Contact Center Professional Certification

Transcription

1 2013 Whitepaper Contact Center Professional Certification 8 Key Benefits

2 Contact Center Professional Certification Key Benefits Choosing the contact center certification program that s right for you, your center, and your organization can be challenging. The right program can provide a multitude of benefits, while the wrong one can leave you with little more than a worthless certificate. Here s how to distinguish a program that provides real, tangible value. When we walk into our physician s or accountant s offices, our eyes quickly fixate on the diplomas on the wall. What degree(s) or professional recognition(s) has he or she achieved? Are the diplomas granted from recognized institutions? How recently were they issued? Have there been any recent certifications attesting to new skills or advanced knowledge in the chosen field? In every industry, there are real certifications recognized standards of excellence we hope to see hanging on the wall of our physician or accountant. And then there are false certifications. The easiest to achieve, and the most plentiful, false certifications necessitate no in-depth training, or assessment of acquired skills and knowledge. Often, they require only that the recipient show up to a short training seminar or presentation. Additionally, it is not uncommon for vendors seeking to reward customers for buying or selling their products to do so under the certification guise. What is real certification? Real certification attests that the individual has met broadly acknowledged standards of knowledge and proficiency in their profession or craft. This type of certification is granted by an industry organization or training institute that has met and continues to meet independently established standards. It requires serious tutelage from subject matter experts who are teaching from a curriculum that has been reviewed and approved by a panel of authoritative experts. Certification is bestowed only upon passing a test, at which point, an industry designation is earned. Virtually all recognized professions have certification programs. Familiar examples include accounting, real estate, information technology, insurance sales, and securities analysis. In these industries, surveys have consistently shown that certificants earn higher paychecks than their non-certified counterparts. In the contact center industry, demand for certified practitioners is growing. As contact centers become more complex, CEOs are consistently coming to the realization that in a slow-growth economy, customer retention is paramount to success. As the contact center rises in stature and strategic value to the enterprise, management puts a premium on employees with certified credentials. More and more, employers are turning to professional certification programs to ensure that customers are being managed by the most qualified and most professional supervisory employees available. This is true of organizations such as Coca-Cola, American Express, IBM, HP, all of whom have utilized ICMI s professional training and certification program for their contact center managers. Examples of big-name companies that have invested in certification training for contact center supervisory personnel through ICMI include Coca-Cola, American Express, IBM, HP, Prudential, Teleflora, and many others. Employer Benefits of certification Certification produces significant advantages to both the employer and the employee. Employers typically underwrite the cost of certification training. They do this for many reasons but perhaps the most important is to help assure top-quality customer experiences. Figure 1 explores employer benefits in more detail. 2

3 Delivery of superior customer service Certified supervisors and specialists have both the commitment and the knowledge to provide the quality of customer care required to remain a step of ahead of their competition. Certified employees are motivated and qualified to improve the skills of others, and promote a greater depth of understanding of the meaning of customer care. Figure 1 Employer benefits of contact center certification Helps assure the delivery of superior customer service Produces more effective managers Produces more effective managers Depending on the program pursued, certified supervisors study not only operational skills, but also management Demonstrates commitment to employee development processes. They learn to think like managers, with a keen interest in employee development and cost management. Guarantees that employees meet a standard reduce risk They are more sensitive to the business environment and less inclined to allow their team to become siloed away from the mainstream of the organization. They view themselves and their colleagues as contributors. They are better prepared for positions of greater responsibility. Demonstrates commitment to employee development It is hard to find a major organization that does not claim to be 100% focused on their customers. Customer-centricity is almost an article of faith. However, words and actions are not always the same. When employees see that their employer is investing in certification training that signals real commitment at the senior management level. These are the kind of companies of people want to work for. Guarantees that employees meet a standard Management understands that credentialed employees have demonstrated the ability to meet demanding standards. This greatly reduces the risk that significant mistakes may be made that can prove injurious to customer relations. Employee Benefits of certification Contact center managers and supervisors who choose to pursue a certification track also achieve significant benefits. Figure 2 identifies some of these. Figure 2 Greater confidence in the ability to do the job ICMI (International Customer Management Institute) is a Employee Benefits Of Certification Training leading provider of certification training. To help assure that Greater confidence in one s ability to perform job responsibilities their training program is meeting the needs of clients, ICMI periodically conducts surveys of recent graduates. Topping Greater job security the list of perceived benefits is renewed confidence in their ability to take on and master their job responsibilities. It is Recognition from peers not uncommon for employers to enroll individuals in certification training in preparation for taking on new Preparation for changing communications channels and greater responsibilities. Greater job security Contact center employment, like other career pursuits, are subject to the risks of downsizing, industry consolidation, automation, and the possibility of foreign outsourcing. Having recognized credentials on their employment profile and their resume gives the certificate holder greater assurance that that they will be among the employees that are retained during a restructuring. And if not, they will find it much easier to find new employment in the industry. 3

4 Recognition from peers Those that have become certified are recognized by their peers and team members as a as having a greater knowledge of the nuts and bolts of contact center operations, and a deeper understanding of how the contact center fits within the broader enterprise. Preparation for changing communications channels Today s consumer can communicate with enterprises via multiple voice and data channels, and through a variety of devices. This creates challenges with how to provide and evaluate service quality. Trial and error can be costly, and can expose the company ICMI Professional Certification allowed me to improve my skills at building business cases and has increased our center s contribution to the bottom line. I have become a more creative and effective leader and educator as our company transitions to a more long-term focus on customer relationship management and employee loyalty. Linda Talarico, ICMI-Certified Strategic Leader, Customer Service Manager, RS Medical to unnecessary reputation risk. Poorly articulated text and communications can quickly be broadcast to thousands of people over the Internet. Certification training can provide valuable insight about best practices and provide a forum for exchanging ideas with peers. Teleflora has blossomed into the world s largest florist network, with more than 15,000 member shops in the U.S. and Canada and 20,000 affiliates outside North America. Needless to say, adaptation to change has been essential to Teleflora s success. But not since the transition from telegraph to telephone had the industry experienced a major shift in customer-side technology. Then came the Internet. I was impressed that the program s content was updated to accommodate emerging channels, such as social media and chat, said Amas Tenumah, Vice President of Operations. It really helped us define what we were trying to build at that point. We immediately started seeing benefits within the contact center. Before selecting ICMI Professional Certification, Teleflora considered other types of programs. We evaluated other solutions, but found that the ICMI program, with its focus on taking each individual practitioner s skill set to the next level, made the most sense for us, Tenumah added. Selecting a certification training program There are number of institutions and organizations that provide certification training. These vary in terms of cost, curriculum, delivery models and other factors. Figure 3 lists some key considerations when examining alternative training sources. There are several objective criteria that should be examined. However, we placed stature at the top the list. You will want to select a widely-respected organization with a long history of providing training and leadership in the customer care profession. Delivery of a consistent, standardized skill set is also critical, as it allows organizations to compare apples to apples when making hiring and advancement decisions. The bestowment of industry-recognized designations will also assist with this process. Figure 3 Important Criteria For Selecting A Certification Training Provider Originates from a recognized leader (stature) Vets content through industry practitioners and experts Reflects current best practices and benchmarks Delivers a consistent, standardized skill set at a mastery level Offers meaningful testing in a managed setting Bestows industry-recognized designations Finally, it is advisable to research the mechanism Provides access to certified trainers, live forums, and informative study guides by which the learning provider determines course content, evaluates its effectiveness, and makes adjustments to accommodate changing needs. A superior contact center certification program reflects current best practices and ensures that these standards, as well as the training and the testing, are approved by an advisory council comprised of practitioners and industry experts. Currently, ICMI offers the only industry-recognized professional certification program for the contact center industry. 4

5 Summary Contact centers in some form have been around for over 50 years. However, management of the contact center function is still at the forefront of becoming recognized as a true profession. For practitioners to be acknowledged as professionals, they must meet a defined standard of excellence. Certification serves this purpose. ICMI has been a longtime industry innovator, and ICMI Professional Certification continues that tradition of innovation and excellence. Contact center professionals who achieved certification through the program agree, with 99% stating that they now: are a more effective manager of operations and processes have a greater understanding of key contact center metrics have a more disciplined approach to decision-making Today, it is increasingly difficult for enterprises to sustain significant competitive advantages and price and functionality. The differentiating factor between organizations that prosper and those that do not, often comes down to the quality of customer care provided. Pledging allegiance to customer-centricity means little if not backed up by affirmative actions. Professional certification can help to assure that the enterprise is sincerely dedicated to providing top-notch customer care, and that the employee is committed to providing this experience on an individual level. About ICMI The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) is the leading global provider of comprehensive resources for customer management professionals from frontline agents to executives who wish to improve customer experiences and increase efficiencies at every level of the contact center. Since 1985, ICMI has helped more than 50,000 organizations in 167 countries through training, events, certification, consulting, and informational resources. ICMI s experienced and dedicated team of industry insiders, trainers, and consultants are committed to helping you raise the strategic value of your contact center, optimize your operations and improve your customer service