do?  Service your customers or play chicken with them?

What does your job title say?

A stitch in time…

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Image by sarahakabmg