Best Practices For Customer Service Liz Herbert, Analyst

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2 Best Practices For Customer Service Liz Herbert, Analyst Forrester Research

3 Theme Moving from customer satisfaction to customer loyalty

4 Seven Processes of Highly Effective Call Centers 1 Make Customers Top Priority World- Class Contact Centers

5 Make Customers Top Priority Happy Dazzled Customer Satisfaction Trust Convenience Speed and competition drive change Empowerment Personalization Customer Loyalty Value Bonding Fulfillment Satisfaction Greater return on transactions (ROI) Greater return on relationship (ROR)

6 Seven Processes of Highly Effective Call Centers (with apologies to Stephen Covey) 1 Make Customers Top Priority World- Class Contact Centers 2 Create Single Customer Identity

7 Waaaaaaaay Too Many Channels

8 The Challenge Your Customers Web Fax Phone In Person Wireless Contact Center ACD Field Dispatcher Web Order Queue Sales Rep s Outlook Paper inbox Web agent Sales personcall center agent Field service person Self-service agent Web Interaction Application Front Office/CRM Order Management/ERP Application

9 Consolidating Interaction Points Your Customers Mail Fax Phone In Person Web Order Mgmt Auto response Universal Queue Provisioning Customer self-service Acct Maint Front office staff interaction Consolidated Customer History

10 Seven Processes of Highly Effective Call Centers (with apologies to Stephen Covey) 1 Make Customers Top Priority World- Class Contact Centers 3 2 Create Single Customer Identity Capture/Share Customer Data

11 Capture/Share Customer Data Customer Interactions Web/ Internet Wireless Chat Support ERMS Knowledge Portals Self-Service Applications IVR/ ACD Customer Information Model Front-Office Applications Phone Fax Merchandising Orders Call Center Sales & Marketing Technical Support Field Service & Logistics Contract Management Quality Assurance Business Process/Workflow Engine Internal Help Desk Financials Manufacturing HR

12 Seven Processes of Highly Effective Call Centers 1 Make Customers Top Priority World- Class Contact Centers 4 3 World-Class Online Service Options 2 Create Single Customer Identity Capture/Share Customer Data

13 E-Service Functional Layers Functionality Web Robots Web Self-Service Case Management Web Self-Service Knowledgebase ERMS (Data Retrieval) ERMS (Knowledgebase) Agent Knowledgebase Voice/IVR Typical Usage General corporate information; product or location listings, consumer focused Open, view, update, close support tickets, B2B or B2C, registered users B2B or B2C; FAQ s, search for known bugs or problems Telco/Service Provider and Financial Services; account balances, open-to-buy, billing questions B2B or B2C; FAQ s, known problems Tech support or call center; product solution library FAQ s, account inquiries, service requests or confirmations

14 World-Class Online Service Options

15 Beware the Backlash

16 Seven Processes of Highly Effective Call Centers 1 Make Customers Top Priority Friendly Use of Voice Technology 5 World- Class Contact Centers 4 3 World-Class Online Service Options 2 Create Single Customer Identity Capture/Share Customer Data

17 Is Your IVR A Maze? Not out-of-box solution factor in design and planning time Deploy internally as trial sites Invest in VUI design Invite customers to do beta testing

18 Seven Processes of Highly Effective Call Centers (with apologies to Stephen Covey) 1 Make Customers Top Priority Proactively Manage Relationships 6 Friendly Use of Voice Technology 5 World- Class Contact Centers 4 3 World-Class Online Service Options 2 Create Single Customer Identity Capture/Share Customer Data

19 Anticipating Customer Needs My ice maker is overflowing. I m due for a service call. I m empty. I m contacting PeaPod! I m set on 10 degrees and freezing the milk. My door seal is loose. I ve called for repair. My plug isn t grounded. My warranty is not valid. Oh, snacking at 2 a.m. again? The Web Refrigerator

20 Seven Processes of Highly Effective Call Centers (with apologies to Stephen Covey) Continuously Monitor Quality 7 1 Make Customers Top Priority Proactively Manage Relationships 6 Friendly Use of Voice Technology 5 World- Class Contact Centers 4 3 World-Class Online Service Options 2 Create Single Customer Identity Capture/Share Customer Data

21 Continuously Monitor Quality QM initiatives are key» Quickly identifies agents needing training» QM specialists pre-screen to only send key interactions to supervisors» Supplements productivity metrics in agent goal setting Customer Satisfaction surveys» Transactional vs. periodic surveys» Voice, , direct mail, phone Establish a formal metrics program» Not just for performance anymore» Metrics increase in complexity, multiple data sources/systems

22 Phone-centric call centers must evolve Leverage multiple channels» Web, chat, phone, Support them now» Best time to add new channels is before the demand spike» Work out technology and training issues before demand becomes overwhelming Plan for future demand, not just today s needs» Don t ignore the growing adoption of non-phone channels» Today s tech-savvy under-25s are tomorrow s customers If managers need convincing, survey customers or refer to competitor s processes

23 Traditional View of E-Service Web Layer Customers FAQs/ Knowledge Searching Knowledge base Knowledge base-centric Focus on product technical support ROI calculators for agent productivity and call deflection Agent Actions Technical Support Employees

24 Expanding Scope of E-Service Customer Channels Web Mail Fax Phone In Person Self- Service Technical Support Order Processing Complaint Tracking Fulfillment Account Management Intelligent Search Technology Knowledge Base Enterprise Content ERP/ Billing Product Catalog CRM History Intelligent Search Technology Agent Actions Technical Support Order Processing Complaint Tracking Fulfillment Account Management Agents

25 E-Service Selection Criteria» Financial viability Company» Visibility/market presence» Vision» Cost Technology Functional» Breadth or scope of solution

26 E-Service Selection Criteria» Knowledge base» Agent collaboration tools Technology Company Functional» response management» Call tracking/customer history» Content authoring/publishing

27 E-Service Selection Criteria» Search technology» Real-time data retrieval Company TechnologyFunctional» Integration capabilities» Architecture/platform» Development/ customization tools

28 eservice Vendor Landscape

29 Stake Your Claim on Customer Experience Find a champion at the VP or C level Prioritize interactions by value, profit, and churn Balance qualitative and quantitative metrics Training programs can change long-held attitudes

30 Avoid common pitfalls Vague, high-level strategy Technology-driven implementation No understanding of customer value People, process and technology efforts not integrated Key stakeholders not having ownership of the process and results Trying to do CRM on the side not integrating with what front line workers already do Failing to build in measurements and accountability Boiling the ocean failure to focus on specific and tangible improvement opportunities

31 Strategic ROI metrics Competitive differentiation Create true 360 degree view Capture more browsing time Pro-active content delivery E-service interactions valuable for relationship analytics

32 Tactical ROI Metrics Cost Savings Area Average Talk/Work Time First Call Resolution Rate Agent Training Time Deflected Interactions Quality of Information How Impacted Agents find needed information instantly with intelligent search, decreasing research time Issues can be resolved while customer is on the phone, avoiding call backs or escalations Agents can be given general training on many areas and use intelligent searching to find details that supplement learning Self-service and automated response interactions avoid live agent involvement. Knowledge management ensures consistent, current, and correct information provided to customers, eliminating follow ups and increasing customer satisfaction

33 Call Centers Require Continual Evolution Embrace new channels before your customers do Automate, streamline, question and validate every process To paraphrase Darwin. The call centers that survive may not be the smartest or the strongest, but the ones most responsive to change.

34 Thank you Liz Herbert / Entire contents 2005 Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved.