Performance objectives drive an organization's activities, priorities and expectations. Establishing and meeting sound call center performance objectives - those that yield tangible value for the organization - is universally applied by well-managed centers.

Successful organizations establish and secure objectives differently. But they all recognize an important principle: Every person in the center plays a key role in achieving objectives.

Unfortunately, many individuals don't see the connection between what they do daily and what the call center is trying to achieve strategically. Upshot: Some employees perceive that they are just small cogs in a large wheel. But each person impacts results in ways that may not be evident.

Once you understand this, you can boost your center's performance by: (1) encouraging collaboration and establishing appropriate accountabilities; (2) emphasizing process-wide improvements over output quotas; and (3) ensuring, through education, that employees understand and appreciate their contributions to results.

Accessibility

Consider objectives, such as forecasted to actual workload, abandoned or blocked calls, and service level, associated with the call center's accessibility (how quickly customers reach agents or systems that provide the services they need). Many people within the call center help determine whether these objectives are met. Examples:

• Agents contribute to accessibility not only by how they handle contacts, but also by how they code work. For instance, when agents use talk time, after-call work, and other work modes consistently and accurately, they contribute to more stable, reliable data for forecasting, scheduling and other objectives. Agents also impact adherence to schedules. And they are key to educating customers on the availability and use of self-service access channels.

• Supervisors ensure that agents have the resources and support necessary to handle the work appropriately, which leads to stable results and reliable data for planning. Supervisors also often serve as coordinators/liaisons for planning meetings or when schedules are adjusted to accommodate changing workload requirements.

• The quality analyst (or the person or team with this responsibility) also impacts accessibility. For example, if it takes agents ten steps to accomplish a task that can be done in seven, the analyst can identify relevant training and coaching opportunities that might streamline call-handling processes.

• IT/telecom analysts ensure that systems provide information when and where needed. They must see that workload-tracking tools are correctly programmed and that trainers and supervisors reinforce proper use. They also support solutions (such as ACD, workforce management, reporting and e-mail management applications) that provide reports and data essential to planning.

• The call center manager impacts accessibility not only by ensuring that the center has the right tools, methods and training, but also by establishing a culture of collaboration. The manager establishes working relationships with other departments that enable good processes and planning.

Quality

The role of agents in achieving quality objectives, such as those related to first-call resolution and call prevention, is evident. But others also contribute to these objectives:

• Supervisors contribute by ensuring that their teams have the necessary resources, coaching and feedback to handle contacts with quality. Also, supervisors' experience in front-line work, and their proximity to the work, makes them invaluable in quality improvement initiatives.

• The quality analyst manages the repository of data captured through individual monitoring and coaching initiatives. Appropriate analysis of this information leads to ongoing process, system, training and coaching improvements.

• Workforce planners enable quality by ensuring the right contacts go to the right places at the right times. They also identify the best times for people to work on quality initiatives. And they maintain data that reveals how the call mix is changing and where call prevention efforts would yield the greatest results.

• IT/telecom analysts enable quality by equipping the call center with appropriate tools and technologies (e.g., information systems that provide accurate, real-time data on customers, products, services and policies). Similarly, thoughtfully programmed systems enable contacts and relevant information to be delivered to the right places at the right times.

• The call center manager contributes to quality by ensuring that agents, supervisors, planners and others have the training, skills, tools and processes to be successful. The manager also ensures the call center is part of organization-wide processes (e.g., marketing and product development). They additionally cultivate a culture that values quality.

Strategic Impact

Each role contributes to the call center's strategic impact on the organization, as measured, for example, by customer satisfaction and the call center's contribution to other business units. Examples:

• Agents boost customer satisfaction through their contributions to accessibility and quality. The information they capture during contacts - assuming the data is complete and accurate - underpins, too, organization-wide product and service innovations, marketing campaigns, and quality improvements (inside and outside the call center).

• Supervisors are involved in initiatives to identify, measure, track, improve and communicate the call center's impact on the organization (e.g., through data analysis teams and as liaisons to other groups, departments and front-line activities).

• The quality analyst assembles, analyzes and directs to other departments information captured during contacts. The analyst also recommends process improvements that can boost customer satisfaction and agent support.

• Workforce planners impact both customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction through accurate planning that matches the right agents and/or self-service systems with the right contacts. For example, when the call center is accessible, customers are happier because they can efficiently reach the services they require. Similarly, good service levels mean occupancy levels that are not too high, letting agents "breathe" between contacts and work with callers who aren't angry from waiting in a long queue.

• IT/telecom analysts know that technologies impact customer satisfaction firstly at the user interface, such as through the IVR system, Web or other customer-facing channels. Capable "back-end" systems are also essential to providing agents and customers with information and support. When programmed and used judiciously, call center systems enable the center to capture data from contacts that can be used to improve products, services, and marketing; and to better understand customers. Technical support personnel also develop and maintain disaster recovery plans.

Performance objectives drive an organization's activities, priorities and expectations. Establishing and meeting sound call center performance objectives - those that yield tangible value for the organization - is universally applied by well-managed centers.

Successful organizations establish and secure objectives differently. But they all recognize an important principle: Every person in the center plays a key role in achieving objectives.

Unfortunately, many individuals don't see the connection between what they do daily and what the call center is trying to achieve strategically. Upshot: Some employees perceive that they are just small cogs in a large wheel. But each person impacts results in ways that may not be evident.

Once you understand this, you can boost your center's performance by: (1) encouraging collaboration and establishing appropriate accountabilities; (2) emphasizing process-wide improvements over output quotas; and (3) ensuring, through education, that employees understand and appreciate their contributions to results.

Accessibility

Consider objectives, such as forecasted to actual workload, abandoned or blocked calls, and service level, associated with the call center's accessibility (how quickly customers reach agents or systems that provide the services they need). Many people within the call center help determine whether these objectives are met. Examples:

• Agents contribute to accessibility not only by how they handle contacts, but also by how they code work. For instance, when agents use talk time, after-call work, and other work modes consistently and accurately, they contribute to more stable, reliable data for forecasting, scheduling and other objectives. Agents also impact adherence to schedules. And they are key to educating customers on the availability and use of self-service access channels.

• Supervisors ensure that agents have the resources and support necessary to handle the work appropriately, which leads to stable results and reliable data for planning. Supervisors also often serve as coordinators/liaisons for planning meetings or when schedules are adjusted to accommodate changing workload requirements.

• The quality analyst (or the person or team with this responsibility) also impacts accessibility. For example, if it takes agents ten steps to accomplish a task that can be done in seven, the analyst can identify relevant training and coaching opportunities that might streamline call-handling processes.

• IT/telecom analysts ensure that systems provide information when and where needed. They must see that workload-tracking tools are correctly programmed and that trainers and supervisors reinforce proper use. They also support solutions (such as ACD, workforce management, reporting and e-mail management applications) that provide reports and data essential to planning.

• The call center manager impacts accessibility not only by ensuring that the center has the right tools, methods and training, but also by establishing a culture of collaboration. The manager establishes working relationships with other departments that enable good processes and planning.

Quality

The role of agents in achieving quality objectives, such as those related to first-call resolution and call prevention, is evident. But others also contribute to these objectives:

• Supervisors contribute by ensuring that their teams have the necessary resources, coaching and feedback to handle contacts with quality. Also, supervisors' experience in front-line work, and their proximity to the work, makes them invaluable in quality improvement initiatives.

• The quality analyst manages the repository of data captured through individual monitoring and coaching initiatives. Appropriate analysis of this information leads to ongoing process, system, training and coaching improvements.

• Workforce planners enable quality by ensuring the right contacts go to the right places at the right times. They also identify the best times for people to work on quality initiatives. And they maintain data that reveals how the call mix is changing and where call prevention efforts would yield the greatest results.

• IT/telecom analysts enable quality by equipping the call center with appropriate tools and technologies (e.g., information systems that provide accurate, real-time data on customers, products, services and policies). Similarly, thoughtfully programmed systems enable contacts and relevant information to be delivered to the right places at the right times.

• The call center manager contributes to quality by ensuring that agents, supervisors, planners and others have the training, skills, tools and processes to be successful. The manager also ensures the call center is part of organization-wide processes (e.g., marketing and product development). They additionally cultivate a culture that values quality.

Strategic Impact

Each role contributes to the call center's strategic impact on the organization, as measured, for example, by customer satisfaction and the call center's contribution to other business units. Examples:

• Agents boost customer satisfaction through their contributions to accessibility and quality. The information they capture during contacts - assuming the data is complete and accurate - underpins, too, organization-wide product and service innovations, marketing campaigns, and quality improvements (inside and outside the call center).

• Supervisors are involved in initiatives to identify, measure, track, improve and communicate the call center's impact on the organization (e.g., through data analysis teams and as liaisons to other groups, departments and front-line activities).

• The quality analyst assembles, analyzes and directs to other departments information captured during contacts. The analyst also recommends process improvements that can boost customer satisfaction and agent support.

• Workforce planners impact both customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction through accurate planning that matches the right agents and/or self-service systems with the right contacts. For example, when the call center is accessible, customers are happier because they can efficiently reach the services they require. Similarly, good service levels mean occupancy levels that are not too high, letting agents "breathe" between contacts and work with callers who aren't angry from waiting in a long queue.

• IT/telecom analysts know that technologies impact customer satisfaction firstly at the user interface, such as through the IVR system, Web or other customer-facing channels. Capable "back-end" systems are also essential to providing agents and customers with information and support. When programmed and used judiciously, call center systems enable the center to capture data from contacts that can be used to improve products, services, and marketing; and to better understand customers. Technical support personnel also develop and maintain disaster recovery plans.