CHAPTER 8 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

Transcription

1 132 CHAPTER 8 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS 8.1 INTRODUCTION Call centres are contributing a lot to the growth of developing and developed economies for the past several years. Several researchers have been attempted to analyze the issues of call centres since its inception. The present research work has attempted to analyze the call centres performance related issues with specific focus on employee related and service quality contribution to customer satisfaction in India. The work analyzed the importance of KPIs and service quality from the management perspective and the factors from the employees viewpoint influencing customer satisfaction. In addition to that, the study investigated the impact of employee related and service quality attributes on call centre performance to improve customer satisfaction and examined the interrelationship between service quality, performance and customer satisfaction in Indian call centres. A brief summary of the research findings are presented below. 8.2 CONCLUSION The research is conducted in two phases. In the first phase of the research KPIs are identified from the exhaustive list drawn from literature. Through brainstorming with the executives of call centres, KPIs applicable to Indian call centres are shortlisted. The analytic hierarchy process model is

2 133 used to prioritizing key performance indicators. Based on the priority weights, the KPIs are ranked. The customer satisfaction found to be the most preferred KPI followed by benefit cost factor, first call resolution, calls per day by agent, attrition rate, abandon rate, agent utilisation and average handling time. In the second phase of the research the empirical investigation on the influencing factors employee related and service quality attributes are done. The majority of the employees of call centres are male and the majority of them belong to the age group of years. The majority of the employees of call centres are B.Sc. graduates and majority of them belong to monthly income group of Rs The majority of the employees are unmarried and majority of them have the working experience of less than one year. The employees perceive that the customer satisfaction is the most important performance indicator followed by benefit cost factor, first call resolution, calls per day by agent, attrition rate, abandon rate, agent utilisation and average handling time as perceived by the employees of call centres. The relationship between the key performance indicators is studied. The correlation coefficient between benefit cost factor is positively and significantly associated with customer satisfaction, first call resolution and attrition rate at 1% level of significance while, the benefit cost factors is positively and significantly correlated with calls per day by agent at 5% level of significant. The customer satisfaction is positively and significantly correlated with first call resolution and attrition rate at one 1% level of significance. The first call resolution is significantly and positively associated with average handling time, calls per day by agent and attrition rate at 1% cent level of significance.

3 134 The average handling time is positively and significantly correlated with calls per day by agent and attrition rate at 1% level of significance and calls per day by agent is significantly and positively associated with attrition rate at 1% level of significance. The customer feedback is considered as dependent variable and key performance indicators are considered as independent variables in the regression model. There is a significant relationship between key performance indicators and customer feedback. The regression analysis indicates that benefit cost factor, first call resolution and abandon rate are positively influencing the customer feedback, while, the average handling time and attrition rate are negatively influencing the customer feedback at 1% level of significance. Importance of five service quality dimensions from employees perception are obtained. The significant difference between each dimensions are studied. There is a significant difference in tangible dimensions among the employees of call centres. There is a significant difference in reliability dimensions among the employees of call centres. There is a significant difference in responsiveness dimensions among the employees of call centres. There is a significant difference in assurance dimensions among the employees of call centres.

4 135 There is a significant difference in empathy dimensions among the employees of call centres. The customer feedback is considered as dependent variable and the service quality dimensions are considered as independent variables in the regression model. There is a significant relationship between service quality dimensions and customer feedback. The regression analysis shows that reliability dimension, responsiveness dimension and assurance dimension are positively influencing the customer feedback. The Structural Equation Model (SEM) reveals that the reliability, responsiveness and assurance directly and positively influence the performance and meanwhile performance directly and positively influences the customer feedback. AHP is employed to prioritize the service quality dimensions. The AHP for service quality dimensions indicate that the responsiveness dimension has the highest priority followed by assurance dimension, reliability dimension, empathy dimension and tangible dimension. There is a significant difference in satisfaction level of the employees with respect to the trainings received. The results show that the product training has the maximum level of satisfaction followed by process training, knowledge base training, soft skill training, communication training and refresher training as perceived by the employees of call centres. The association between demographic features and level of satisfaction about the trainings in call centres is analysed. The results reveal that there is a significant association between age and trainings, monthly

5 136 income and trainings, and working experience and trainings as perceived by the employees in call centres. A regression model is employed by considering trainings as independent variables and customer feedback as dependent variable. The regression analysis indicates that the process training, communication training, soft skill training and knowledge base training are positively influencing the customer feedback. The results show that the motivation is the most important specific human resource management practice followed by opportunities for learning and growth for the employees, superior-subordinates relationship, rewards and recognition, resolving employee s grievances, time allotment for breaks, compensation management, peer group relationship and goal setting process. The results show that there is a significant association between gender and the level of specific human resource management practices, age and the level of specific human resource management practices, educational qualification and the level of specific human resource management practices and monthly income and the level of specific human resource management practices as perceived by the employees in call centres. A regression model is employed by considering the specific human resource management practices as independent variables and customer feedback as dependent variable. The regression analysis shows that goal setting process, superior-subordinates relationship, motivation and rewards and recognition are positively influencing the customer feedback.

6 SUGGESTIONS Since, the customer satisfaction is the most important performance indicator in call centers, both top management and employees should concentrate more and take appropriate efforts to satisfy the needs and expectations of customers in the most efficient and economic ways. The benefit cost factor, first call resolution and abandon rate should be continuously improved through better job performance practices and the average handling time and attrition rate should be reduced to the maximum possible extent by the employees of call centers. Since, the performance of employees is directly and positively influencing the customer feedback, the relevant human resource management practices and trainings should be provided to the employees of call centers in addition to better pay packages, conducive working and safety environment, creation of competitive work culture and improve the job satisfaction of employees. The responsive has the highest priority followed by assurance dimension, reliability dimension, empathy dimension and tangible dimension. Therefore, responsiveness to the customers queries should be properly and promptly addressed. Besides, assurance of services, reliability of services, empathy with customers and tangible services should be always kept at high. Since, the process training, product training, communication training, soft skill training and knowledge base training are helpful to the employees for their better job performances, the trainings on these key areas should be continuously strengthened. Besides, the most of the employees are disagreed with refresher training, the call centers should modify the present

7 138 mode of refresher trainings and make it more effectively and make employees refresh. The employees are not satisfied with the following specific human resource management practices 1. The management and provides opportunities to learn and support to grow, 2. goal setting process makes your objectives of the job clear, 3. superior subordinates relationship, 4. peer group relationship, 5. giving rewards to employees and recognition to the small specific achievements explicitly during at work and 6. compensation management, Hence, the call centers should formulate and implement effective human resource management practices in order to improve the performance of the employees in call centres. 8.4 SCOPE FOR FUTURE RESEARCH While Chennai remains the leading IT-BPO location in Tamil Nadu, challenger destinations such as Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) are also being positioned as alternative IT-BPO hubs. The study may be extended to other cities of Tamil nadu. Similarly it could be extended to other metropolitan cities of India.

8 139 The study can be conducted exclusively for different types of services offered by call centres like banking service, telecommunication service and other services. The current study is focusing on inbound call centres. Similar studies can be conducted for outbound call centres. Based on the KPIs and employing AHP the performance of different call centres can be compared considering the different call centres as alternatives.