customerservicecallcenterbenchmarkstudy-12909929875631-phpapp02

8/18/2019 customerservicecallcenterbenchmarkstudy-12909929875631-phpapp02

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Competitive Benchmark Study:

Defning a World-ClassCustomer Service CallCenter

Presented By:

Chris Scaario


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Getting Started

Current State:

A manufacturer and global distributor of premium-qualityhardware for kitchen, coffee, washroom, beverage, and

foodservice systems, seeks to improve efficiencies andoperations within its regional customer service call center .


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Getting Started

Current State:

he Company understands that effective customer service isan important means of reinforcing brand equity. As a result this

work has been formatted to support and present an optimal callcenter structure including:

Standard operating procedures !S"#s$

A move towards full transparency connecting call center

management in a clear chain of communication with the restof the organi%ation as a whole.


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!nitial "indings#

$ retail arrangement %ith &o%es ails to make useo standard technology to streamline ordering #

'o means o capturing( calculating( or

communicating )ey Perormance !ndicators * 'o)P!s+#

$ lack o a%areness o industry ,est practices toguide perormance improvement #

'oneistent outgoing inormation .o% romcustomer service to the customers they support #


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!nitial "indings#

'eed or !mproved /rgani0ational Communication#

Documentation that is not in an easily searcha,leorm#

Conusion as a result o product- and modelchanges that are not communicated#

1npredicta,le spare parts inventories#


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Scope o /ur Work#

!n an e2ort to remedy these shortcomings( D3!4C hascollected:

$ list o companies that are reno%ned or customer

service#

$n overvie% o call center ,est practices#

)ey Perormance !ndicators *)P!s+#

Call Center 5anagement 6o, Descriptions#

Division-Specifc Recommendations.


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Customer Service Superstars

&.&.'ean, the (reeport-)aine mail-order giant, has made servicee*cellence and product quality thecornerstones of its operating

philosophy and strategy for almost+ years.

n terms of productservice scope,consider the fact that the company

offers more than +/, items, 0of which it manufacturers itself.


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&.&.'ean1s reputation for outstanding customer service is primarilybuilt upon its unlimited, 2no-questions-asked3 return policy4whichpermits unlimited returns on all items4and for its legendarywillingness to perpetually replace the rubber soles of its )aine

5unting Shoe.


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Customer loyalty is a primary concern for &.&.'ean. As such, callcenter agents often engage in conversations that are not directlysales-related.

- t is a way to identify clients1 needs, it is seen as an opportunity toincrease brand value. 6espite this conversational approach !orperhaps because of it$, agents maintain low average order times.


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&.&.'ean does the bulk of its sales over the phone. 6ue to thisfact, and because the business is largely seasonal, call volumescan e*ceed +77,day during busy periods.

- n addition, with their heavy reliance on catalogs, !not to mention

customers1 tendency to save catalogs for years$, the companyrecently undertook an initiative to e*pand the functionality of theirorder-taking software to support more comple* inquiry calls.


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he goal of the initiative was to reduce both the number of calltransfers, and the amount of training required to handle many ofthese calls, while continuing to maintain traditionally high customerservice and employee satisfaction standards.

he result was a redesigned screen layout that focused on design,5)& prototyping, task-based user testing, and reviews with e*pertusers, businesses, and technical team members.


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he redesigned screens had a measurable impact on service, including:

mproved customer and employee satisfaction

A five-second reduction in average call time

A 89 reduction information queue requests

A more than 7 reduction in new-user training time

A 7 reduction in call center training costs

&.&.'ean also streamlined its call center by commissioning forecastingmodels to predict incoming calls so that staffing schedules could be

produced farther in advance. he company e*pects to save ;8, asa result of the move.


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&.&.'ean refers to the 2Customer Service3 function as their 2CustomerSatisfaction3 department, effectively underscoring the group1s ultimategoal. #resident Chris )cCormick says that: "Superior customer

service has always been and always will be the cornerstone of ourbrand. . .”


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he company serves customers with2knowledgeable employees who are highlycustomer focused.3

- It’s a matter of quality over quantity.

Customer service agents are trained to spendwhatever time is necessary to make everycustomer feel valued.

- Each service channel has been designed toenable the company’s guarantee of 1!

satisfaction.



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7he Customer Satisaction department operates 89hours a day(

;< days a year( out o three customer contact centers

in 5aine#- During the peak holiday season in 8==>( Bean

employed

nearly (=== customer service representatives# 7he

si0e o theircustomer satisaction enterprise is considera,ly larger

than

the client?s ,ut there are lessons to be learned

from the way


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&essons "rom the Superstars

1se %hat you kno% to develop long-termrelationships#

- By making customer inormation easily accessi,le to

rontline service reps( Bean hopes to ena,lepersonali0ed interactions %ith customers# Keyinformation elements include:

a+ Past Purchases

,+ 4eturnsc+ &ength o customerAvendor relationship

d+ Past pro,lems %ith products or services *i any+

e+ 7ype*s+ o catalogs received

+ Purchase channels *telephone( !nternet( store( etc#+


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Technology can have a dramatic impact

- Bean undertook a simple screen redesign proect# 7he result %ill

help the company to reali0e signifcant ,enefts interms o cost savings( overall service impression( andemployee and customer satisaction#

- 7he Client has a similar opportunity to leveragetechnology to replace

outdated processes and possi,ly enoy similar serviceimprovements#


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2ust a department, itshould be the entire company.3


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&essons "rom the Superstarsappos ,oasts = core values that

defnethe company culture# 7hey are asollo%s:

# Deliver W/W through service8# Em,race and drive change# Create un and a little %eirdness9# Be adventurous( creative( and open-minded# Be passionate and determined=# Be hum,le


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appos vie%s the phone eperience as a ,randingdevice and urges customers to call a,out nearlyeverything# 7heir call center takes


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?appos made a deliberate decision to redirect its marketingbudget towards delivering e*ceptional customer service witha great company culture, in hopes that the move would helpthe business to thrive where others had failed.

o that@ every new hire4spends four weeks handling calls asa customer-service rep and one week in the entuckywarehouse before starting work.

?appos is also one of the many call centers turning to cloudcomputing technology and social media networking toincrease the amount and efficiency of interdepartmentalcommunication.


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&essons rom the Superstars:

Go long…

appos? customer-service employeesare not encouraged to keep calls

short# 7hey are encouraged to essentially

take o%nership o the call( spending

%hatever time and e2ort arenecessary to ensure a positiveoutcome#


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7he client?s goal in the case o thecustomer

service center is to create anenvironment in

Which representatives are encouragedto have

customer service conversations# Givingthese

interactions time to unold %ill ,e a

key part o


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South%est?s customerservice department isIproactive(J %ith %orkerstaught to anticipatedissatisaction and act

preemptively #

Every passenger on asignifcantly delayed .ight(

or eample( receives aletter o apology# !n severecases( they go so ar as totoss in coupons#

.



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Anticipate problems E act accordingly...Southwest1s anticipation strategy e*tends

to an automatic call system that alertscustomers about cancellations and gatechanges.



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o the client, late shipments are directlyanalogous to Southwest1s delayed flights. aking acue from the airline, we see that an e*cellent wayto resolve problems is to anticipate them and headthem off.

f the cleint1s customer service division cancoordinate with shipping, they will be able to firstidentify shipments that will miss their due dates

and then react to that knowledge in the form of aphone call !preferred$ or email to the customeralerting them to the delay.


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=est Chester, #A -based FDC wasrecently recogni%ed as a top-+retailer for customer service.

=ith daily live broadcasts to GHmillion households in the I.S. andanother HJ million overseas,nearly ;H billion in sales, +88 millioncalls answered and K0 million

packages shipped in 0K, FDC isvery, very big business.


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&essons rom the Superstars:Communicate#Gary /rmont( K3CLs vice

president o operations( says that the companyplaces high importance on ostering anenvironment in %hich call center agents eelcomorta,le %ith their co%orkers#

MCustomer service is only as good as those %hodeliver it(J he says# MWeLre really employee-sensitive# /ur people interact on a frst-name,asis( and %e have constant team%ork(

communication( and numerous roundta,les andorum meetings at %hich %e discuss issues andtrends#J


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ust as important for the client is the matter ofcommunication between call center staff and corporatemanagers.

Client call center representatives play a key role in formingcustomers1 perceptions about the client, its brand promise,and the status of the enterprise as a whole.

t is imperative that those charged with brand developmentat (ranke pay close attention to those on the front lines.


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he cleint is a premium brand with prices that correspondto that high level of quality. )anagement must take anactive role in educating customer service representatives inthe proper terminology, and the correct way of replying tocustomersguiding the conversations into areas that willenable the agent to offer solutions.


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onclusions#

he general lessons learned from these enterprises can have adirect relevance to the client1s stated goal of improving customerservice performance and leveraging that superior service in order to

provide high-end customer e*periences and develop a strongerbrand identity.

n the following section, we will outline call center best practices andshow the specific ways that each can be used to move the client1s

service offering to a point that more closely reflects the company1s2premium product3 brand position.


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Best o Best Practices


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frst step in the transormation to an eNcient call center is toerstand the ,est practices associated %ith its operation# 7hey are:

$# Develop a customer access strategy

B# Employ targeted( strategic training

C# 5easure the e2ectiveness o that training

D# 1se call center reps as idea collectors and sales agents

E# Consider implementing a ,alanced scorecard

"# 5onitor social net%orking sites

G# 1se call center agents to keep mailingAcontact lists up-to-date


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Best o Best PracticesA. evelop a customer access strategy… $

tailored customer access strategy consists o a set ostandards or guidelines( and processes that defnethe %ays customers can access inormation#$lthough these strategies can take many di2erent

orms( most cover the ollo%ing components:

Customer Segmentation: Summari0e ho% currentcustomers and prospects are segmented *e#g#( ,y

geography( demographics( volume o ,usiness( oruniHue reHuirements+ and ho% the client %ill serveeach segment#


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$# Develop a customer access strategy $lthoughthese strategies can take many di2erent orms( mostcover the ollo%ing components:

Contact types: $nticipate and identiy maor types o

interactions that %ill occur( such as placing orders(changing orders( ans%ering inHuiries( providingtechnical support( etc# Each type o interaction should,e analy0ed or opportunities to enhance customer

satisaction and loyalty#


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Best o Best Practices$# Develop a customer access strategy $lthough

these strategies can take many di2erent orms( mostcover the ollo%ing components:

Oours o operation: !dentiy hours o operation(outlining ho% they may vary or di2erent contact

channels or customer segments# Decisions %ill ,edriven ,y cost and service considerations defned inthe plan#

Service level: Summari0e the organi0ationLs service

level *the percentage o calls ans%ered %ithin apredetermined period o time( generally = in =seconds+ and response time o,ectives#


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$# Develop a customer access strategy $lthoughthese strategies can take many di2erent orms( mostcover the ollo%ing components:

PeopleAtechnology resources reHuired: 7his step marks

the transition rom proper callAemailAother reHuestrouting to the deployment o agents and systemsneeded or each customer segment and contact type#

!normation reHuired: Perhaps the most important parto the plan( this segment outlines the customer andproduct inormation that must ,e availa,le to agents#


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Best o Best PracticesB# Employ targeted( strategic training Considering

the amount o visi,ility that call center agents have%ith customers( it is critical that all agents ,e trainedproperly in order to minimi0e the di2erences inproductivity ,et%een ne% and eperiencedemployees# 7raining %ill help agents to understand:

# 7heir role %ithin the ,usiness structureQ8# What their perormance means to the organi0ation as a

%holeQ# 7he %ays they can contri,ute to sales and customer service

goalsQ

9# Oo% their customer interactions help to deliver on the ,randpromiseQ


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!. "se call center reps as sales agents and ideacollectors…Some o the ,est product and service ideascome rom customers# Call center agents( have the mostdirect contact %ith your customers and are ideally situatedto spot these innovative ideas#

5anagement also consider spending some time %ith thesta2 o the call center# 7his tactic has a t%oold ,eneft:frst( ,y putting senior sta2 in direct contact %ith customersand call center agents( they %ill gain fst-hand( in-the-

trenches kno%ledge o the %ays this unction operatesRas%ell as the %ays it should not operate# Second( havinghigher-ups %orking alongside the service representatives%ill sho% the latter ust ho% important their o, is( andpossi,ly inspire them to ,etter understand the %ays theyserve the greater corporate goals#


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!. "se call center reps as sales agents and ideacollectors… 5anagement also consider spending some time

%ith the sta2 o the call center# 7his tactic has a t%oold ,eneft:

"irst( ,y putting senior sta2 in direct contact %ith customers andcall center agents( they %ill gain fst-hand( in-the-trencheskno%ledge o the %ays this unction operatesRas %ell as the%ays it should not operate#

Second( having higher-ups %orking alongside the servicerepresentatives %ill sho% the latter ust ho% important their o,

is( and possi,ly inspire them to ,etter understand the %ays theyserve the greater corporate goals#


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Best o Best Practices. !apture customer feedbac#… ou must remem,er to

capture customer eed,ack through any channel thatcustomers can use to interact %ith your organi0ation# Withthis eed,ack captured( it should ,e passed along to those%ho are in a position to act on it#

%. &onitor social networ#ing sites….Considering the ease%ith %hich dissatisfed customers can pu,lici0e theireperiences in the marketplace( it is a customer service ,estpractice to monitor complaints on social net%orking sites#Whether or not those complaints are valid is largely irrelevantQ ust as in the ,logosphere( perception in the social net%orkingspace is reality( and there are endless eamples o companiesthat have ,een em,arrassedRpu,licly and virallyRas a resulto poor customer service#


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'. "se call center agents to #eep mailing(contact listsup)to)date…f the client plans to build a mailing list for thedistribution of eLewsletters or similar active communications, callcenter agents are in an e*cellent position to capture phone and email

information, along with permission to send promotional emails.

his information can also be used to update customers on order deliverystatus and push content regarding new products and services.


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G. !onsider implementing a balanced scorecard… !n acall center environment %here a num,er o key perormanceindicators are captured( it may ,e helpul to pursue theMBalanced ScorecardJ approach#

7he ,alanced scorecard is a means helping managers ocus onthose perormance metrics that most directly lead to success#4ather than measuring strictly fnancial outcomes( in this case%e %ill ocus the human issues that drive successul customerservice outcomes as a means o improving ,rand identity#


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G. !onsider implementing a balanced scorecard…

# !dentiy the )ey Perormance !ndicators to ,e measured

8# Determine the %eighting *epressed as a percentage+ oreach )P!#

# Esta,lish the upper- and lo%er perormance levelsQ thesemay come rom ,enchmarking o peer groups( similar,usinesses( internal historic date( etc#

9# Collect internal call center data or each metric


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$ey %erformance Indicator &eighting

%erformance 'ange

(ctual%erformance

)etricScore

*alancedScore*est ase &orst ase

Service &evel ! answered in 0 sec.$ 8 K /7 G+ /H. +K.0

(irst Call Mesolution !$ 07 G / /8 +7. 8.G

Abandon Mate !$ +7 8 + 7 9+.H +.9

Average alk ime !seconds$ + +G 8/ 077 7G.8 7.G

After Call =ork !seconds$ + +G 8/ 8H7 /8.K /.8

Average 5andle ime !seconds$ + 8/ 90 / 88.8 8.8

otal + +,.1!


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Best o Best Practices!onclusion….

7he specifc ,est practices listed a,ove hold a great deal opromise or the client# $s e2ective( proven means o structuringthe call center operation in a %ay that re.ects the overall ,randpromise( ena,les a premium customer eperience( and outlines%ays that the call center operation can serve ,oth ,usiness-

and ,randing goals( these are each applica,le to utureimprovement e2orts in the call center# *n the ne+t section, we will learn more about the metricsthat will allow the client to measure performance in the

si+ areas that most e-ectively trac# performance incritical areas.


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Call Center )P!s

%-ective *ntegration of Key erformance *ndicators/K*s0…Call center operations include a uniHue set oactivities that are defned ,y the responsi,ilities andchallenges associated %ith ater-sales service related tomanagement( technology( and staNng#

By structuring a clear( reHuent mechanism or measuringrelevant )P!s( the client %ill have a tracking tool that addresseseach o the important areas in the orm o indicators( to %hichyou can assign upper- and lo%er MtargetJ perormance fgures#


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Call Center )P!s %-ective *ntegration of Key erformance *ndicators

/K*s0… Gauging )P!S through s M,alanced scoreJ %ill ena,lethe client to continually:

# 5onitor call center eNciency

8# 7rack agent e2ectivenessQ# Perorm targeted perormance-improvement training %here

neededQ and

9# Ensure that the call center perormance is serving largercorporate ,rand-development and ,usiness goals#


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Call Center )P!s

%-ective *ntegration of Key erformance *ndicators /K*s0… $lthough do0ens o possi,le )P!s eist( D3!4C has identifed si that%e ,elieve %ill give the client a simple %ay to initiate a scoringsystem that is simultaneously e2ective and uncomplicated#

$ey %erformance Indicator -efinition

Service &evel !S&A$ and Average Speed of Answer !ASA$

#ercentage of calls answered in a given period of time !typically 0 or 8 seconds$

(irst Call Mesolution !(CM$ #ercentage of calls resolved without the need for escalation

Abandon MateCustomer &oss Mate Lumber of calls that hang up before connecting to an agent

Average alk ime !A$ Average amount of time agents spend talking to callers

After Call =ork !AC=$ Average amount of time required to wrap-up call

Average 5andle ime !A5$ Sum of Average alk ime and After Call =ork


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Call Center )P!s %-ective *ntegration of Key erformance *ndicators

/K*s0… $lthough do0ens o possi,le )P!s eist( D3!4C hasidentifed si that %e ,elieve %ill provide a simple %ay toinitiate a scoring system that is simultaneously e2ective anduncomplicated#

1. 2ervice Level and Average 2peed of Answer /A2A0…Service level is usually defned as the percentage o callsans%ered %ithin a predetermined num,er o seconds# "oreample( a Service &evel target o =A8= indicates that you seekto ans%er = o all calls %ithin 8= seconds *approimately


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Call Center )P!s

%-ective *ntegration of Key erformance *ndicators/K*s0… $lthough do0ens o possi,le )P!s eist( D3!4C hasidentifed si that %e ,elieve %ill provide a simple %ay toinitiate a scoring system that is simultaneously e2ective anduncomplicated#

3. 'irst !all 4esolution…."irst Call 4esolution *"C4+ is arelatively ne% metric# Epressed as a percentage( this is theproportion o calls that are resolved %ithout the need or eitherescalation *sending the call to a more senior operator+ or

call,ack# 'ote: Benchmark values or "C4 %ill vary %ith thecompleity o calls handled#


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Call Center )P!s

%-ective *ntegration of Key erformance *ndicators/K*s0… $lthough do0ens o possi,le )P!s eist( D3!4C hasidentifed si that %e ,elieve %ill provide a simple %ay toinitiate a scoring system that is simultaneously e2ective and

uncomplicated#

5. Abandon 4ate /a#a 6!ustomer Loss 4ate70…TheAbandon 4ate, e+pressed as a percentage, is the numberof calls that hang up before connecting to an agent /notincluding those calls that receive a busy signal0.8. Average Tal# Time /ATT09. After !all or# /A!0;. Average


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E2ective 5anagement 6o, DescriptionSuggestions

!all center managers, given their role on the leadingedge of customer communication and in)depthproduct(service #nowledge, have a uni=ue positionwithin companies li#e the client.

With this ,lend o kno%ledge and market epertise( it isimportant to leverage call center managers to flter trend data(serve as a conduit or that inormation( and have a fnger on thepulse o relevant call center metrics# "urthermore( each othese responsi,ilities must ,e guided ,y the client?s stated aim

to develop a call center that promotes a positive ,rand identityand ena,les superior call eperiences#

E2ective 5anagement 6o, Description


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!all center managers, given their role on the leadingedge of customer communication and in)depthproduct(service #nowledge, have a uni=ue positionwithin companies such li#e the client.

With this ,lend o kno%ledge and market epertise( it isimportant to leverage call center managers to flter trend data(serve as a conduit or that inormation( and have a fnger on thepulse o relevant call center metrics# "urthermore( each othese responsi,ilities must ,e guided ,y the client?s stated aim

to develop a call center that promotes a positive ,rand identityand ena,les superior call eperiences#


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>verarching !all !enter 4esponsibilities….Clearly( callcenter perormance is not something that a company canhope to assess o,ectively %ithout a champion to drive thevarious processes %ithin the department# 7he ollo%ingprimary responsi,ilities should all to the center manager:

+ 5anaging center staNng and personnel issuesQ8+ Collecting and analy0ing ,alanced scorecard dataQ

+ Gathering and reporting on product damageAailure ratesQ

9+ Coordinating sta2 education and trainingQ


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10 2ta?ng and ersonnel 4esponsibilities…These duties

include the standard managerial roles as de@ned by theclients senior management.

30 2corecard 4esponsibilities...

)%stablishing metrics to be included in the scorecard

)etermining the weighted importance of each metric

)Benchmar#ing the selected metrics against a standarddetermined by 'ran#e

)Trac#ing actual performance

)!alculating the &etric) and Balanced scores and

)!ommunicating the resulting performance @gures to theappropriate parties.



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50 Gathering(4eporting on roduct 'ailures… 7he managershould ,e charged %ith the collection o data on product

ailures#

80 !oordinate 2ta- Training… 7he manager?s primaryresponsi,ility %ith regard to training %ill ,e to assess and rankteam mem,ers in order to acilitate e2ective training *see page

> re: !ndependents( Strivers( etc#+

90 evelop(*mplement !ross)epartmental!ommunication

$s a ,ack-end portion o the product ailure role( the manager

should convene regular meetings %ith call center sta2 *toeducate them on products( revisions( engineering changes( etc#+(and engineeringAtechnical support in order to coordinate regularupdates o the product dra%ings( parts lists( ,ills o materials(etc# used ,y the call center agents#



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;0 4ecommend 2oftware "pgrades(Additions… 7hecenter manager?s day-to-day amiliarity %ith the challenges andopportunities that eist %ithin various call center departmentsmake them the most logical choice to: a+ determine %hether or

not additional sot%are is needed( ,+ %eigh the optionsavaila,le( and c+ make a recommendation regarding thepurchase o ne% sot%are# - Please 4eer to Supporting &ist


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Closing 4ecommendations

The Lu+ury ivision….

7he Client?s luury support divisionRthe department that haspotentially the most to lose through su,par customer supportand interactionRhas a num,er o responsi,ilities that can ,eimproved ,y a ,it o automation#

With representatives rom this department taking o%nership oorders rom their entry point and manually guiding them throughthe confrmation o customer status( ,ill to-( ship-to( and otherreHuired inormation( price( order release( and return o orderackno%ledgement( a number of opportunities to automatebecome apparent.


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!oncern: Oand%ritten order notes can ,e inconsistent#

4ecommendation: Create a shared data,ase to ena,le directentry# 7eam %ith retail customer support to ,rainstorm a list opossi,le comments that apply to various aspects o the order#Program these as drop-do%n menu choices in order tostandardi0e the options availa,le#


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!oncern: $gents must compare customer names to a manuallookup ta,le in order to identiyAconfrm direct customers#

4ecommendation: A searchable, network-accessible table with a listof all direct customers will dramatically reduce the amount of timerequired for this step. Lote: n order to preserve the integrity of the listwhile still allowing regular updates, management must coordinate withlu*ury customer service management to determine appropriate

permissions for write-access to the file.


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!oncern: Corporate sales orms lack email addresses

4ecommendation: !nclude email addresses as a MreHuiredinormationJ feld on ne% order orms# !nstruct agents to askcustomers or ,oth email addresses *in order to notiy them ochanges in delivery status+ and permission to include thecustomer on an e'e%sletter list#


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!oncern: Customer service representatives are ,eing asked tomake shipping payment decisions *prepaid vs# collect+#

4ecommendation: $ simple matri o allo%a,le reightcharges *di2erentiated ,y product type andAor model+ %ill allo%CS4s to make inormed decisions# 7his approach %ill also givean opportunity to control shipping-associated costs# 'ote: 7hissolution %ill also ,eneft the tech# support and retailAcustomersupport departments#


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!oncern: 7he online aucet ordering unction does not list allmodels currently or sale#

4ecommendation: 7he Client should include a marketingA%e,development representative as part o cross-departmentalmeetings# $s ne% models are ,rought online andAor removedrom the product roster( marketing should ,e coordinating %iththe internal *or third-party+ %e, development team to make

sure the site does not o2er aucets that are no longer or sale(and vice versa#


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Technical 2upport….

7he Client?s 7echnical Support group handles %arranty issues*including lietime %arranty support or some o the company?sluury items+# !n this role( they confrm that in,ound calls should,e handled ,y tech# support( ans%er Huestions( provide parts as

necessary( and talk customers through the repairAreplacementprocesses#

7echnical support call center agents struggle %ith a lack ocommunication ,et%een product designAmarketing departments(

as product changes and ne% specs are not al%ays eplainedadeHuately to those %ho are epected to support those products# 7he resulting miscommunication maniests through conusionregarding parts availa,ility( and a lack o inventory rom %hich toreplaceArepair eisting models#


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!oncern: $ recent vendor s%itch resulted in supply shortages ormany spare parts# 7echnical support sometimes has no choice,ut to a+ disassem,le aucets rom inventory supply and sendparts to customers( or ,+ replace %hole aucets ,ecause spares

are not availa,le# 4ecommendation: 7he Client %as ill-advised to s%itch vendors%ithout a contingency plan or either stocking suNcient spares ormaintaining a supply chain or parts to service product in the

feld# !n a competitive environmentRparticularly one in %hichthe client needs to maintain a ,rand image that is in alignment%ith its price point#


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Concern: Paper-,ased change documentationRcollected in,inders onlyRis reHuently incorrectQ product amily-,asedtrou,leshooting procedures should ,e availa,le online

4ecommendation: Create an interactive( searcha,le( onlinedocument li,rary to replace hard copies# Documents should ,e:a+ verifed as correct ,y engineering prior to pu,lication( ,+su,ect to strict document control practices( c+ la,eled %ith part

num,ers and descriptions( and d+ o2er users the a,ility to vie%parts %ith mouse-over#


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!oncern: 4eplacement parts and dra%ings are not

availa,leACS4s are not a%are o ne% products prior to launch# 4ecommendation: 4egular meetings ,et%een call center sta2and engineeringAproduct development should include every e2ortto make ne% documentation availa,le *in a searcha,le( #pd or

other online ormat+ at the time o product launch#


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!oncern: Product manuals and parts trends are availa,le inprinted ormat only *see ,inder comment a,ove+( notsearcha,leAtracka,le online#

4ecommendation: D3!4C recommends that the responsi,ilityor gatheringAtracking and reporting part ailures( tech supporttrends( etc# all under the o, description o the call centermanager# By collecting this ra% data in a net%ork-accessi,lespreadsheet *or other means+( the data %ill ,ecome readily

availa,le to those %ith read access to the fle# #


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!oncern: Delivery delays are not proactively communicated tocustomers#

4ecommendation: 7his concern in particular runs counter toe2orts to enhance the ,rand identity and ,uild a culture o %orld-class service and support# $s discussed in the &uury Divisionrecommendations( an opportunity eists to task an administrativeassistant-level employee %ith the responsi,ility to gather

shipment date changes *%hether Huerying an online data,ase orcommunicating oVine %ith shipping+ and distri,ute thatinormation to CS4s %ho can update customers accordingly#


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4etail !ustomer 2upport…

!n addition to routine ED! order handling or non-&o%e?s retailorders( the 4etailACustomer Support Division is responsi,le or

handling incoming M&o%e?s &inkJ orders *as many as 8== on5ondays+# 7his task includes printing ne% orders andcancellations( checking stock to confrmAcorrect delivery dates(entering( printing( and ackno%ledging orders( and felding callsrom &o%e?s associates regarding tracking inormation.


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Additional 4ecommendations:

Despite the act that the retailAcustomer service( luury( andtechnical support call centers are separate entities( they should

strive to %ork as a team across locations( they should holdregular cross-team summits in order to share ,est practices andencourage the sharing o ideas# 7his %ill ,e especially helpulonce the marketing survey initiative is under%ayQ as theindividuals %ith actual phone contact %ith customers( call centeragents %ill have uniHue perspective on the issues# 7hey may ,ea,le to shed additional light on the data collected ,y the surveys#

l i d i


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Additional 4ecommendations:

$void ecessive printingQ as a matter o policy( CS4s should ,einstructed to print only those orders that reHuire a signature toconfrm prepaid shipping or other special eceptions# /rderackno%ledgements should ,e sent ,y email %henever possi,le#


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7hank ou


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T