Introduction to e-Learning for the Contact Center Robert Koblovsky, CEO Smart Telecom

One of the greatest growth areas for e-learning is the contact center/helpdesk market, and with reason. The drive for improved customer service, reduction of costs and the use of contact centers as revenue-generating centers mean that easy, continuous access to training is necessary. Once the domain of only the larger organizations, e-learning technology is evolving to become more accessible to the small and medium-sized centers.

The role of e-learning in the contact center
e-Learning is the use of information and communications technologies to create and maximize the learning environment and experience. It is particularly effective in teaching skills, such as how to use a software product, because of its ability to have the learner practice the functions. Helpdesks also use e-learning to teach concepts, such as policies, procedures and regulatory issues relevant to the market they serve or soft skills such as dealing with difficult customers.

What makes e-learning such a solid fit for contact centers and helpdesks? It addresses some very specific issues and challenges of the contact center environment. Agent turnover, for example, is a matter that centers have learned to live with, accepting a churn rate as high as 30-40%. This attrition means training of new agents is constant. The leaner centers of today often cannot spare anyone to sit down and train the new agents with classroom-style training. e-Learning enables the provision detailed tutorials and training, in an interactive format. Some interesting studies by research analysts also found a correlation between training and staff retention and that the implementation of e-learning can reduce churn to under 15%.

Well-trained staff also handle calls more efficiently, reducing time and costs for calls. E-learning as a training tool becomes of particular interest in centers where up-selling and cross-selling is an expected part of the agent?s role. It is typical for agents to promote only the few products he/she is familiar with and herein lies the limitation of traditional training methods. They take too much time for a center to provide in-depth training on more than a few options. The use of e-learning technology makes it possible for agents to increase their comfort levels with a greater range of products and services. This can result in increased sales in product areas that have been seen as low performing.

E-learning is effective in providing training to new hires, refresher training for existing employees and upgrade training to build on the existing knowledge base. Increased and better customer service is an expected result and empowering agents through e-learning increases confidence, which ultimately translates into better performance all around.

Features of today?s e-learning
Today?s e-learning technology has features that address the gaps left by other training methods.

Just in time (JIT) capability provides the contact center or helpdesk agent with immediate access to information about product and services portfolios. It turns the training into a mini-helpdesk, where agents can search for specific information fairly quickly?even while on a call.

The implementation of e-learning provides agents with the ability to train anywhere, anytime. Allowing agents to train during downtime or slower call volumes maximizes their effectiveness and allows them to consolidate what they have learned through use and practice. E-learning can be delivered right to the agent?s desktop, to their home or mobile laptop, making it a solid training option for those contact centers with staff working from remote locations.

The addition of simulation to skills-based training allows the agent to practice the required skill set before they deal with a real customer. Simulation in the learning environment is the fastest path to competency, providing agents with the ability to work in a ?safe? environment while emulating the tasks required in a ?live? or ?production mode?.

The availability of administration features enables the contact center manager to track how the agents are doing in their training and allows the manager to administer, test and report on training throughout the contact center group.

The implementation of e-learning
Successful implementation of e-learning requires careful planning. Although it is easy to get caught up in the exciting, comprehensive features that are available out there, the focus should be on the specific learning needs of the contact center where it will be implemented. Start by defining these needs, reviewing factors such as agent turnover, training of new agents versus established agents, customer service requirements, corporate policies and revenue goals. Take a look at existing training materials and determine whether they can be adapted for e-learning or need to be updated. Identify what type of training best meets the needs and how frequently it will need to be updated. Look at timing and set short- and long-term objectives. Don?t forget to consider budgets and the availability of other resources in the development of training. It is also a good idea to establish benchmarks which will provide a before and after comparison and measure ROI.

e-learning is strategic in nature and requires executive involvement and commitment to be successful. Content is not static nor is the evolution of technology. As learning requirements change and technologies mature the e-learning environment will change to embrace new capabilities and processes.

The challenge is that various technologies encompassed by e-learning are maturing at different rates. For example Learning Management Systems (LMS) are reasonably mature while Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS), the new evolution, are still emerging. Both of these enable organizations to administer and manage training. Large companies may have these in place already for other departments and the training for contact centers will need to comply with them. Fortunately, industry standards such as AICC and SCORM promote interoperability standards and specifications for e-learning.

It is unlikely that any one approach or tool (or set of tools) will address all of the e-learning requirements of an entire organization; the development platform and approach used by corporate for general training may not be transportable to the needs of the contact center.

The good news is that the newer e-learning technologies are making it accessible to the small to medium-sized centers. The upfront investment is more manageable?particularly if the solution is simply focused on the learning needs. (Video, multimedia or other lively features are great, but they are also expensive and may not help in better teaching the subject matter.) They are also more flexible in enabling change to content, increasing the life span of the tutorials.

Creating e-learning courses
In any e-learning environment content is king. The effectiveness of an e-learning program depends upon the creation of a learning environment that facilitates and supports the target user?s ability to access relevant content, display the information in such a way that the user understand and allows for consolidation of learning, maximizing retention and recall.

Typically, training should be modular. This allows for users to train anywhere, anytime without the need to complete lengthy training modules. It also recognizes that learning is more effective if presented in smaller chunks. We have all experienced the effect of information overload when we attempt to learn too much too quickly.

Positive feedback mechanisms implemented through out the training program re-enforce the learning experience. It is unfortunate but true that few organizations take the time to understand how their target audience learns. Simple things such as age and sex and affect how people learn and more complex human factors exist and need to be evaluated. The idea is to make the learning speak to the student in a language the student readily understands. For example, an inbound call center in the automotive industry provides access to Class ?A? mechanics for specialized support. They are generally male, older and blue collar. CSRs that handle general enquiries are generally female, mid thirties with college or university education. The way information is presented and how each diverse group learns is different. In the first case there is a general technology phobia and a certain ?set in their ways? attitude. There is a resistant to change and doing things differently.

Testing measures what the agents have learned and it is an integral part of an e-learning tutorial. There are various testing methodologies available for consideration (true or false, essay, task based). The training manager can define the minimum competency levels and track your agent progress. Monitoring agent responses on an on-going basis is necessary, particularly for new courses. If a large number of people are getting the same answer wrong, either the question could be incorrect or the presentation of the material that speaks to that question may not be clear.

e-Learning adoption will continue to grow
It is clear that more and more contact centers and help desks will implement e-learning, particularly as technology makes it more accessible and cost-friendly. Research and understanding of the center?s training needs are essential to take the first steps towards creating a plan. The importance of good preparation and execution, as always, cannot be overstated.

There is no doubt that e-learning provides tangible benefits and measurable results for the contact center. The success of your e-learning initiatives will be dependant upon the degree of effort and senior management commitment to the task at hand.

The importance of good preparation and execution, as always, cannot be overstated.

Improving Customer Loyalty through Proactive Communications
By Ben Levitan, CEO, EnvoyWorldWide

?Improving customer loyalty? is the ultimate raison d?etre of the call center. As economic and regulatory pressures continue to squeeze the enterprise, the need to ensure customer satisfaction has made the art of customer communications a tenuous proposition. Too often, customer service professionals are consumed with efforts to put out the fires of dissatisfaction. Few call centers have embraced the idea of proactive customer care ? the ability to reach out to customers before they have a chance to become dissatisfied.

As call centers become more engrained in strategic initiatives, they require innovative thinking and models that leverage proactive customer outreach programs that are cost effective and efficient ? mitigating customer service issues before they arise. Customer notification services can be an ideal solution for companies looking to deliver customer welcome calls, payment reminders, new service/upgrade information, and various other personalized and value-added touches.

By proactively making contact at each step in the customer relationship lifecycle, businesses can increase customer loyalty while diffusing potentially frustrating situations and more effectively allocating agent time and resource.

The Interaction Begins

When a customer purchases goods or services, the customer begins an ongoing business relationship with the enterprise. Good businesses recognize that the potential for profitably lies in how it maintains and strengthens the customer relationship over time. Because customers generally place significant value on the quality and speed of interactions, the quicker and easier the enterprise can make interactions for the customer, the more likely they will remain a loyal consumer.

At almost every phase of the customer lifecycle, companies can distinguish themselves from the competition with customer care that anticipates needs and streamlines the delivery of that information, making each interaction quick and resourceful. While many companies understand the need to personalize and streamline interactions, there is still a lag between knowledge of the situation and actual implementation of the practice.

One of the main hurdles in streamlining the process is that most customer-to-business communication is initiated by the customer. Inbound calls to a call center immediately generate a reactionary feeling, as the customer initiates the dialog. Often, these calls are of the routine and repetitive variety, focusing on items such as account balances or shipping times.

The inability to preempt inbound inquiries can have a negative impact on customer satisfaction. The more times a customer has to call to resolve a problem or obtain information, the more likely they are to become frustrated or dissatisfied with the business, jeopardizing the relationship. As many wireless, credit card and ISP companies have learned over the past few years, increased customer frustration leads to churn. Given the enormous economic and competitive pressures most businesses face, combined with the mounting choices consumers have, preventing customer churn has become a mantra readily embraced across all industries.

More companies are seeking solutions that will enable them to effectively communicate with the customer while significantly reducing the number of inbound calls a contact center receives. Companies can no longer wait for the customer to initiate the dialogue regarding products and services. To effectively communicate with the customer and diffuse the potential for negative interactions, companies need to alter traditional businesses practices and become more proactive in the customer communication arena.

Getting Proactive ? Know Your Audience

The first step in proactive communications is to develop an understanding and knowledge base about the target audience. Customer preferences should be the driver behind all proactive communications campaigns. As demonstrated by the tremendous support and advocacy of the Do Not Call list, consumers do not want to be bothered by outbound calls of limited value. Customers need to be in control of how they are communicated to, deciding when, where, how and how often they are contacted. Proactive customer care means providing the customer with options that let them control the means of communications and can be achieved by letting the customer opt-in to such services.

The purpose of a proactive campaign is not to bombard customers with outbound communications, rather, to provide relevant insightful information that the customer will find valuable, and ultimately, be willing to pick up the phone to hear about.

Getting Proactive ? Tailoring Information Delivery

Determining how and when to contact a customer is paramount to the success or failure of a good proactive communications program. Proactive customer programs need to be tailored to fit to individual customer?s preferences. Businesses need to personalize the interactions, delivering the relevant information when, where and how the customer wants.

Technology advances have provided customers with a growing choice of communications platforms. Along with traditional modes of communications, like phone and fax, the proliferation of multiple communications devices such as email, wireless, and SMS have created new ways for customers to glean relevant business information. It also provides businesses with the opportunity to further personalize their interactions.

Proactively pushing the information to the customer on their terms lessens inbound call volume for the contact center and deflects the opportunity for frustration to set in, an important step in increasing customer loyalty.

Getting Proactive ? Information You Can Use

Generating customer loyalty usually means giving the customer what they want. Proactive customer communications gives the customer control options, varying from how they want to be communicated to, to when they want it; it also means that they have an opportunity to complete transactions rather than just receiving information.

Providing customers with relevant information deflects the potential for inbound calls. Organizations across all industries have the opportunity to provide proactive customer care. For example:

Telecommunications companies can notify customers if they are reaching usage thresholds by offering alterative minutes plans, provide information on account balances and options to pay by credit card or to bridge them to an agent, and welcome new customers and verify plan type and contact information.
Financial service organizations can proactively keep borrowers up to date on loan status, and integrate with fraud detection systems to alert customer when suspicious activity occurs.
Insurers can speed up the claims settlement process by notifying customers on settlement status, inform them of policy and rate changes; or make them aware of missing paperwork.
Utilities can notify customers of overdue account balances, alert critical care facilities of impending outages and inform customers of rate changes.

A Side Benefit ? Reducing Labor Costs and Increasing Service Level

Proactively pushing information, such as account balances and expected product shipment dates, to customers alleviates the flood of routine calls that can often cripple productivity. As a result, call centers will be able to dedicate more time to the critical problem calls, inbound inquiries that need to be attended to due to threat of client loss.

The call center units of the enterprise are undergoing a transformation. While federal regulations such as the Do Not Call list have hampered the marketing practices of the call center, increased competitive pressures have forced the customer care business units to reexamine their businesses practices to reduce customer churn. Enterprises increasingly need to recognize that the path to profitability often lies in maintaining and strengthening the business relationships with customers. Customers place significant value on the quality and speed of interactions. When these standards of measure are not met, customer frustration results, a step in the direction of losing that customer?s business.

As businesses in industries such as the credit card and wireless markets continue to see their products and services become commoditized, the mitigating factor in achieving profitably is increasingly becoming customer service. A happy customer is a loyal customer, and a loyal customer tends to be a profitable customer. Proactive communications can go a long way toward ?getting to happy.?

About the Author
Ben Levitan, president and CEO

Ben Levitan fills the role of president and chief executive officer at EnvoyWorldWide, driving corporate growth and strategy. Prior to joining EnvoyWorldWide, Mr. Levitan was chief operating officer at Viant Corporation (NASDAQ:VIAN), where he led the Internet services firm to unprecedented growth. Previously, Mr. Levitan served as chief executive officer at James Martin & Co. (now Headstrong) and was responsible for leading the company to profitability. He has also served as senior vice president of operations at Cambridge Technology Partners, where Mr. Levitan built the organization?s first Internet-focused practice and headed the company?s Customer Management and Financial Services Industry practices. He was also instrumental in facilitating merger and acquisition activities. Mr. Levitan currently serves on the board of directors of Primavera Systems, and is a member of the Council on Competitiveness and Young President's Organization. Mr. Levitan was educated at Union College and the London School of Economics.

Data-Driven Management and Transformation: Performance Management Methods in Contact Centers
by Mark Selcow & Matt Glickman
Merced Systems

?At the bottom of the Oakland experiment was a willingness to re-think baseball: how it is managed, how it is played, who is best suited to play it, and why.? ? Michael Lewis
Introduction

In the 2003 bestseller ?Moneyball,? author Michael Lewis recounts how Oakland A?s general manager Billy Beane used data-driven management to reshape a laggard major league baseball team into a world-class winner.

Two of Beane?s methods stand out. First, instead of focusing on traditional metrics like RBIs, home runs and stolen bases, Beane discovered that winning baseball games was more strongly correlated with lesser-known statistics like on-base average, and with his hitters? ability to refrain from wild swings at the ball under pressure. Second, he focused on elements of the game where success metrics hadn?t been developed in the past due to lack of data ? for example, fielding. Beyond tracking fielding errors, a players performance was judged qualitatively by coaches and scouts.

So using a new playbook, Beane began to recruit players with high on-base averages, and to provide consistent training and performance tracking to focus his players on getting on base and scoring runs. He also trained his organization to track new types of fielding statistics to gain a data advantage in recruiting and player development. Then, critically, he made a full management commitment to get his entire organization aligned around the new metrics and philosophy. By 2003 the A?s were one of the winningest teams -- with one of the lowest costs structures -- in major league baseball.

Shift to today?s contact center. If Billy Beane had been managing a customer contact operation, what meaningful measures would he use to guide his team to sustainable advantage? What processes are intuitively managed that could be better run based on statistical facts? Would Beane change his culture and reward his managers to hire, promote, train and field a new team lineup based on these insights?

These questions are being asked by today?s most aggressive contact center leaders, who believe there is much more productivity to be gained in their centers by using Performance Management concepts. And those who have implemented projects have seen quantifiable results.

Performance Management

Performance Management is an oft-heard buzzword in today?s corporate world. Its meaning varies by the industry, function and operating context, but the general concept revolves around a core notion: the systematic use of data throughout the enterprise to define and clarify goals, increase productivity and improve results. Performance Management rests on the premise that there are efficiency and quality gains to be captured by methodically uncovering and leveraging truths that live in existing systems and current stores of data.

Performance management adoption has grown rapidly in the recent environment of cost reduction, transparency, and compliance where access to data and early detection of problems and trends is mandatory. And the concept has gained popularity with the increased adoption of methods for process improvement and excellence, such as Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing.

The Contact Center

Contact centers are a strong environment for data-driven management: rich in underused data and under-tracked processes, especially compared with functions like Finance or Manufacturing. Often, data exists, but it is costly to access, organize and put in proper context because it lives in dozens of different stores and silos. And often, vital components of the center go under-measured due to data living in paper or in binders. As a result, many centers favor those management metrics that are the easiest to get to, rather than those that correlate highly with profitability and customer loyalty. Like the Oakland A?s and other baseball teams before ?Moneyball,? many contact centers use time-honored measures but miss the opportunity to truly redefine and improve performance.

Cost reduction is a strong argument for data-driven management in today?s call center. With wide disparities in employee productivity and quality even at the best managed sites ? top agents often outperform laggards by a 3:1 ratio ? improvements in performance metrics can fall straight to the bottom line. And the same is true of improvements in the variability of supervisor performance and other roles.

A simple, practical definition for Performance Management in the contact center:

? a set of practices and tools used to systematically measure, improve and manage the operation
? a means of defining and delivering metrics to every employee; built on a platform of data integration and normalization
? a process for aligning objectives across all levels of the organization
? the means for management and individuals to take action based on full information

During the last couple of baseball seasons, many teams have begun emulating the A?s ?Moneyball? methods to transform their organizations to better compete. Given the large financial opportunity for operational savings and customer loyalty impact in the contact center, it?s likely that as Performance Management proves itself in this environment, the same competitive ripple effect will take place.

Going deep: ?Moneyball Metrics? in the Call Center

There are many opportunities to truly impact call center performance through deep insight and data driven management. Here are some uncommon and non-obvious metrics, which we have found to have a major impact on performance:

? Coaching frequency ? can be tracked using web Forms and is always highly correlated with subsequent agent performance improvement
? AHT or ASA variation ? permits superior forecasting and scheduling ? which in turn permits smaller shifts ? as a result of separating controllable and random variation
? Supervisor effectiveness indexes ? comparative impact of coaching, agent improvement under their management, and impact of rotating team leaders
? Balanced scores ? indexes of agent or team performance with data from multiple data sources, weighted by importance
? Bonus calculations ? weighted averages, eligibility rules (such as attendance or quality minimums), dollar payouts
? Metric tracking sessions ? frequency with which Supervisors and other managers check and use statistics on their teams to make better, fact-based decisions

Finding these ?Moneyball Metrics? involves a disciplined process of gathering hard to get data, cleansing it, determining dependent variables and their desired business impact, and statistically correlating the base data with dependent variables.

Merced Systems? Guidelines for Performance Management Success

Merced Systems approach to contact center Performance Management is driven by what works, rather than a single behavioral ideology or set of buzzwords. Working with dozens of contact centers in diverse industries with diverse business challenges, what we?ve found works is the following:

? Make sure you get the data integration and validation right: the goal is a single version of the truth, a set of reports everybody is working from and consistently managing against. Merced?s data integration tools excel at integrating data from production systems, databases, legacy applications, flat files, spreadsheets and other format, and then cleansing and normalizing the data for maximum utility.

? The project must go beyond dashboards: It should leverage personalized dashboards, but add analytical reports, workflow and other means for people to take action - in the end, data alone will not drive improvement to the business; people must act on the data.

? Your tools should be flexible, and adaptable to the changes in your business: The Merced product is not ?hard wired?: you can use any metric, alert setting or workflow you want, not just one of a pre-selected 10. It is flexible enough to handle subtle variation in how individual contact centers handle their business logic ? eg how you calculate sales, AHT, adherence, bonus ? and can be administered by business users, not the IT department.

? Ensure your tools are easy to use and low risk to deploy. The Merced Performance Suite software is easy to install, does not require any custom software code, and unlike other systems, requires minimal IT support and vendor support after roll-out.

? Select technologies that fit your enterprise requirements. They should be open, standards based, scalable and secure ? in other words, fully consistent with your data and applications strategies across the corporation.

Cultural Impact of Performance Management

For Performance Management work, it is crucial to recognize its cultural impact and take steps to weave the system into the human fabric of the center. Just as Billy Beane worked to align his scouts, players and coaches around the new model, contact center managers must do the same. Specifically, successful contact center performance management:

1) Requires management will to implement and enforce:

? Use data consistently, hold people accountable, and build your incentive systems around the new model
? No more excuses ? everyone knows what they?re accountable for, process of commitment
? Reexamine processes ? hiring, training, quality and other functional processes can all benefit

2) Requires a buy-in process:

? Get people to buy in and use it
? Be patient for ?Aha?s? where people reach new levels of understanding ? for example, everyone thinks they are above average performers. But when people see where they rank on a team or unit, and managers observe the variation in per-person performance on their teams, behavior will change. Note that this won?t happen until people see and believe the data.
? Be clear that it?s not big brother. On the contrary, people get excited about owning their own performance, and can even start teaching each other how to use it.
? Transparency ?the more you reveal, the greater the impact on acceptance

Making Performance Management Work

What does it take to implement Performance Management right in the call center and reap the full benefits? Like Billy Beane, having a clear vision of what you want to achieve and of the steps for getting there is half the battle. Having the right tools is also critical. Billy Beane?s key analyst used a standard laptop filled with data and analysis to guide Beane?s decision making and management. Like this laptop, performance management software systems help call centers organize their data and align everyone in the organization around facts and a common vision. Often, Performance Management projects are organized around the implementation of such systems.

Below we suggest some simple rules to maximize results in Performance Management projects, and lay out the key phases and components of a successful implementation:

Basic Rules for a successful project:

1) Have a simple vision: while you may want to integrate dozens or hundreds of metrics in your performance management system, try to pick and emphasize the key ?Moneyball? metrics that drive your business:

? Think big, but start small ? you can always add metrics, reports and dashboards to the project scope later, but it is critical to find the right business-driving metrics up front

? Pick the right software architecture ? you want maximum flexibility to change and iterate, so find the right product technology

2) Build the right data foundation: collect and integrate the data in your centers from all possible sources (ACD, IVR, HR, CRM, Quality, Workforce Mgmt., Training, etc.) - as multi-data source metrics can be the most powerful:

? Be sure to include data on the entire business, including employee lifecycle information (hiring, training, coaching, incentives, etc.) in addition to productivity and quality data, as ?Moneyball? metrics may lie in these data

? Personalize each person?s view so they can see their own data, that of their team and any other relevant contextual information (rank, percentile, attainment, etc.) that will help motivate behavior change

3) Capture data that lives in paper and in spreadsheets. Much like the fielding statistics example from Moneyball, information on hiring, training, coaching, surveys and other key processes can be unleashed if it is included in a centralized data repository.

Companies that have successfully deployed and gained the benefits of Performance Management in their contact centers:

? An insurance company ? reduced initial and repeat complaints; improved hiring quality and portion of hires who made successful transition to the floor
? An outsourcer ? increased productivity by over 9%, measured in transactions per hour
? A credit card issuer ? successfully redeployed analyst and reporting resources, resulting in headcount savings
? A wireless carrier ? delivered bonus and incentive information to all staff, resulting in improved motivation and productivity
? Use web Forms to digitize your paper processes ? the best software tools will include Forms as part of their Workflow modules
? Track the completion of Forms to build process metrics such as coaching frequency, recognition consistency, and timely delivery of performance appraisals.

4) After roll-out, run experiments: It was Beane?s willingness to run more experiments than the competition that led to a winning strategy, and the same is true in Contact Center Performance Management. Create new metrics and reports, introduce new incentives and rewards. Even let Supervisors set their own goals and create their own development plans.

? Be sure to pick a system that permits frequent changes to metrics, reports and dashboards by business users ? you shouldn?t have to call the vendor or rely on the IT department to make changes

? Enable people to take action based on the information they see, then track what actions corresponded with the best possible result for ongoing process improvement.

Summary

Managing a contact center for top productivity and performance is no easy task. But neither is building a baseball team which wins more regular season games than all but one other team ? all while having the lowest payroll in baseball.

Performance management, whether in baseball or the contact center, is about thinking about people and tasks in new ways and putting in place the right tools and processes to drive performance toward specific goals. It?s about moving away from casual or intuitive management to management by data and facts.

ABOUT MERCED SYSTEMS:

At Merced Systems, we?re dedicated to helping you achieve the type of significant gains that will put you in the top tier of highest performing contact centers. To help you manage by data at every level of your organization. For more information about Performance Management in the contact center, or about Merced System?s contact center solutions, please call Mark Selcow at 650-486-4003, or email us at info@mercedsystems.com.

Global Performance Standards:
From Singapore to the US, APAC to the UK, contact center site certification to the same rigorous standards worldwide
By Alton Martin, CEO
COPC, Inc.

For additional information, contact Catherine Nowocien, 716-835-5041 copc@graytoncompany.com

What is the value of any certification process if the standards vary from site to site? As there is little difference between the level of quality and service contact centers worldwide strive to achieve, the benefits of consistent standards will ensure true performance improvement and a greater ROI.

Clearly, the contact center management industry can benefit from tangible, concise, and defined standards, the same standards worldwide. There is no logical rationale for country specific standards, in fact, it would seem ludicrous to develop standards by country considering a majority of contact center seats and buyers are International businesses requiring multi-site operations. As such, a well-defined roadmap for all sites is more cost-effective to maintain and enhances the total customer experience. To achieve the illusive maximum ROI, the core standard must be ubiquitous ? every day, every place, every time. Certification is primarily (simply) the validation that the process implemented to meet these requirements is, in fact, in place and producing results.

Where Cultures May Vary
Cultural influences may dictate the extent to which a region?s businesses require certification. There are many geographic regions where the legal or cultural norm is biased to certification. Several countries have a greater appetite for certification such as Germany, India, Australia and Japan, where rigorous standards are integral to facets of many businesses. And since contact centers? trend to servicing multiple countries, it stands to reason that clients and end users benefit from consistent standards. In countries where certification is not always required, businesses are finding that, by their very nature, standards are designed to support clarity, consistency and success.

Invest in Performance
Since certification to global standards is the key to improving overall site performance, the next question is what standards should be implemented. Is there any point to looking to outside organizations for help in this regard? Countless times I've heard some variation of the following ? "We believe in standards here at XYZ Company, we just don?t believe in one that we didn?t invent. So, we use our own standard ? and a very rigorous one it is!" Candidly, this is laughable. Can you imagine a business going to a bank to borrow a few million dollars and telling the banker, "Don?t worry about my financial statements, I audited them myself"? Of course this wouldn?t happen, but the operational equivalent of it is happening everyday in the contact center industry.

Fortunately, as in the securities industry of 70 years ago, the view of "self-regulation" is slowly starting to change. Executives are tired of seeing annual costs rising, customer complaints increasing, and customer loyalty and satisfaction declining. Right or wrong, the executive suite now views standards as the solution. Implementing standards for site level certification, however, is only as successful as the executive wants it to be ? they set the bar. Set the bar high and you will realize the most significant impact that forces you to get better. The question no longer is if a standard. The question has become which one and when.

Making the Right Choice
Currently, there is a plethora of standards and their requisite initials to choose from -- ISO, COPC, STI, HDI, SSPA, SCP. I suspect we will see more standards in the next few years. The marketplace will determine the survivors.

As you consider certification and adopt, implement and sustain a Standard in your organization, keep the following in mind:

1.) Set clear objectives for the effort. These can be financial, non-financial, or more likely some combination. They can be oriented towards improving short-term results such as operational efficiency or longer-term results such as improved customer satisfaction and employee retention. Consider the multiple cultures the Standard will impact to ensure a successful implementation.

2.) As you test a Standard for its Return on Investment (ROI), be sure to segment your analysis into the relevant time frames. Year One will be the investment year (although you should expect a breakeven, at minimum); year 2 and beyond will be when significant gains are obtained and sustained.

3.) If you don?t get a high ROI, you may be using a Standard that isn?t rigorous or consistent enough to produce the desired results. In this case, you have likely pursued as certification, "a plaque on the wall" vs. true improvement which comes with performance-oriented standards. Regrettably, I can assure you there are "Standards" out there that require little effort and you too, can have a plaque!

I urge you to improve your business based on sound models that have a track record of results. Use a tool that works, and one that can allow your firm to differentiate itself globally, through improved and sustained performance. If using a Standard gets you there faster than you could do it yourself, and in all likelihood it will, don?t be too proud to use one. You just might be very pleasantly surprised with the results!

Alton Martin is CEO of Customer Operations Performance Center, Inc. (COPC). Headquartered in Amherst, New York, COPC is the leading authority on customer contact center and transaction processing services operations, servicing clients on a worldwide basis with representatives in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom, and the United States.

For additional information about COPC, visit www.copc.com, email copc@grayton.com or call 512-250-3412.

Afni Streamlines Record Access with WRQ Verastream

Afni, formerly known as Anderson Financial Network, Inc., is a premier provider of accounts receivable management and customer care solutions. Founded in 1936 and headquartered in Bloomington, Ill., Afni has over 4,100 employees and is highly respected for its service, responsiveness, and expertise.

As an outsourcer of call center-based services, Afni provides its clients with a comprehensive suite of services that enhance customer service and satisfaction. These services touch all phases of the customer lifecycle, including inbound and outbound customer care, billing and provisioning, debt recovery, debt purchase, bankruptcy administration, customer loyalty and retention programs, and customer training and consulting. Afni provides outsourcing solutions for Fortune 1000 clients in the communications, energy, technology, and financial services industries.

The Green-Screen Challenge
A wireless communications provider came to Afni looking for solutions. The client's customer service representatives had to access account records that resided on slow and difficult-to-navigate AS/400 applications. The slow system meant callers often had to wait an hour or longer to get through. Because the system's data validation rules weren't well enforced, the data fields all but invited errors by operators entering start-up and service orders.

A wide variety of mistakes, such as incorrect addresses and area codes, resulted in even more calls from customers. And, once a caller got through, the wait continued?typically, another 12 minutes?as an operator waded through green screen after green screen trying to find, change, or add data.

The wireless communications provider came to Afni to find a better way to conduct business?one that would reduce errors and provide easier, more cost-effective training. Led by Matt Ernst, director of application development, and Jim McFarlin, application development manager, the Afni IT team believed the customer needed a fast, easy-to-use, web-based front-end on top of the existing legacy system. They also envisioned business rules that would minimize both the opportunities for errors and the need to enter the same data on successive screens. All this had to be accomplished without interrupting the client's business.

Integrating Customer Information with Verastream
To meet its client's needs, Afni turned to the integration expertise of WRQ and its Verastream solution. Verastream enables organizations to move into the e-business era without sacrificing the valuable business data residing on their legacy applications. A process known as application modeling gives Verastream its unique ability to integrate legacy data with service, supply chain, and other customer-facing applications.

Composed of server software and development tools, Verastream provides a low-risk way to extract host information and integrate it with web and client/server applications. It gives web developers object-based access to business logic and data, without the need for custom programming or re-engineering of host applications. It also supports large numbers of users in real-time, transaction-intensive environments and can concurrently access applications running on IBM, HP, OpenVMS, and UNIX host systems. And, because Verastream is non-invasive to the host, it can generate e-business results without compromising the robustness, security, or stability of legacy systems.

Using a sophisticated design tool with a familiar green-screen interface, IT developers without specific web development expertise can create an object model of a host application. Navigating through the host application screens, they simply click the fields that will be used in the new application, leaving the original application intact. The resulting object model can perform any transaction supported by the host application, including screen navigation, reads, and writes.

Afni Delivers: Faster, More Economical Customer Service Is Achieved
Because Verastream is both easy to learn and easy to use, Afni was able to quickly address its client's legacy-to-web challenge. With the guidance of WRQ Consulting Services, Afni modeled and mapped the host screens in four days. The development team mapped 60-plus screens, posted the resulting data on a local Microsoft SQL 7.0 database and the legacy system, and implemented XML technology to enhance the integration. With these changes, customer service representatives could view the information on a web page that used Microsoft COM+ with components that link the legacy information to the Microsoft SQL 7.0 database.

Within one month, Afni had developed and deployed the new system, and set up a team of customer service representatives with the new technology. By reducing the number of screens a rep saw from as many as 60 down to five or six, the new system made viewing account records easier. It also reduced the processing time needed to fulfill accounts receivable information to just seconds per request and slashed customer ordering time. Consequently, the cost of providing customer service has been cut by about two-thirds, saving thousands of dollars so far.

Ernst said Verastream's speed and automation helped move the project along quickly. "The customer's test system was not in sync with the production system. And, as we got out of the test system, we realized that, so we had to make modifications in a very short period of time," he said. "The ability to just remap or make alterations as we mapped the screens, and for it to take effect across the board was huge for us."

WRQ Consulting Services
WRQ Consulting Services played a key role in the project's success, McFarlin added. "We didn't have a lot of time to teach ourselves how to use the product, so we brought them in for four days, and they mapped out most of the screens and gave us a running start on the project."

The WRQ Consulting Services group is designed to help WRQ clients and partners achieve success in integrating WRQ products into enterprise solutions. Their services include consulting, software deployment, and custom programming and integration. WRQ Consulting Services also works with its network of business partners as required to offer a full complement of skills to fit an organization's needs. The highly trained WRQ staff consists of project managers, consultants, and system engineers.

About WRQ
WRQ builds software for accessing and integrating legacy applications. WRQ Reflection software provides a broad range of terminal emulation, PC X server, and SSH security solutions. WRQ Verastream integration server provides a single platform for reusing legacy logic and data in web applications, CRM applications, or portals. Our products help companies get the most from their hosts today as they advance their long-term IT strategy.

Established in 1981, WRQ is one of the largest privately held software companies in the U.S. It has over six million users worldwide and the highest customer-support rating in the industry. Three out of four Global 500 companies rely on WRQ daily. Learn more at www.wrq.com.

A Practical Approach to Setting Service Goals

A recent survey performed by the Society of Workforce Planning Professionals (http://www.SWPP.org) asked various questions related to setting service goals. Some of the more surprising results of that study showed that:

A large percentage of centers base their service goal on an ?industry standard.?
About a third of respondents have had the same service goal for over five years.
Forty percent measure service goal success by their daily average and another forty percent use a monthly average as their performance number.

This article will explore the wisdom and/or risks of these service practices.

Following the Crowd:

Small children often explain undesirable actions they?ve done by the fact that ?everybody is doing it.? That statement is likely followed by a parental response of ?If everyone jumped off the roof tomorrow, that doesn?t mean you should too.? Maybe we should listen to those parental voices when it comes to setting a service goal. Just because lots of others are doing something doesn?t make it right for you.

Bill Durr said it well in a recent article entitled ?Industry Standards?If Only There Were Some.? Bill wisely pointed out that there is no such standards body that publishes verified performance measures and there never will be. While we refer to the contact center as an industry, it is incorrect to assume consensus and uniformity where it doesn?t really exist. The reality is that each contact center is unique in terms of the value it provides to the enterprise, unique in terms of the skill and knowledge of the management team and unique in terms of the center?s culture.

We?ve yet to find any ?industry standards? for speed of answer goals in the call center. There are certainly plenty of benchmarking reports and services that can be purchased, but most of these are questionable at best, and statistically unreliable in most cases. While you may want to review some of these numbers as one of your inputs, it?s downright dangerous to rely upon them as fact and industry guideposts. As Will Rogers once said, ?It?s not what you don?t know that?s dangerous. It?s what you know that ain?t so that can hurt you? and this is painfully true as it relates to something as critical as a service goal for your customer call center.

Certainly it?s interesting to see what goals other centers have, but try doing your own research for your outward view. Look at what your competitors are doing in the same industry as well as what other ?best of class? operations are doing. Your customers may be setting their service expectations based on their last, best service experience, so you may want to set your sights beyond the industry average should you actually be able to find one.

If you feel the need to look outward to gather information, just make sure you look inward too. Input from your customers should be your primary guide, not benchmarking numbers.

Long-Term Service Definitions:

Another troubling statistic is the one showing that once a speed of answer goal is set, it generally stays the same for a very long period of time. Your call center is changing, the economy and business market is changing, and your customers? service expectations are changing. So why should your service goal be the same year after year?

Evaluate the service, cost, and productivity tradeoffs of lowering the goal as well as inching it a bit higher. What would the impact be on your customers? Would they notice? Would they care? How much money could you save by lowering it and your staff requirement? Could that money be better spent someplace else? Or would you set yourselves apart from the competition if you raised it substantially?

Dangers of Averages:

Another troubling issue with service goals and reporting performance numbers is that most call centers focus on the average number for the day. And a surprising number use the monthly average as the target number.
The danger of averaging can be illustrated well with the analogy of someone having his head in the oven and feet in the refrigerator. The average temperature may be alright, but the two extremes can be very uncomfortable. Reporting service as averages may be hiding some dangerous extremes, covering up some real problems in the call center as well.

Most centers have several periods of the day that are woefully understaffed and service is horrendous. On the other hand, there may be some light periods of the day where staff are scheduled even though the forecast shows significantly fewer calls. Overstaffing at 3pm may result in needless dollars spent for staff and lower productivity numbers. Understaffing at 10am may result in long delays for customers, potential lost revenue, higher telephone costs for longer queue times, and overworked staff. When averaged together, the numbers look fine, but the fact remains that there are serious problems for each hour.

Therefore, it?s the goal of workforce management to get the exact right number of staff in place every single hour of the day. And every goal worth having deserves a performance measure to tell how well you?re meeting the goal. Using an average for the day (or worse yet an average for the month) provides no insight as to how that goal is being met.

Below is an example where service level is reported as either the cumulative average for the day, or as a weighted average number based on the percentage distribution of calls. Using the numbers in the table, the service level could either be reported as an overall 82% in 20 seconds by using simple averaging, or as 79% if using a weighted average approach. If our goal is a service level of 80% in 20 seconds, then either way we?re very close to the goal.

However, a better goal might be to measure what percentage of the hours of the day we met the target. In this case, the goal was only met in two-thirds of the periods. Many call centers are adding this measure of service consistency to the measure of service averages for the day. And if we consider the concept that overstaffing is just as bad as understaffing, then we might look for periods that were within a reasonable band around the goal, such as no lower than 75% or higher than 85%. In that case, the goal is only met 5 of the 12 periods. This accepts that one or two percent below the goal is not worthy of being considered a failure as well.

Setting Service Goals:

Defining a speed of answer or service objective is an important part of the workforce management process as it has a direct influence on how many staff will be needed each half-hour. There is absolutely no such thing as an ?industry standard? for speed of service. Each call center?s service goal should be based on many different factors, including the following:

Customer expectations. First and foremost, the customer contact strategy, including the setting of speed of answer goals, should be based on customer needs and expectations. Customers? expectations are today being based on a myriad of service experiences, and it is important to consider these in defining a service goal to meet customer expectations. Customers should be surveyed regularly to see what their service expectations are in terms of both quality and speed of service. It may be appropriate to have faster speed of answer goals for some customers than for others rather than having one goal that applies to all calls.

Competitive influences. Certainly, most call centers will want to also compare against what similar companies are doing and how quickly they are responding to customer contacts. To some degree, the call center may base its speed of answer goals upon how captive its customer base is. If part of a highly competitive industry where callers have many options for service, the call center may wish to set more aggressive service goals, while those with a monopoly on a product or service may settle for less strenuous ones. Even in a single center, multiple situations may exist. For example, an automobile insurance company may want fast speed of answer on the sales lines, but not such an expensive goal for staffing in the claims processing department.

Market position and branding. In some cases, speed of answer may support the overall brand image and reputation of a company. Those organizations known for speedy service may wish to set high service level goals to support the company?s brand image.

Budgetary guidelines. Ideally, service objectives should drive staffing requirements and the budget. But in reality, service objectives may be driven to some degree by available budget dollars. While a call center might like to deliver a 90% in 10 seconds speed of answer, there may simply be insufficient budget to support such a high goal, and therefore the objectives should be set to a level that is actually attainable by the center.

There are many factors that should be considered in establishing a speed of answer goal and careful consideration should be given to this number since it dictates resource requirements and a significant portion of the call center?s operating budget. Careful thought should be given to this objective on a regular basis to ensure the objectives make sense in terms of budget dollars, customer expectations, and support of the company?s mission and goals. Too often call centers set service goals and then never think about them again even as the business grows and changes. It is recommended that service objectives be evaluated at least every two years, with an annual review being the preferred timeframe.

The Next Step: Moving From Workforce Optimization to Operational Optimization
by Alton Martin, CEO COPC, Inc.

Few will deny the need for help in managing the complexities that make up the call center environment. Most in the contact center industry are familiar with software tools offered to help in workforce management. In general, these applications are designed to deal with the issues that surround staff scheduling, tracking, and demand forecasting. Of late, new tools have emerged under the umbrella of "workforce optimization" that offer a more comprehensive approach, addressing the need for management of other key operational process components such as budgeting, strategic planning, performance evaluation, skill-gap analysis, recognition and rewards systems.

For the organization looking to improve workforce management, such tools can provide the mechanisms that can help them begin to meet the challenges faced in the call center environment.

However, for the organization that is prepared to impact its entire operational process in such a way that not only improves workforce management and performance, but positively impacts profitability, customer satisfaction, and overall ROI as well, there are ways to add value to their basic workforce optimization efforts.

This ?value add? piece is critical to bringing the entire process together. Without it, tools become limited, in most cases, to functioning as boilerplate solutions that often provide little more than the improvement of efficiency in a few operational areas. With it, appropriately selected tools can become part of an integrated process that creates a culture of continuous improvement. With it, workforce optimization moves up a level and becomes total operational optimization.

Steps to Operational Optimization

Identify the Overall Goal of the Organization Before considering the implementation of any program it is vital that the organization have a clear understanding of its overall goals and objectives. This may sound rather obvious. However, unless executive management is able to identify and consistently articulate the "big picture" to middle management and staff, the operational process is fragmented. It is these goals that must drive the operational process. In turn, any mechanism to improve workforce performance must support the attainment of these corporate goals. Each employee must understand not only what is expected of them individually and as a member of their department, but also how they impact the achievement of corporate goals overall.

Identifying Key Tasks
Once goals are clearly articulated, the next step is to determine how each component of the operational process should feed into, support and promote the achievement of those goals. These components should then be broken down into key tasks ? the nut-and-bolts of the operational system that can be monitored, improved, and measured, together with the employees responsible for their execution. In this way the entire process can be streamlined and managed for maximum performance, and problem areas can be identified before they threaten the entire process. Training and recruitment also become more effective as skill sets required for each task are identified.

Once the over-arching corporate goal has been put into focus and key tasks identified, a model of an operational process can be developed. One that suggests objectives and skill sets required in order to move the entire process smoothly and efficiently toward goal. This, in simplest terms, is operational optimization.

Each element of the call center operation can then be examined against this model to determine the extent to which it promotes or hinders realization of the goal. As a result, objectives contributing to the success of the complete operational process can then be set for individual tasks and component processes.

Developing Metrics for Key Tasks
Setting metrics for key tasks has a powerful effect on performance. Being clear on what is expected energizes a level of performance improvement that results in operational optimization. It brings focus to the efforts of the workforce. For management, it creates a consistent means of measuring performance together with pro-active identification of potential problem areas, allowing for timely and appropriate intervention. It also stimulates a type of ownership and self-accountability that raises the bar for employees across the board.

Identifying Problem Areas
Determining areas that need improvement is the next step toward operational optimization. It is important to establish problem areas not only as they manifest in a particular area of operation, but by ascertaining root causes and subsequent effect on other components of the operational process.
One of the most effective ways to identify areas of weaknesses in performance and disconnects in the process is the use of an operational baseline audit. Such an audit is best performed by an independent consultants with expertise in call center operational performance improvement. Prior to the audit, the consultant meets with management to determine the organization's goals and objectives, strengths and weaknesses, using this information to develop a plan for use during the audit. The plan is then reviewed with both management and staff in order to promote the all-important commitment of the entire organization necessary for successful implementation of the level of change necessary to effect operational optimization.

Following detailed process audits of all key tasks, findings are analyzed and reviewed with management. The consultant can then make recommendations for actions to be taken in order to begin the process of operational improvement.

Measuring Performance Against an Independent Standard To insure a consistent and appropriate measurement, performance of key tasks should be evaluated against an independent standard. Using an internally generated standard is a flawed approach. Regardless of how rigorous a criterion the organization believes it has set for itself, using a self-generated standard to measure operational performance is comparable to offering internally audited financial statements against a loan. Both are vulnerable to bias and subjectivity that dilutes their effectiveness as well as their credibility.
Electing to pursue certification to a recognized and respected standard provides criteria for continual process improvement together with a comprehensive model covering all aspects of contact center operation.

Care should be taken in selecting a standard that will give direction and maintain contact center operational excellence. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Clearly outline the rationale and objectives for implementing a standard for improvement.
Consider carefully if the prospective standard provides a well-defined roadmap for reaching those objectives.
Test the standard for is Return on Investment (ROI) by segmenting your analysis into relevant time frames. The first year will be the investment year during which, at minimum, you should expect to break even. The second year and following will be when significant gains are obtained and sustained.
If ROI is disappointing, the standard may not be rigorous enough.

The most effective standards will include elements in the critical areas of planning and leadership, performance, processes, as well as workforce management.

Software Tools as Part of the Solution
This discussion began with mention of workforce optimization software tools. There?s no question that appropriately selected application has an integral role to play in the collection and organization of the detailed information required for workforce optimization and process improvement. Engaging in certification to a global standard, such as the COPC-2000? Standard, will provide a clear, in-depth picture of the entire operational process is invaluable in this regard. Armed with this information, a software solution can be selected that will adequately and cost-effectively support optimization by providing a closer fit with the organization's operational objectives, rather than forcing the organization to conform its improvement efforts to the software. Implementing a software application prior to developing this information may well prove to be the classic case of horse before the cart.

Bringing together both the technology and the support of contact center operations improvement professionals has the potential for enhancing service delivery and increasing customer satisfaction while reducing operational costs.

Combating Workplace Violence In The Call Center
By Michael Miles

One of the major challenges facing companies in today's business culture is combating increased occurrences of violence and/or harassment in places of employment. This can be especially true in call centers, where many diverse employees are brought together in a hectic work environment that can no longer automatically be considered entirely safe for employees or employers.

Several government studies indicate that workplace violence and sexual harassment has increased dramatically in the past decade, with workplace homicide now a leading cause of job-related deaths in North America. All one has to do is tune into the nightly news to see the ramifications brought home. One of the reasons cited for increased job violence is the fact that many employers have increased their labor forces due to the growing trend toward outsourced telemarketing and call center operations. All too frequently, however, in the rush to fill positions, new hires are brought onboard without proper candidate screening by employers who are not fully prepared to meet the challenges of increasingly hostile work environments. And while many businesses have sexual harassment and safety policies in place, many of these procedures to enforce these policies remain outdated.

A U.S. Department, Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics study reported that the decline in violent instances from 2001 to 2002 was the lowest ever reported, with no sign of reversing. Approximately two million American workers are victims of workplace violence or harassment every year, with more than 15 percent of reported incidents resulting in serious, aggressive acts that lead to employee reprimand or termination. Another study conducted by The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (EEOC) estimates that 40-70% of women and 10-20% of men experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. More than 15,000 sexual harassment claims are reported to the EEOC annually, and many of these occurrences take place in call centers.

Employers, of course, are liable for their employee's job safety, and consequently many experience millions of dollars in annual losses due to absenteeism and workman's compensation payouts. A recent study from the United States Department of Labor reported a total of 5.2 million total workplace injuries and illnesses, which resulted in 2.6 million lost workdays a year. Some of these incidents are due to job stress, a common symptom of workplace violence or harassment, and many could be avoided with proper safety preventative measures in place.

In addition to lost workdays, there can be a huge additional cost associated with call center violence, as significant legal implications may be incurred when a case goes to court. Liability expert Norman D. Bates reports that since 1980, out-of-court settlements have been averaging about $500,000, while a jury verdict can lead to a settlement as high as $3 million. These figures are based on a landmark case in which an employee, who had not undergone a full background check, subsequently assaulted a co-worker. If a background check had been completed, either by the employer or an outsourced staffing agency that provides background checks and applicant screening, a $750,000 award would have been avoided, as the offender had a criminal record.

Dr. Dana Picore, PhD, a former Los Angeles police officer and instructor for the L.A. Police Department, who is now a licensed psychotherapist and threat assessment expert says that: "In the U.S., governing authorities encourage and recommend suggested policies and procedures to address workplace violence, but the solutions vary widely from state to state. And, many companies only offer minimum risk management procedures such as the development of safety guidelines and a pamphlet that outlines these procedures for employees.
However, these procedures are not always enforced and do not put a complete threat management program in place that trains others to prevent violent acts before they occur. Most importantly, there are few workplace management programs that instruct personnel on how to handle issues of threat or violence when they arise."

These studies and comments all clearly underscore the growing need to develop structured and enforceable on-site violence prevention programs for call centers if the industry is to reverse this workplace violence trend. The best protection available to any company's call center is a zero-tolerance policy toward workplace violence - against or by a company's employees. All companies should be prepared to proactively provide safety education for its employees, including new hires, so they fully understand that any threat of violence or harassment will not be tolerated. Proper policy and procedure guidelines should clearly spell out what threats or violence entail, and what actions an employee should take if they feel threatened. Furthermore, it is in the best interest of both employer and employees to fully understand, right up front, the exact course of action a company will take against any person who enacts a threat of violence or harassment against another employee; and, this may include involving the authorities. To further reduce workplace violence, companies should also encourage witnesses of violence to feel secure in reporting an act on behalf of someone else.

Many call center operations today use video surveillance cameras, alarm systems, ID badges, electronic keys, and guards to help maintain a safer work environment. Some companies are even installing new biometric techniques such as eye scan systems, but these are costly and not yet perfected. Most importantly, managers and supervisors should all undergo regular safety training, and employees also need to know where to go to get help should a situation arise. OSHA suggests that any person who has been a victim of violence or witnessed an incident should feel comfortable reporting the incident to the appropriate person within the organization, as well as to the police. Ironically, according to a report by the Bureau of Justice, 52.1 percent of all violent acts committed at a place of work are never reported to the police, meaning that perpetrators often are not punished to the full extent of the law.

If any company's HR department feels it cannot undertake the necessary steps to avoid call center violence, there are numerous agencies and staffing companies available to which these important functions can be outsourced. These specialists, working with best of breed technologies and highly trained management personnel, provide such functions as candidate screening, background checks, drug testing, behavioral screening processes and on-site risk management programs -- effectively and at less cost than trying to keep up with workplace violence procedures in-house. Violence prevention programs are necessary regardless of the expense, and it is incumbent upon every company, as well as state and federal governments, to implement successful safety measures to prevent workplace violence. If done properly, a company that takes extra precautions can benefit from increased employee loyalty, low turnover rates, better reputations, lower insurance costs, and often incalculable savings that can be passed along to the customers they serve.

However accomplished, it is critical in today's business environment that employers help alleviate this growing trend toward increased violence within call centers and other places of work by creating and maintaining a safe work environment and strictly enforcing a policy of zero-tolerance for job violence.

Michael Miles is the president of Staff Management, a Chicago-based vendor-on-premise staffing solutions provider. Staff Management has implemented an award-winning violence prevention program with the help of Picore & Associates. Contact Michael Miles at 312 915 0900 or email him at: mmiles@staffmanagement.com. Promote Your Call Center Product/Service Offering Today!

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