From Strategy to Action

Transcription

1 From Strategy to Action Creating the 2020 Contact Center May 2018

2 Service Territory Eversource is New England s largest energy delivery company, with approximately 4 million electric, natural gas, and water customers and 8,300 employees in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Connecticut: Our electric service territory includes 149 towns and covers 4,400 square miles. Our natural gas service territory includes 71 towns and covers 2,341 square miles. Massachusetts: Our electric service territory includes 140 towns and covers 3,192 square miles. Our natural gas service territory includes 51 towns and covers 1,067 square miles. New Hampshire: Our service territory includes 211 towns and 5,628 square miles. Water: On December 4, 2017, Eversource closed the deal on an acquisition of Aquarion Water Company, making Eversource the only electric company in the U.S. that also owns a water utility. Aquarion serves 230,000 water customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. 2 2

3 Creating the 2020 Contact Center From Strategy to Action Today s Objectives Share our approach to building our Service Experience Vision Identify the people, process and technology considerations and leading practices utilized to improve customer satisfaction; Discuss our process leveraged to move from visioning to action; maximizing return on investment. 3

4 Exercise Volunteers Needed Creation of a Seamless Customer Experience 4

5 Project Objective & Approach Project Context We faced an unprecedented moment in company history with a recent merger, causing operational complexities as well as increasing customer expectation in the market place. As a result we performed a comprehensive review and analysis of current contact center operations to capitalize on the positive momentum from recent changes Project Context As part of the strategic analysis: Identified opportunities to improve contact center operations - efficiencies and customer experience. Recognized capabilities, skills, technology, and employee actions applicable to our three (3) internal contact centers and two (2) outsourced credit contact centers. Project Approach Through 3 primary activities: Understand Current State (Weeks 1-4) Design Future State (weeks 4-7) Define Path To Get There (Weeks 8-12) 5

6 Project Deliverables Deliverable Current State Assessment Key Recommendations/Future State Design Future State Roadmap Description Evaluation of current internal & external customer operations with emphasis on organization, practices, technology and operational performance metrics Gap Analysis against utility and non-utility industry benchmarks and best practices Prioritization of top improvement opportunities and value case for strategic initiatives Technological and process transformation recommendations; quick wins and longer term investments Define Customer Operations roadmap to bring about specified operation and process improvements Development of roadmap to comply with our specifications, setting our organization on a path toward adoption of current cross-industry best practices, innovations, and capabilities. 6

7 Current State Information Gathering to Fuel Consultative Work Organize Reporting Insights and Associated Data Perform Employee Interviews Review Org Charts/Spans of Control Evaluate Job Descriptions & Responsibilities Assess Policies/Procedures Conduct Overview of Customer Systems/Workforce Management Review Performance Measures & Results Understand Current State (Weeks 1-4) Design Future State (weeks 4-7) Define Path To Get There (Weeks 8-12) 7

8 Current State Information Gathering Objectives Assess current contact center capabilities relative to comparably sized utilities providing electric and gas services and cross-industry leaders. Evaluate in-house and outsourced Call Center operations in key areas, consisting of: organization, practices, technology, and operational metrics. Provide gap analysis comparing Eversource against industry benchmarks and preferred practices. Approach Approached current state assessment through use of 4 primary activities: Functional Interviews Training Quality Corporate Performance Digital & Channels Vendor Management Strategy & Change Mgmt. Workforce CSR Side by Sides Windsor, CT Westwood, MA Manchester, NH Focus Groups by Level CSRs Sr. CSRs (Westwood) Team Leads Supervisors Managers Data Analysis & Benchmarks Operational Baseline Agent Performance Distribution Vendor Performance 8 8

9 Focus Group Summary Feedback CSRs + Management is making morale improvement a priority and progress has been made in some sites. + CSRs take pride in the work they do. Career Progression is not clearly defined. Communication is a challenge. Team Leads / Sr. CSRs + Coaching is a priority for team leads; however, they are challenged to find time given responsibilities. + Taking calls is often used as an operational lever but detracts from time spent coaching representatives. Level of responsibility and support by supervisors varies greatly between sites. Lack of clarity causes issues for CSRs where either, they bypass chain of command or teams receive minimal support from supervisors. Managers + Hiring process and the technology leveraged to drive the process is great and has allowed for higher quality and volume of candidates to be considered. Morale remains an opportunity area Supervisors + Supervisors are more visible and involved on a day-to-day basis with the transition from the previous office setup. Roles & responsibilities are unclear between Supervisors and Team Leads. 9 9

10 Future State - Key Recommendations Organized Insights, lending to Future State Compiled feedback from functional interviews & tri-state CSR side by sides Leveraged data analysis across centers and outsource partners Integrated the caller intent analysis findings and other voice of the customer detail Identified utility and other applicable industry best practices Understand Current State (Weeks 1-4) Design Future State (weeks 4-7) Define Path To Get There (Weeks 8-12) 10

11 Designing the Future Approach 1 Design the Future Workshops 2 Define strategic objectives 3 Cross functional workshops to understand and develop desired customer care vision including the defining of expected value of initiatives. Utilized workshop outputs and validated current state analysis, identify specific objectives & criteria to be met to bring us to desired future state. Prioritize initiatives based on weighted value and complexity scores Initiatives were prioritized based on averaged and weighted complexity and value component scores, scales of 1 to 10, provided by core project team. 4 Developed cost/timing Identify dependencies 5 6 estimates Determine any task dependencies and project benefit levers impacted by the proposed initiatives. For each initiative and project, develop required cost and duration for initiative execution. Confirm prioritization and sequence roadmap Verify project prioritization and implementation requirements prior to developing future state roadmap

12 Exercise Thinking of the best and worst customer service experiences you have had recently - What was it that made it a good experience? - What was it that made it a bad experience? 12 12

13 Workshop Insights Customer Care Satisfiers Recognizing customer needs was the highest ranked service satisfier by workshop participants and was in alignment with the top dis-satisfier of inefficient, slow service wasting customer time. Customer Service Drivers of Satisfaction Top 3 Satisfiers 1. Recognizing Customer Needs 2. Ease of Interaction 3. Problem Ownership Top 3 Dis-satisfiers 1. Inefficient, slow service wasting customer time 2. Broken promises 3. Disrespectful/Upsetting/Disengaged Experiences 13 13

14 Customer Employee Workshop Insights Future State Vision Participants within the workshops identified employee and customer quotes the team wants to hear from employee and customers. Top 3 Quotes "Energy Provider to a Trusted Energy Advisor." I Feel Proud to Work for Eversource. Tremendous spirit of collaboration across departments in order to provide exceptional service. "Eversource values me (as a customer) I receive solutions that meet my needs and add value to my life. I see the value in my energy bill." Eversource is available to me when and how I want. "Eversource is easy to do business with. I receive a seamless experience regardless of channel." Enabling Attributes Empowered employees that take ownership of customer issues Connected organizations - In it together culture Scalable and innovative training programs that offer continuous development as industry evolves Enable customer service teams with full visibility to customer experience and interactions across channels 14

15 Strategic Themes In building the vision for Eversource s Contact Center of the Future, the following four strategic themes have emerged: Forecast and Manage the Work Improve Quality & First Contact Resolution Capabilities Align the Work with the Talent Create CSR-Level VOC Insight 1. Forecast Accurately at Interval Level 2. Implement Dynamic Scheduling and Staffing Capabilities 3. Reduce Back Office Work Effort Through Increased Productivity 4. Build Industry-Leading Training and Coaching Capabilities 5. Provide Meaningful CSR Performance Insight & Incentive 6. Disposition Calls with Meaningful Data 7. Improve First Contact Resolution Measurement 8. Refine Contact Center Roles & Responsibilities 9. Strengthen Vendor Management Focus 10. Leverage Specialty Queues 11. Realign the Back Office 12. Enable Liquid Workforce 13. Create Cross-Channel Insight 14. Review/Revise Customer System Strategy (CIS/CRM) 15

16 Improve Quality & First Contact Resolution Capabilities Provide Meaningful CSR Performance Insight & Incentive CURRENT Significant focus on a few metrics at the CSR level which drives rigid environment does not deliver expected business outcomes. Average Handle Time Quality Schedule Compliance Annual one-time annual incentive FUTURE Balanced scorecards aligned to corporate and organizational objectives with near real time visibility to CSR performance Shorter incentive cycles (annual to monthly/quarterly) with higher awards for high performers. Employee recognition programs vary across 3 Contact Centers Leverage digital gamification platform - consistent spirit of fun and celebration 16

17 Improve Quality & First Contact Resolution Capabilities Disposition Calls with Meaningful Data & Improve First Contact Resolution (FCR) CURRENT FCR measured by Customer survey and Quality monitoring Lack of full visibility into why customers call Inconsistent Call Dispositioning across Centers Transaction records provide insight only where a transaction was completed; does not capture 100% of customer intents Customer Selects IVR FUTURE Data-driven First Contact Resolution Based on actual customer behaviors Provide ongoing insights to customer repeats and transfer reasons Use Speech Analytics Determine why customers are calling, Identify real time customer escalations Improve CSR performance feedback processes. Ensure key insights into recently implemented enhancements (e.g., website updates, procedures, bill enhancements etc.) Refine the disposition codes and define reporting and calibration cadences. 17

18 Align the Work with the Talent: Internal Contact Centers Refine Contact Center Roles & Responsibilities CURRENT There is overlap between team lead and supervisor roles & responsibilities in NH/CT causing frustration for CSRs, Team Leads, and Supervisors. Escalations are managed inconsistently across sites (Team lead v. Sr CSR) and time commitment prevents team leads from focusing on team performance. Manager FUTURE Flatter organizational structure with clearer accountabilities and ownership expectations for coaching supervisors. Dedicated escalation and Tier 2 support queue and service strategy in place to provide consistent customer experience. Escalations & Complex Inquiries Supervisors (Span Of Control = 19:1) Team Leads (Span Of Control = 11:1)? 1. Disciplinary 2. HR Concerns 3. Escalations Manager Coaching Supervisor (Span of Control = 16-18:1) Tier 2 Escalation & Support Queue CSRs 1. Escalations 2. Coaching 3. Complex Billing 4. Interdepartmental Issues CSRs 1. Coaching 2. Disciplinary 3. HR Concerns 4. Interdepartmental Issues 18

19 RFP and VM Reorganization Align the Work with the Talent: Sourced Contact Centers Strengthen Vendor Management Effectiveness Employees and job titles not aligned with position expectations Minimal time spent on site managing vendors responsible for 33% of call volume. Internal CURRENT Vendor Support Team FUTURE Vendor Management roles are clearly defined with documented responsibilities and success metrics that are in alignment with expectations. Internal & Vendor Perf Mgmt WFM Vendor WFM Vendor Training Perf Mgmt WFM Leadership Cont Improv Internal Call Center Training Quality Vendor Quality Vendor Call Center Vendor Cont Imp Leadership Cont Improv Internal Call Centers Vendor Manager Quality Training Per-hour vendor contracts are costly with Eversource carrying the risk of low productive (40-50% occupancy compared to 75-85% industry range). 2 Vendors with 4 contact center sites Experienced vendor managers with increased on site presence (25-50% time on site per month) to focus on delivering outcomes. Optimized contract structure using price per handled minute with enforced penalties and incentives. 1 Vendor with 2 contact center sites 19

20 Align the Work with the Talent: Agent Specialization CURRENT 6% of calls originate for digital service, yet no dedicated queue to handle these calls. Low volume of Solar/DERs customer interactions are handled with inconsistency 4 Dedicated FTEs (~1% of CSRs) to manage social care transactions with part time support from contact center during night shift. Leverage Specialty Inquiry Queues FUTURE Digital customer intents aligned to CSR energy advisors with highest competency to resolve in customer channel of preference. High-quality, knowledgeable, and talented queue trained and skilled to handle solar/distributed energy customer interactions. Dedicated Social Care team with ability to scale over time & during peak periods to effectively address increasing volume 35% of consumers are planning to sign up for rooftop solar panels (buying or leasing) in the next five years (Accenture New Energy Consumer Research 2016) 20

21 Initiative Scoring Approach Initiatives were scored by Value and Complexity and weighted 1 Each initiative was scored on a scale of 1 10 for complexity and value categories by the core project team 2 Scores were averaged for each initiative for complexity and separately for value 3 Weights, agreed upon by the team, were applied to each category for a final weighted complexity and value score by initiative Technology Dependency Weighted Complexity Factor Boundary Partner Dependency Change Management Effort CSAT Impact Weighted Value Factor Cost Reduction Impact Employee Engagement/ Morale Impact 70% 20% 10% 50% 20% 30% 4 Initiatives were grouped into projects and complexity scores and value scores were averaged for project level scoring 21 21

22 Future State Roadmap Transition to Actionable Roadmap Solutions Identified for Pain Points General Cost Estimates Defined Scope Completed Value Scoring Exercise Understand Current State (Weeks 1-4) Design Future State (weeks 4-7) Define Path To Get There (Weeks 8-12) 22

23 Designing the Future Approach 1 Design the Future Workshops 2 Define strategic objectives 3 Cross functional workshops to understand and develop desired customer care vision including the defining of expected value of initiatives. Utilized workshop outputs and validated current state analysis, identify specific objectives & criteria to be met to bring us to desired future state. Prioritize initiatives based on weighted value and complexity scores Initiatives were prioritized based on averaged and weighted complexity and value component scores, scales of 1 to 10, provided by core project team. 4 Developed cost/timing Identify dependencies 5 6 estimates Determine any task dependencies and project benefit levers impacted by the proposed initiatives. For each initiative and project, develop required cost and duration for initiative execution. Roadmap Phase Confirm prioritization and sequence roadmap Verify project prioritization and implementation requirements prior to developing future state roadmap

24 Key Recommendations Initiative Summary Employee Engagement Performance Improvement via Workforce Management Organizational Structure Quick Wins Rotating Food Vendor Schedules QA Non-Phone Process Pilot Operational Improvement Sprints DIY Enable Dynamic QA Service Level Framework Robotics & Process Automation Pilot Forecasting & Resource Management Processes Resolutions and Escalations Team Contact Center Supervision Realignment Distributed Energy Service Operating Model Sourced Credit Contact Centers RFP Credit Call Center Services Vendor Management Function/Team Penalty & Incentive Structure Training Customer Insights via Analytics Call Intent Analysis Disposition Code Process Standardization Refresher Curriculum Trainer Certification Program QA Team Call Intent Analysis 24 24

25 Key Recommendations Initiative Summary Employee Engagement Productivity and Performance Improvement First Contact Resolution Align the Work with the Talent Training Customer Insights via Analytics Boundary Partner Enabled Career Pathing & Progression Pay for Performance Design Pulse Surveys for Engagement Knowledge Management via Virtual Assistant Project Transfer Analysis Digital Queue Back Office Scope of Support Technology Enabled Gamification Pilot Balanced Scorecard Design Robotics & Process Automation (RPA) Implementation Call Center/Back Office Workflow Tools Data Driven FCR & Transfer Analysis Digital Training Platform Cross-Channel Analytics Speech Analytics Customer System Assessment & Technology Roadmap lending to Consolidated CRM 25 25

26 Impact Actions 3 Year Roadmap Q3/Q Start the Journey Optimized Service Experience Enhanced Customer Experience Refine Contact Center Roles and Responsibilities Build Industry-Leading Training and Coaching Capabilities Consistently Provide Meaningful CSR Performance Insight Build Core Competency in Vendor Management Provide Meaningful CSR Performance Insight & Incentive Disposition Calls Improve First Call Resolution Measurement Speech Analytics Reduce Back Office Work (Robotics) Plan & Manage Work Drive Quality Improvement Enable Customer Insights via Analytics Develop Customer System Strategy (CIS/CRM) Organizational Agility Leverage Specialty Queues Actionable customer insight via analytics Empowered, equipped and engaged employees Right people doing the right work Improved Vendor Management Reduced CSR turnover CSAT via optimized data-driven customer insights Time saved through back office process Improved FCR and CSAT Improved employee morale and CSR efficiency 26

27 Exercise Table Top What s your key initiative(s) that supports your future? 27

28 Jessica Fitzgerald (603) work (603) cell Kurt Belken kurt.belken@eversource.com (781) work (508) cell 28 28