FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Susan Saldibar
Vice President, Marketing
Tel: +1 949 222-4505
Fax: +1 949 222-4501
e-mail: ssaldibar@centergistic.com
Metrics at the Agent Desktop: Using Valuable Real Estate Wisely
The
information published to agent desktop screens and how the agents
use it is their lifeline to their personal success and the success
of the organizations they serve. Vendors of agent desktop software
know this and have strived to improve the ease with which screens
can be accessed and navigated as well as the clarity of the information
on those screens.
Traditionally, statistics pertaining to calls in queue, longest call
waiting, etc. have been relegated to a readerboard mounted on a nearby
wall in efforts to not clutter the desktop real estate. This is changing
today as centers become more geographically distributed and many agents
work from their homes. More companies are relying on the availability
of key metrics at the desktop to keep an agent connected to the transaction
ebb and flow of the center. Instant messaging and other real time
communications tools have also gained in popularity as managers look
for ways to extend the reach of their management, sometimes thousands
of miles away.
Given that the agent desktop must be ergonomically arranged to be
as efficient as possible, managers must decide what the agent needs
to know to perform effectively. Moreover, managers must find ways
to eliminate non-actionable data at the agent desktop.
Centergistic has a few tips to think about before using agent desktop
metrics.
Personalize the metrics to fit the agent's goals
This sounds obvious, but often very little effort is put behind deciding
what the optimum metrics are for each agent. Is the information actionable?
Tie the information on the desktop to the agent's specific targets.
Many of today's performance analytics software can combine information
from several sources, so be creative. Information such as daily revenue
targets or trouble tickets handled can be put right in front of the
agent, alongside their progress towards those goals.
The sample above would be used in
a collections center, indicating status of an agent's secured promises
to pay or "PTP"s. The metric ribbon uses conventional green-yellow-red
color coding to indicate threshold levels.
If the information is simple and quickly grasped, the desktop real
estate will not be compromised and the result will be evident in better
performance. But first do your homework and know your goals. Agents
in blended centers with multiple goals and types of transactions need
to keep their attention on the desktop. You may want to consider a
threshold-activated alert screen pop as an alternative; a metric ribbon
that can fit in the bottom menu "tray" that only pops up when a threshold
has been reached or exceeded.
TMI!!
The above desktop metrics may require
too much work from the agents to decipher acronyms and decide what
action, if any, to take. They may in fact not be actionable in which
case they only cause confusion and frustration.
What is "too much information"? A topic of much debate, although most
experts adhere to the Science of Display, which states that at any
given time an agent cannot handle more than 7 pieces of information.
We recommend even less. That means that the layout should be simple.
Metrics should be quickly grasped and not require the viewer to calculate
anything. Once again, make the information work for your agent, not
against him or her.
Inform, don't distract!
Metrics should be always there but not made to pop up over a transaction
screen or database. The agent should be able to see the metrics instantly,
almost subliminally. The metrics should never impede an agent's ability
to enter data or access information.
The above sample shows a metric ribbon
placed on lower right portion of screen for easy viewing, yet out
of the way of transaction area.
Don't ask the agent to go hunting for key metrics. Information should
always be there, right in front of them, not hidden in another program
or portal. If an agent has to "do" something or "go" somewhere to
get the information, chances are they will not and the metrics are
wasted.
Limit Instant Messaging
Instant messaging can be very effective.
Above it is used to help an agent without interrupting the flow of
the call.
Go light on instant messaging: There are situations where messaging
is necessary. Remember that every instant message potentially interrupts
your agents. If you have dashboarding software that indicates an agent
has been on a call for a long time, a quick "everything okay on this
call?" allows a quick response. Avoid over using IM tools.
Centergistic Solutions provides integrated real time and historical
analytics and professional services for multi-media contact centers
and general businesses, throughout the world. Its flagship product,
AgentView® Enterprise is an award-winning integrated real time and
historical analytics systems currently installed in thousands of contact
centers worldwide. Centergistic is headquartered in Irvine, California,
with offices in Mexico City and London.
For more details on the information contained in this release or Centergistic
Solutions and its line of products and services, contact Susan Saldibar,
Vice President, Marketing at ssaldibar@centergistic.com.
All Centergistic products can be viewed on the corporate website at
www.centergistic.com.