Workforce Optimization Suites for Small and Mid-Size Contact Centers

Transcription

1 Workforce Optimization Suites for Small and Mid-Size Contact Centers May 2017 Sponsored by: DMG Consulting LLC

2 Table of Contents Introduction... 1 What is a Unified WFO Suite?... 1 Recording and Quality Assurance are NOT Optional... 2 Speech Analytics Provides Customer Insights... 3 Desktop Analytics Eliminates Manual Handling... 4 Workforce Management Empowers Staff... 5 Other WFO Modules... 6 Final Thoughts... 6 About the Sponsor, NICE... 7 About DMG Consulting LLC i - DMG Consulting LLC

3 Introduction Contact centers of all sizes, including those with seats need management tools and analytics that provide transparency into the performance of their department and insights into the voice of the customer, and help to enhance employee engagement. This is where workforce optimization (WFO) suites fit in. The challenge is that small and mid-size (SMB) organizations need solutions that are right -sized and priced and have the capabilities they need, which can be different from what a large contact center requires. SMB contact centers want solutions that are easy to implement, use and maintain, as they cannot allocate one or two resources to manage each of the modules. They want to have a single point of contact for all service and support issues. And they want to work with a vendor who has a proven track record and deep understanding of their vertical so that the WFO suite is geared to their needs. This white paper examines the current generation of unified WFO suites for SMBs, the uses of the various modules, and the benefits they provide. What is a Unified WFO Suite? WFO suites are highly beneficial for SMB contact centers because they provide a fully integrated and unified set of applications for managing and optimizing the operating environment. These suites typically come with voice and screen recording, quality assurance (QA), speech analytics (SA), desktop analytics (DA), contact center performance management (CCPM), surveying and workforce management (WFM) applications. Instead of having to purchase, integrate and manage each of these solutions separately, a WFO suite has a common supervisor environment and user experience. Contact center managers can enter information about their agents once, and the data is propagated throughout the suite, greatly simplifying the use of these solutions. These suites have a centralized rules engine so users can create and apply rules, as appropriate, and have confidence that they are going to be applied consistently throughout all of the modules in the suite. System access and authentication is also standardized, ensuring all users agents, supervisors, managers, administrators and business intelligence/reporting specialists have the appropriate level of access to all system data. Very importantly, while each of the modules generates its own data and reports, all of it is aggregated and made available in the CCPM module. This alone vastly simplifies the contact center reporting challenge, as these unified WFO suites are also designed to capture and report on data from the contact center infrastructure (automatic call distributor (ACD) or dialer.) See Figure DMG Consulting LLC

4 Figure 1: Unified WFO Suite Source: DMG Consulting LLC, May 2017 Recording and Quality Assurance are NOT Optional The two core modules of any WFO suite are recording and quality assurance. In today s omni-channel world, a WFO suite must provide voice and screen recording standard, and this functionality should be used to capture every transaction handled by the contact center, for the protection of the company and as an early warning system to identify what is happening throughout the enterprise and within the contact center. This is where QA comes into play. The primary purpose of a QA module is to ensure agents adhere to the company s policies and procedures and to avoid compliance risks. However, a good QA solution will gather trends and insights from the contact center, the focal point for customer interactions, to use in identifying company-wide operational opportunities. See Figure DMG Consulting LLC

5 Figure 2: The Uses and Benefits of Quality Assurance Source: DMG Consulting LLC, May 2017 Speech Analytics Provides Customer Insights Companies that are dedicated to delivering an outstanding customer journey need speech analytics to convert recorded contact center conversations into structured data that can be analyzed to derive valuable insights. These findings need to be used on a timely basis to improve performance company-wide. While speech analytics is performed in the contact center, the conversations it analyzes contain issues that apply to the entire company. SMBs need to build crossfunctional teams that use speech analytics findings to rapidly identify, diagnose and resolve issues, whether the problem is a system, billing, credit approval question, delivery concern, etc. Undoubtedly, speech analytics is going to surface contact center-related performance and productivity opportunities, but this is just a small component of the contributions of these solutions. When speech analytics is used along with quality assurance and surveying, an SMB will have the information it needs to cost effectively deliver a personalized and differentiated experience to customers and prospects throughout many of their touch points DMG Consulting LLC

6 Desktop Analytics Eliminates Manual Handling Contact centers are inherently complex environments, and agents often need to enter the same information in two or more systems, e.g., the transaction processing system and the CRM solution. The benefits of documenting the needs and/or actions of customers (and possibly prospects) in multiple systems justifies the cost, but given the advancements in technology, there should be a way to prevent agents from functioning as data entry clerks. This is where desktop analytics, also known as robotics, comes in. DA solutions are used to automate cutting and pasting tasks, and for populating the same data in more than one solution. DA is also used to build an automated process to enable companies to adhere to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI- DSS) by redacting personal or private information or preventing the capture and storage of sensitive data to comply with regulations. There are also more advanced uses of DA, including employee guidance to show agents the steps they need to take when resolving inquiries, and workflow to automate follow-up tasks. This greatly speeds up the processing time for customers/prospects. Process automation can also be used to create a composite servicing screen to greatly reduce the number of systems and screens agents need to access in order to resolve inquiries. See Figure 3. Figure 3: Desktop Analytics Introduces Robotics into Contact Centers Source: DMG Consulting LLC, May DMG Consulting LLC

7 Workforce Management Empowers Staff Workforce management remains the most important productivity tool in most contact centers. As channels expand and complexity grows, WFM has also become a mission-critical application for SMBs that have multiple locations and/or employees who work from home. The primary function of WFM is to forecast the volume of incoming calls, s, texts, SMS, social media posts, video interactions, etc. After forecasting demand, the WFM solution produces schedules using the available resources, and identifies understaffing and staff overages to enable managers to optimize the performance (and cost) of their departments. But forecasting and scheduling is just the beginning of what managers should expect from a WFM solution. As seen in Figure 4, an effective WFM solution will come with an intraday management module to identify the staffing adjustments required to address unplanned changes in incoming volumes and agent headcounts throughout the day. The application will include an adherence module to help keep agents on schedule. It will also have a selfservice application designed to actively engage agents in managing their own schedules, which is a necessity for Millennials. And a WFM solution may also have long-term planning capabilities to help the contact center forecast needs for 2 or more years in the future, although these modules are often optional. Because of its ability to position a contact center to deliver an outstanding and personalized customer experience cost effectively, a WFM solution is a musthave for an SMB contact center. Figure 4: WFM is a Key Employee Engagement Tool Source: DMG Consulting LLC, May DMG Consulting LLC

8 Other WFO Modules The modules found in a WFO suite for SMBs will vary based on the vendor. The ones mentioned above should be expected in any SMB-oriented WFO suite, but the more advanced solutions could also include surveying and performance management. Over time, these SMB suites will likely be enhanced with other capabilities. SMBs acquiring a WFO suite should ask the vendor to show them their research and development plans to confirm plans for ongoing innovation and a path to more sophisticated emerging WFO capabilities as the SMB s needs grow. Final Thoughts SMBs need a unified WFO suite to provide them with insights and an understanding of the evolving needs of their customers and the performance of their agents. WFO suites are also necessary for building and enhancing relationships with employees, as these solutions are designed to engage agents by providing them with real-time metrics about their performance and allowing them to manage their own schedules. As customer demands for service excellence increase, all companies need WFO capabilities so that they have the information they need to enhance and customize the customer journey DMG Consulting LLC

9 About the Sponsor, NICE NICE (NASDAQ: NICE) is the worldwide leading provider of enterprise software solutions that empower organizations to make smarter decisions based on advanced analytics of structured and unstructured data. NICE solutions help the world s largest organizations deliver better customer service, ensure compliance, combat fraud, and safeguard citizens. Over 25,000 organizations in more than 150 countries, including over 80 of the Fortune 100 companies, are using NICE solutions. About DMG Consulting LLC DMG Consulting LLC is a leading independent research, advisory and consulting firm specializing in contact centers, back-office and real-time analytics. DMG provides insight and strategic guidance and tactical advice to end users, vendors and the financial community. Each year, DMG devotes more than 10,000 hours to producing primary research on IT sectors, including workforce optimization (quality management/liability recording), workforce management, performance management, speech analytics, desktop analytics, text analytics, customer journey analytics, surveying/voice of the customer, voice biometrics, cloud-based contact center infrastructure, dialing, interactive voice response systems and proactive customer care. Our actionable solutions are proven to deliver a lasting competitive advantage, and often pay for themselves in as little as three months. Learn more at DMG Consulting LLC

10 2017 DMG Consulting LLC. All rights reserved. This Report is protected by United States copyright law. The reproduction, transmission or distribution of this Report in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of DMG Consulting LLC is strictly prohibited. You may not alter or remove any copyright, trademark or other notice from this Report. This Report contains data, materials, information and analysis that is proprietary to and the confidential information of DMG Consulting LLC and is provided for solely to purchasers of this Report for their internal use. THIS REPORT AND ANY DATA, MATERIALS, INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE DISCLOSED TO OR USED BY ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF DMG CONSULTING LLC. Substantial effort went into verifying and validating the accuracy of the information contained within this Report, however, DMG Consulting LLC disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. DMG Consulting LLC shall not be liable for any errors or omissions in the information contained herein or for any losses or damages arising from use hereof.