71498 FETC Contact Centre Operations

Transcription

Learner Guide
71498 FETC
Contact Centre Operations
Learner Guide: SLA & Staff Management
LU 4
Learner Guide
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. 2
A. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 5
1.
About the Programme ................................................................................................................5
2.
About Learning Unit 4 .................................................................................................................5
Learning Unit Quarter 4: Staff Management ..............................................................................5
Learning Map ................................................................................................................... 7
Module 1: Management Information Systems .................................................................. 8
1.
Introduction ................................................................................................................................8
2.
Using Software Packages ............................................................................................................9
1.
3.
Management Information Systems............................................................................................9
3.1
Defining Information Management....................................................................................9
3.2
IT Model Design ................................................................................................................10
3.3
Challenges in MIS ..............................................................................................................11
3.4
Aligning Business Goals and IT Metrics.............................................................................11
3.5
Access vs. Security.............................................................................................................15
2.
4.
Group Activity: Computer Literacy .............................................................................9
Individual Activity: MIS Access..................................................................................15
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................16
Module 2: SLA Management........................................................................................... 18
1.
Introduction to Service Level Agreements ...............................................................................19
1.1
Definition of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) .................................................................19
1.2
Purpose of Service Level Agreements...............................................................................20
1.3
Structure of Service Level Agreements.............................................................................21
1.4
Types of Service Level Agreements ..................................................................................22
3.
2.
Group Activity: SLA Indicators...................................................................................24
Monitoring Service Level Agreements .....................................................................................24
2.1
Why Service Metrics Fail...................................................................................................25
4.
Individual Activity: Using Metrics in Management ................................................... 27
2.2
Steps for creating better Service Metrics .........................................................................27
2.3
Company Specific Service Levels.......................................................................................30
5.
Group Activity: Company Specific Service Levels......................................................30
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2.4
Monitoring Implementation.............................................................................................30
2.4.1
Pressure Points in Monitoring ..................................................................................31
2.4.2
Call Centre Process Flow ...........................................................................................31
Importance of Metrics ......................................................................................................................32
2.5
Using Metrics to Monitor Performance............................................................................33
6.
2.6
Alternative Monitoring Strategy .......................................................................................38
7.
3.
Group Activity: Monitoring Plan ...............................................................................37
Group Activity: Alternative Monitoring Methods..................................................... 40
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................40
Module 3: Staff Development......................................................................................... 41
1.
Purpose of this Module ............................................................................................................42
2.
Working with Adults .................................................................................................................42
3.
2.1
Adult Learning Principles ..................................................................................................42
2.2
Learning Styles ..................................................................................................................43
The Skills Development Platform .............................................................................................44
3.1
Understanding the NQF ....................................................................................................44
3.2
The NQF Level Descriptors ...............................................................................................45
8.
3.3
Achieving Applied Competence ........................................................................................49
3.4
An Outcomes Based Model...............................................................................................50
9.
4.
Group Activity: Developing a Outcomes Based Approach........................................51
Conducting a Needs Analysis ....................................................................................................51
4.1
The Training Needs Analysis .............................................................................................51
4.2
The Gap Analysis ...............................................................................................................53
10.
5.
Group Activity: NQF Level Descriptors......................................................................48
Group Activity: Training Needs Analysis ...............................................................54
Coaching....................................................................................................................................55
5.1
Defining Coaching .............................................................................................................55
5.2
GROW - a Coaching Model................................................................................................56
11.
5.3
Process of Coaching ..........................................................................................................58
12.
5.4
Group Activity: Team Leader Wheel .....................................................................61
Decision to Coach..............................................................................................................61
14.
5.6
Group Activity: Coaching.......................................................................................58
Skills to Coach ...................................................................................................................60
13.
5.5
Individual Activity: Coaching Models ....................................................................58
Case Study: Coaching – or Not? ............................................................................63
Using Coaching Plans & Sheets .........................................................................................65
15.
Individual Activity: Coaching Plan .........................................................................66
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5.7
6.
Formal vs. Informal Coaching Methodologies .................................................................66
Conducting the Coaching Activity .............................................................................................70
6.1
Communication.................................................................................................................70
6.2
A Communications Model.................................................................................................70
16.
6.3
Providing Feedback ...........................................................................................................73
6.4
A Feedback Model.............................................................................................................75
17.
7.
Group Activity: Conducting a Coaching Session....................................................76
Preparing Coaching Reports .....................................................................................................77
7.1
Statistical Analysis.............................................................................................................78
18.
7.2
8.
Individual Activity: Coaching Language.................................................................71
Individual Activity: Coaching Needs......................................................................79
Individual Reporting..........................................................................................................79
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................81
Formative Activities........................................................................................................ 83
Administration ............................................................................................................... 85
1.
Learner Evaluation Form...........................................................................................................85
Copy Right
This document was created for Club Leisure Training and Development Department.
Club Leisure holds copyright on this document and it may not be reproduced in any
form without permission. However, the SAQA qualification outline and the unit
standards are public property and Services SETA is the official certification body for the
qualification.
Please contact Club leisure Training and development Department if you are in any
doubt about what may or may not be copied and/or reproduced.
This tool is only for use by registered assessors for the 71489 Contact Centre
Operations qualification on their registered assessment scope.
4
Learner Guide
A.
Introduction
1.
About the Programme
Welcome to Learning Unit 4 of the Further Education and Training Certificate in Contact Centre
Operations. This is an NQF registered qualification (SAQA Reg. No 71489) Level 4.
2.
About Learning Unit 4
Learner Tip:
This Learning Unit covers exit level outcomes 1 & 5:
• Understand and implement service levels and their monitoring in Contact
Centres.
• Coach others in Contact Centres.
The table below contains the unit standards that will be covered in this
Learning Unit.
Learning Unit Quarter 4: Staff Management
This Learning Unit has six related unit standards, offered as 2 separate programme units:
Unit 1: Staff Management
ELO
1&5
US Type
Core
NLRD
10313
Core
10327
US Title
Comply with service levels as set out in
a Contact Centre Operation
Provide coaching to personnel within a
Contact Centre
Level
Level 4
Credits
10
Level 4
10
Unit 2: Fundamental Literacy (2nd Language)
ELO
1&5
US Type
Fundamental
NLRD
119472
Fundamental
119457
Fundamental
119467
US Title
Accommodate audience and
context needs in oral/signed
communication
Interpret and use information
from texts
Use language and
communication in occupational
learning programmes
Level
NQF Level 03
Credits
5
NQF Level 03
5
NQF Level 03
5
5
Learner Guide
ELO
US Type
Fundamental
NLRD
119465
US Title
Write/present/sign texts for a
range of communicative
contexts
Level
NQF Level 03
Credits
5
This Learning Guide contains the learning material for Unit 1: Staff Management only.
You are ready to continue your Contact Centre Learning Experience in SLA & Coaching
Management – Good Luck!!
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Learner Guide
Learning Map
Module 1:
Management
Information Systems
Module 2:
SLA Management
Module 3:
Staff Development
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Information Management
IT Model Design, Challenges in IT
Business Goals & IT Metrics
Access & Security
Introduction to Service Level Agreements
Definition, purpose, structure & types
Monitoring Service Level Agreements
Metrics, real time Monitoring
Using metrics in monitoring
Alternative monitoring
Adult Learning principles & Learning Styles
The Skills Development Platform and the NQF
Training Needs Analysis & Gap Analysis
Coaching
Communication
Reporting on Coaching
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Learner Guide
Module 1: Management Information Systems
Learning Outcomes:
The essential embedded knowledge of the following unit standard is covered
in this module:
• 10313 Comply with service levels as set out in a Contact Centre
Operation (Level 4 – 10 credits)
The following learning outcomes will be covered in this module:
US Area
EEK1
EEK4
CCFO2
CCFO3
1.
Learning Outcome
Demonstrate an understanding of Windows, Word and Excel operating
systems.
Understand reading and interpreting management information systems.
Organise and manage oneself and activities responsibly and effectively in
responding to and achieving service level requirements
Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information pertaining to the
compliance of service levels.
Introduction
Working in a Call Centre environment requires a fairly high level of
computer literacy, and is normally an entry requirement in applying for a
Call centre Agent’s position.
This module will therefore not provide basic training in computer literacy
– you have already been through the Induction programme and Learning
Unit 3, which deals extensively with computer literacy.
Mentored Discussion: Information System
Your Facilitator will lead a discussion on the following:
•
•
Software used in your Contact Centre Information System
Application of additional software used, such as Windows
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2.
Using Software Packages
Mentored Discussion: Software Use
Your Facilitator will lead a discussion on the following topics:
• Which software packages are used in your Call Centre environment (apart
from IRIS)?
• Which functions are you required to perform on these software packages
– for example MSWord or MS Excel?
1. Group Activity: Computer Literacy
In your groups, you are required to prepare a presentation of a computer skill
in either MSWord or MS Excel. In your presentation, you must cover the
following:
•
•
•
What the skills is (for example mail merge, using Smart Art Graphics)
What is the purpose / advantages of the skill
A “how to” demonstration on how it is done
Dear Sir, I
am……
3.
Management Information Systems
3.1
Defining Information Management
Information management is a general term that refers to managing any kind of information. This
information that is managed varies according to the industry. Document management is also
considered as information management since you are managing the information that is contained in
the documents.1
Database management systems are programs that are written to store, update, and retrieve
information from a database. There are many databases available in the market.
1
http://www.management-hub.com/informationmanagement-it39.html
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Learner Tip:
The most popular are the Oracle and SQL Server. The Oracle database is from
the Oracle Corporation and the SQL Server is from the Microsoft Corporation.
There are freely available database like MySQL. These are open source
databases. Database Management Systems are available for personal
computers and for huge systems like mainframes.
Mentored Discussion: Organizational Database
•
•
3.2
Do you know which type of Database your organization is using for
client management purposes?
Where are your servers located, and back-up of data done?
IT Model Design
Technology is only worthwhile if it helps you achieve your business objectives. Business Process
Management technology is fast gaining the reputation of being one of the most valuable IT
investments you can make because it helps you achieve your most critical business objectives:2
• Increased Productivity
• Better Customer Service
• Greater Competitive Advantage
• Stronger Financial Performance
• Regulatory Compliance
MIS support consists of designing, developing, implementing, operating, and maintaining IT systems,
databases, and Web sites that meet the needs of project management and project control for all size
of projects. It also includes implementing IT security requirements and providing user support.
2
www.buzzle.com
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Learner Guide
3.3
Challenges in MIS
What are the biggest challenges in MIS Systems?
Every business has its own set of unique challenges. Here are some challenges that can touch any IT
organization:
•
•
•
•
•
3.4
Managing costs: This is always the No. 1 concern. To ensure that investments will bring the
best return, assess the current state of your organization and its ability to deliver value.
Changing metrics: All too often in IT, when you finally find a pattern, there is a change and
your current metrics become obsolete. Be prepared to adjust mid-cycle, as it is inevitable.
Understanding requirements: Ensure that you fully understand internal customers’ needs
and the requirements to ease their pain as well as meet the business’s goals.
Leadership support: Major infrastructure changes and enhancements are significant
investments. Senior management may not always see the big picture and often have varying
opinions about how to spend budget dollars. Showing direct correlation between IT
initiatives and business goals can help earn IT funds.
Poor prioritization: IT project wish lists do not get shorter. Poorly prioritized projects can end
up costing additional money and time. Consider time, capital and outcomes when
prioritizing projects.
Aligning Business Goals and IT Metrics
What metrics are typically used when aligning IT and business objectives?
One of the most important ways to monitor your success is to evaluate your work and show tangible
results. Although it is recommended that you develop metrics significant to your organization’s
success, there are some standard metrics that can work well for any organization.
•
•
•
Percentage uptime: How long are your applications staying up? Consider the times when the
applications are down and how they affect the function of that application and the cost per
employee during downtime.
Functionality: What purpose is the application serving, and what process is it improving?
Determine whether the project is meeting a purpose for the business.
Problem resolution: Are user issues being addressed in an efficient way? Is there one central
location for users to go to for the application? What is the time to repair for problem
resolution?
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Learner Guide
Metrics should always be tailored to a company and its objectives. Determine what metrics capture
the true results of your projects to calculate the return on investment for your organization.
1. Information Technology3 is a very important component in any business and is becoming
increasingly central to the businesses success. Many companies are struggling to conceptualize along
these lines. A major problem is the cultural divide, business managers focusing on business results,
profits etc, while IT managers are focusing on technology. To align IT efforts with business goals, one
needs a shared vision.
2. Aligning IT with Business4
For one to be competitive in this day and age, everything in the business relies on IT. This could
include remuneration and benefits, marketing, sales, inventory, supplies, invoicing, communications
and more. These are considered as business objects and the good IT manager should focus on the
needs and analyze with an outward approach, without focusing internally on the technology itself.
Regardless of size, alignment of the business and IT objectives is an exercise that should be
completed at least once a year.
3. Strategic Planning
A Strategic Plan must contain the overall objectives of the business and should be considered as the
businesses recipe for success. It is not a business plan but can provide the foundation for one. A
prerequisite for a Strategic Planning requires a critical analysis of existing or perceived strengths,
weaknesses, threats and opportunities. A strategy for development should cover the following
areas:
o Vision
o Mission
o Objectives
o Strategies
o Goals
A vision statement should be presented as a picture of the business in the future (A few years time),
an ultimate goal of what you wish to accomplish. Most businesses today have reference to
information technology in their Vision Statement. Samples of such statements could be:
More IT specific:
“Our vision is to provide integrated information technology throughout business, to enhance service,
productivity, communication and access to information”
Or less IT specific:
“To be one of the leading suppliers of Motor Spares in South Africa” In the first case, it is the vision
of the said company is to acquire a fully integrated IT backbone or architecture. This statement is
very direct and the vision will impact directly on IT. In the second case, the statement has no direct
reference to IT, but to achieve these goals, it is obvious that the IT requirements of the first
statement would apply.
3
4
Integrating IT into Business – Gregory Booth
Integrating IT with Business – Gregory Booth
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Learner Guide
Reasons among others being:
o It is a national company with multiple branches
o It requires a comprehensive inventory
o Stock control
o Communications between branches
o Financial systems
A mission statement will reflect how the vision will be accomplished. It will be translated directly
into a set of goals and objectives. These are usually stipulated in point form.
Goals are generally large statements that are what you wish to accomplish in a project or business.
They are usually not very measurable. Objectives are operational. They tell of specific things that you
wish to accomplish and are very measurable. Objectives will form the basis for activities for your
business and will also form a basis for evaluation. Strategies describe the processes that will be
followed to meet these goals and objectives.
4. How do we implement this?
a. Review and define business goals
Meet with stake holder and management to obtain a list of key business goals for the next three
years. These could include new product introductions, customer service initiatives, HR and staffing
requirements, facilities, marketing etc.
b. Review and analyze current IT services and infrastructure.
Do a complete audit of existing IT. These could include the state of the LAN/WAN, servers, desk top
PCs, the software applications being used, the businesses website, e-business applications,
databases etc. Create an audit document and map the business objects to the relevant services.
c. Determine the technology goals of the business
Create a list of IT goals that will support the business processes as well as any new requirements for
any new business initiatives. These could include new desktop applications to support certain
processes, additional desktop computers, expansion or redevelopment of the corporate website for
marketing or e-business, introduction of an Enterprise Resource Planner (ERP), LAN/WAN extension
or upgrade or new application development.
d. Create a list of new projects
Compile a list of new requirements based on an analysis of the previous three sections.
These should be broken into actual projects with time constraints. Each project should be linked to
one of the business or technology goals that it is intended to support as set out in the strategic plan.
Other requirements should also be defined, even if it includes maintenance or upgrades to existing
services.
e. Draw up a project plan and define the timelines
Analyze each project and put it into a realistic time schedule. Consult with management as to the
priorities of each project. The schedule would be best presented in a chart that shows how current
resources will be made available and utilized. This document will also be used for budgeting during
the project time periods.
This information is collected during brainstorming sessions with management in the business sectors
and IT personnel. Outside consultants could also be considered in such sessions as internal people
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Learner Guide
are prone to focusing on internal issues instead of the big picture.
5. Approach to take
The alignment of IT with business is a joint initiative conducted between two distinctively different
cultures. Business executives and managers come from a culture closely focused on what must be
done to make the business successful. These include profits, productivity, staffing, margins etc. IT
people are focused on detail, and how thing work from an IT standpoint. If these two cultures are to
be aligned and made to work together, both need to broaden their narrow focus to achieve an
understanding of what and how business and IT should overlap.
a. From the business side
Business need to do more than just make demands. Business managers need to have a basic
understanding of IT requirements and the constraints in which it operates such as:
o Volume of demand for development and fixes
o Age of systems that have to be maintained and operated
o Impact of changes
o Interdependencies between processes, application and infrastructure
o IT skills, resources and budget
o The pressures of managing temperamental IT staff
It is also the responsibility of business managers to make sure that IT understands the businesses
requirements. This is done by encouraging IT to develop and feel a sense of mission about business
objectives.
b. From the IT side
IT needs to stop focusing on technology. A more accurate reference to their responsibilities would
be “Business Technology”. Everything depends on it. IT no longer simply supports business
processes, it creates and delivers them, scales and modify them. Nowadays, business process is
being modified to suit IT and new innovation.
IT departments have a different language to business departments. They speak a language of
technology. Success is based on technology. IT needs to acknowledge that business is providing the
goods and services that make the profit and develop a new set of metrics relevant to business
outcomes and useful to managers.
These include:
o Mapping of infrastructure in a way that reveals the dependencies of business services to IT
components o Monitoring the end user experience
o Anticipating problems
o Developing procedures that tie IT to business goals
o Including business managers in IT roles
o Training and support
o Best practices applies in business to mirror in IT
6. Outcomes
The ideal outcome of integrating IT with business would be a shared vision between business and IT
departments, processes that deliver the services required to maintain high standards and customer
satisfaction in a harmonized environment.
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Learner Guide
7. Conclusion
As a general conclusion, the adoption of a well thought out strategic plan, setting out goals,
objectives and strategies to be integrated into IT systems and infrastructure, adding value to the
chain of services that make the business successful.
3.5
Access vs. Security
It is important to have access control to documents, to protect the integrity of your organization.
Not all people can have equal access to all records, and it is important to structure access in
accordance with a Popular Management of Information Principle:
Information is accessed or released on a basis of “Need to Know” – and it is important to determine
in the organization what a person’s right and duty to information is.
It is helpful to colour code the access status and determine a person’s colour coded security status
to records
Status
Colour Code
Reason
Must Know
Nice to Know
Green
Yellow
Need to Know
Orange
Need not Know
Red
Essential information to perform his duties, full access allowed
Not directly related to his job function, but access to does not
compromise confidentiality or security
Needs access to portions of the information – not all of it. Some
protection of security and confidentiality required
Job function requires no access to this information, and adds no
value to the person’s job functions
2. Individual Activity: MIS Access
•
•
•
What are the main components of your management information
system?
Do you have access / security levels in your MIS? Do you know how
Access / Security levels are determined?
How do your MIS support your organizational service levels?
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Learner Guide
4.
Conclusion
Self Assessment:
You have come to the end of this module – please take the time to review
what you have learnt to date, and conduct a self assessment against the
learning outcomes of this module
US
Learning Outcomes
EEK1
Demonstrate an understanding of Windows,
Word and Excel operating systems.
Understand reading and interpreting
management information systems.
Organise and manage oneself and activities
responsibly and effectively in responding to
and achieving service level requirements
Collect, analyse, organise and critically
evaluate information pertaining to the
EEK4
CCFO2
CCFO3
Sorted!
Mostly ...
Need Help!
PoE Activity:
Refer to your Portfolio Guide for the assessment activities related to this
section.
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Learner Guide
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Learner Guide
Module 2: SLA Management
Learning Outcomes:
The following unit standard is covered in this module:
• 10313 Comply with service levels as set out in a Contact Centre
Operation (Level 4 – 10 credits)
US Area
SO1
AC1,2
AC3
SO2 / AC1
AC2
AC3
AC4
EEK2
EEK3
CCFO1
CCFO3
CCFO4
CCFO5
CCFO6
Learning Outcome
Understand company specific service levels.
Explain the purpose of service level agreements and types of relevant service
level agreements
List, describe and explain the requirements of all relevant service levels
Range: Service levels include but are not limited to management, information
systems, information on systems and wall boards, sign on time, abandoned
rate etc., shift changes.
Meet, implement and maintain company specific service levels
Monitor implementation processes to ensure compliance.
Meet service level timeframes and targets consistently as per company specific
requirements.
Identify and evaluate potential constraints in meeting and maintaining service
levels
Understand product and industry specific knowledge.
Understand call centre specific service levels.
Work effectively with others in the achievement of service level requirements.
Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information pertaining to the
Communicate effectively by demonstrating an application of the understanding
of relevant service level agreements in relevant medium desired by client
Demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by
recognising the meeting and maintenance of service levels impact on the
overall success of the organisation.
Develop entrepreneurial opportunities while complying with service levels.
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Learner Guide
1.
Introduction to Service Level Agreements
Your Call Centre may have several Service Level Agreements in place for a variety of services, for
example management, information management, IT systems, HR management or development.
Self Reflection: SLA’s
•
•
1.1
Do you know what types of Service Level Agreements your organization
has in place?
Who manages the Service Level Agreements – and how?
Definition of a Service Level Agreement (SLA)
A service level agreement5 (frequently abbreviated as SLA) is a part of a service contract where the
level of service is formally defined.
Learner Tip:
In practice, the term SLA is sometimes used to refer to the contracted delivery
time (of the service) or performance. As an example, internet service
providers will commonly include service level agreements within the terms of
their contracts with customers, as a way to signify to their customers that
their service may go down from time to time and that they must accept this
breach in service as a (non-refundable) possibility!
A service level agreement (SLA) is a negotiated agreement between two parties where one is the
customer and the other is the service provider. This can be a legally binding formal or informal
"contract" (see internal department relationships). Contracts between the service provider and
other third parties are often (incorrectly) called SLAs — as the level of service has been set by the
(principal) customer, there can be no "agreement" between third parties (these agreements are
simply a "contract").
Learner Tip:
Operating Level Agreements or OLA(s), however, may be used by
internal groups to support SLA(s).
5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_level_agreement
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Learner Guide
1.2
Purpose of Service Level Agreements
The SLA records a common understanding about services, priorities, responsibilities, guarantees, and
warranties. Each area of service scope should have the "level of service" defined.
The SLA may specify the levels of availability, serviceability, performance, operation, or other
attributes of the service, such as billing.
Critical Note:
The "level of service" can also be specified as "target" and "minimum," which
allows customers to be informed what to expect (the minimum), whilst
providing a measurable (average) target value that shows the level of
organization performance.
In some contracts, penalties may be agreed upon in the case of noncompliance of the SLA (but see "internal" customers below).
It is important to note that the "agreement" relates to the services the customer receives, and not
how the service provider delivers that service.
Output Based SLA
Service-level agreements are, by their nature, "output" based — the result of the service as received
by the customer is the subject of the "agreement."
The (expert) service provider can demonstrate their value by organizing themselves with ingenuity,
capability, and knowledge to deliver the service required, perhaps in an innovative way.
Input Based SLA
Organizations can also specify the way the service is to be delivered, through a specification (a
service-level specification) and using subordinate "objectives" other than those related to the level
of service. This type of agreement is known as an "input" SLA.
This latter type of requirement is becoming obsolete as organizations become more demanding and
shift the delivery methodology risk on to the service provider.
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Learner Guide
1.3
Structure of Service Level Agreements
SLAs commonly include segments to address: a definition of services, performance measurement,
problem management, customer duties, warranties, disaster recovery, termination of agreement.
Service-level agreements (SLAs) are critical for the success of any outsourcing initiative as they set
expectations for both parties – the outsourcer and the customer.
The following outlines the type of information contained in a Service Level Agreement: 6
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Operating days and hours
Definition of work
Processes and procedures
Agent quality
Agent coaching
Agent training
Escalation procedures
Technology
Uptime requirements and performance
Backup and contingency
Reporting
Transaction handling
Security
Critical Note:
The best service-level agreements are very detailed and address every aspect of
your relationship with your outsourcer, including rewards and penalties for good
and bad performance. They also include how to handle transitions when
relationships end.
Service-level agreements (SLAs) should include commitments for response,
escalation and resolution time whenever possible, and should break down the
different types of issues.
Vendors often have categories predefined, such as major and minor outages.
Some companies also break down internal issues to troubles (something isn't
working) versus service (i.e., a new feature or capability, or a change).
6
http://searchcrm.techtarget.com
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Learner Guide
1.4
Types of Service Level Agreements
You might have internal elements of your enterprise for which you need to guarantee service, as
well as third party (outsourced) providers that you depend on to provide levels of service to your
customer (external).
Critical Note:
You must ensure that internal objectives can be met, from which you offer
external guarantees to your customers.
This reliance of external SLAs on internal SLAs (which in turn might be
dependent on outsourced SLAs) is the key to delivering true end-to-end
service level agreements.
It is important to distinguish between different types of SLAs – three types of SLAs are defined
below: 7
External SLA
Tracks services that you provide to your external customers. Reports are available to your
customers, showing levels of service that are being provided. In this type of SLA, you are considered
to be the provider of services for your external customer.
Internal SLA
Tracks the internal operation of your computing infrastructure. Reports generated are for internal
use only. In this SLA, you are considered to be the provider, while your customer can also be your
own organization or another internal group ultimately responsible for providing services to an
external customer. Use an internal SLA to monitor your own internal operations, enabling you to
provide services to your external customers on a more reliable basis.
Outsourced SLA
Tracks services provided to you by a third party. For this type of SLA, you are considered to be the
customer, not the provider. You might want to define an outsourced SLA to monitor critical services
that are provided to your organization, core services for your environment that you use to provide
your services to your external customers.
Learner Tip:
While SLAs can be created to support one of these types, SLAs are
increasingly becoming more oriented toward end-to-end and structured
agreements, with a single SLA made up of internal, external, and outsourced
layers.
7
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com
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Mentored Discussion: Company Specific SLA’s
• Internal SLA’s in place in Club Leisure
• External SLA’s in place in Club Leisure
• Outsourced SLA’s in place in Club Leisure
For example, consider the environment depicted in the Graphic presentation below.
Case Study: Showing the tiered nature of internal, external, and outsourced
SLAs.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Company Y provides a Web hosting service for Company Z that includes a
point-of-presence (represented by the circle), Web servers (A, B, and C), and a
back-end database.
The database is located at a remote site (where coordinated backup can
occur) and is accessed through a backbone network provided by Company X.
An external SLA is depicted that represents Company Z's access to the entire
Web hosting service.
Within Company Y, there are internal SLAs to track network connectivity
between the point-of-presence and the Web servers, and to track the
availability of the back-end database.
Also pictured is the SLA provided by Company X, that assures proper operation
to the backbone network (for which Company Y is a consumer).
The SLA drawn as a dotted line tracks Company Y's view of the backbone
network, and serves as a way of checking the consumed SLA from Company X.
This is the outsourced SLA.
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Learner Guide
3. Group Activity: SLA Indicators
In your group, discuss the following and provide feedback to the group:
1. Draw up a Mind Map of the product and specific industry knowledge that
Call Centre Agents must have in Club Leisure, The Mind Map must show
main cluster areas, which must be translatable into performance
indicators and training needs.
2. From the Mind Map drafted above, identify at least 4 specific service level
areas which will be present in the internal SLA’s with Contact Centre
Operators.
3. From the Mind Map drafted above, identify at least 4 key specific service
level areas which will be present in the external SLA’s with your
company’s IT Provider.
4. Identify if any Outsourced Service Level Agreements would be relevant –
if so, what would the SLA service level indicators be?
2.
Monitoring Service Level Agreements
Because of the importance to business operations, companies manage sourcing arrangements
through complex contracts that contain detailed statements of work (SOW) describing the services
and deliverables to be provided, and SLA’s that use metrics to describe the desired performance
standards and a framework for monitoring the ongoing delivery of service.
When chosen wisely and implemented / monitored correctly, service level metrics are an invaluable
governance tool.
They can provide: 8
•
•
•
•
Precise delivery standards for service attributes such as quality, responsiveness, and efficiency
An objective means for determining whether ongoing performance meets expectations and a
basis for triggering rewards of penalties based on that performance.
Valuable trend and operational data that enables the rapid identification and correction of
issues
A foundation for making informed adjustments in service delivery to meet changing business
requirements
Learner Tip:
Unfortunately service level metrics rarely deliver the intended benefits listed
above. Poorly selected or constructed service metrics can actually motivate
behaviours that are detrimental to the success of the sourcing arrangement
and its ability to deliver the desired business results.
8
Courtesy Ian S Hayes, clarity Consulting: “Creating better service level metrics”
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Learner Guide
2.1
Why Service Metrics Fail
Despite their importance, service level metrics are often added as an afterthought when negotiating
a service level agreement.
1.
Wrong Metrics
Companies enter into service level agreements for one reason – to further one or more business
objectives. If the goal is to streamline operations, then the service metric should measure the
services improvement to company’s operation.
Critical Note:
Typical mistakes made in choosing metrics:
•
•
•
•
•
Going for ease of measurement rather than fit to business objective
Not considering collection and analysis effort
Does not provide actionable information – if it does not clearly tell you
what should be done to fix the problem, it is a useless metric
Measuring attributes outside the service provider’s control
Picking a metric that is not clearly defined, and methods of collection of
metric data is open to interpretation
2.
Wrong Target Setting
A service level agreement (SLA) normally contains both metrics and targets. For example, a Call
Centre metric may be “calls per rep per hour” and the target may be set to 15. The service provider
is judged (and rewarded / penalized) by its ability to meet the target. Often companies set targets to
what is desirable rather than realistically achievable, or set the targets too low to achieve business
goals.
3.
Insufficient Metrics to support sound decision making
Simplicity is a valid objective when choosing metrics for a SLA, and is often applied to the point if
listing a few key indicators only. Though such metrics may be useful, they may not be able to supply
the entire picture or assist in troubleshooting when things go wrong.
4.
Improper set up and infrastructure to support metric usage
Like any other tool, metrics require an investment of time, resources, education to be effective. SLA
reporting is often seen as a burdensome overhead activity that produces reams of number filled
data that lies unread in a cubicle. Someone in the organization must be responsible (and held
accountable) for managing vendor’s performance to its terms.
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Learner Guide
Learner Tip:
Planning for and implementing metrics collection, analysis and reporting
processes is essential – and training of the Business managers (and Directors)
in reading and interpreting the metric data is just as essential.
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Learner Guide
5.
Misused penalties and incentives
Performance penalties and rewards can be a powerful tool if used correctly, but can poison the
relationship if used incorrectly, even encouraging wrong behaviours. Metrics must be firmly aligned
to business objectives, and penalties / rewards meaningful contributors.
4. Individual Activity: Using Metrics in Management
On your own, look at the following questions and provider feedback to the
group during a general discussion.
1. How does Service Level Agreements contribute to the management of
staff and outsourced partners?
2. How is the development of Metrics linked to your Organizational Business
Strategy and Goals?
3. How can the correct development of metrics support business or training
needs analysis?
2.2
Steps for creating better Service Metrics
Choosing the right service metrics, creating effective service level agreements and managing services
using those agreements is critical in the Contact Centre environment.
1.
•
•
•
Start from the Business Objectives
List the major business objectives.
For each objective, list how the service contributes to the objective
Next, consider the attributes that assess each contribution.
Example Box:
One objective in outsourcing the support of a corporate web-site may be to
attract more prospective buyers to the business.
The outsourcing engagement would contribute to this objective by
developing an attractive web-site that encourages more visitors, promotes to
company’s products and services and captures contact information for sales
follow up.
These contributions can be measured by the amount of people who visit the
web-site, noting the access to each product’s features, and capturing of
visitors information or sign-ups.
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Learner Guide
2.
Turn the Objectives into Metrics
To turn the attributes determined above into metrics, consider the following:
•
•
•
•
•
Are the attributes within the power of the service provider to control or affect?
If the attribute is not entirely in the control of the service provider, can it be supplemented by
another metric that isolates the vendor’s responsibilities?
Would the metric data from those attributes provide actionable insights?
Consider the behaviour that would be motivated by the metric. If the vendor optimizes
performance to maximize this metric, does it improve business performance?
What would be the means of collecting and analysing the metric data?
Continuing the Example:
The bottom line metric may be the number of new buying prospects per
month. However, this number is only partially within the control of the
service provider. The other attributes could be measured by the number
unique individuals that visit the site, the number of page views for company
products, and the number of on-line sign-ups for demo’s and downloads.
Each attribute is actionable – if for example the number of product page
views drop, they can see it is time for new content or better promotion.
3.
Add Operational Metrics
Operational metrics fall into 4 categories:
• Volume
• Responsiveness
• Quality
• Efficiency
Using demo and download sign ups, the company wants to know the number
of sign-ups per time period (volume), the time needed to pass these
prospects to sales (responsiveness), the type of person signing up (quality),
and cost of sign up delivered (efficiency)
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4.
Set reasonable performance targets
Each metric should have its own performance targets in the SLA, and must be set realistically, based
on actual history.
The company wants 1000 download sign-ups per month, these sign-ups must
reach the sales division within 15 minutes of occurrence, at least 60% of the
sign ups must be business people, and the cost must not exceed R15-00 per
sign up.
These targets are actionable, and set very clear expectations for the service provider. Likewise,
incentives or penalties can be provided if performance targets are exceeded or failed.
5.
Create a metrics definition document.
The metrics definition document accompanies the service level agreement and describes each
metric in detail. It describes the intent of the metric (why it was chosen), how the metric is
measured, and how the metric is interpreted. The goal is that both parties capture, analyze and act
upon the metric in the same way, use the same tools and analysis methods, and ensures clarity of
action when metric data changes.
For example, is a spike in data (up or down) auctioned when it happens, or is data tracked over 2 – 3
months before action is required?
6.
Build the contract to facilitate changes in the SLA
Business conditions change, service needs and parameters change, and the SLA must be open to
change where required.
7.
Match SLA’s with separate customer satisfaction surveys.
Performing separate customer satisfaction surveys of a given service’s internal customers is a critical
double check of both the vendor’s performance and the quality of the SLA and its metrics. If the SLA
meets or exceeds performance targets, but customer satisfaction is low (or vice versa), then the SLA
is using the wrong metrics.
Mismatch between customer satisfaction data and SLA data is a clear indicator that review is
required!
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Learner Guide
2.3
Company Specific Service Levels
Common Metrics
Service-level agreements can contain numerous service performance metrics with corresponding
service level objectives. A common case in IT Service Management is a call centre or service desk.
Metrics commonly agreed to in these cases include:
•
•
•
•
•
ABA (Abandonment Rate): Percentage of calls abandoned while waiting to be answered.
ASA (Average Speed to Answer): Average time (usually in seconds) it takes for a call to be
answered by the service desk.
TSF (Time Service Factor): Percentage of calls answered within a definite timeframe, e.g., 80% in
20 seconds.
FCR (First Call Resolution): Percentage of incoming calls that can be resolved without the use of a
call-back or without having the caller call back the helpdesk to finish resolving the case.
TAT (Turn Around Time): Time taken to complete a certain task.
Learner Tip:
Uptime Agreements are another very common metric, often used for data
services such as shared hosting, virtual private servers and dedicated servers.
Common agreements include percentage of network uptime, power uptime,
amount of scheduled maintenance windows, etc.
5. Group Activity: Company Specific Service Levels
In your groups – look at the Common Metrics provided above, and answer the
following questions:
1. For each of the common metric categories provided above, define the
company specific targets that are deemed acceptable in Club Leisure.
2. How are these targets communicated and maintained?
3. What monitoring system is in place to ensure adherence to the targets?
Resource Guide:
Refer to your Resource guide P5 for a Resource 1: Metrics in SLA Monitoring.
2.4
Monitoring Implementation
The question many Call Centre Team leaders and Managers ask, is:
•
•
What do I monitor in the Call Centre environment?
Which pressure points or areas must be included in a daily / weekly monitoring plan?
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Learner Guide
•
How do I use monitoring information to overcome potential constraints in
meeting and maintaining service levels?
Real-Time Monitoring9
Real time monitoring and reporting provides critical contact centre metrics and gives supervisors the
ability to manage their agent teams effectively. Authorized supervisors can monitor live agent and
customer interactions from any location. A supervisor uses a web browser to pick an agent to
monitor. A sophisticated Call Centre system will allow the supervisor to observe, select another
agent or quit monitoring.
Benefits of Real-Time Monitoring include:
•
•
Complete visibility into your call centre operations
Customer service quality assurance
2.4.1
Pressure Points in Monitoring
Learner Tip:
Performance management has been a challenge due to varied technologies
and data intricacies often involved in Contact Centres. While numerous
systems integrate to support the operation of Contact Centre, data from
these systems are not always processed and visualized in the right manner to
aid performance management.
2.4.2
Call Centre Process Flow
The Diagram on the following page10 illustrates the call flow (black arrows) along with the flow of
information from Call Centre transaction systems.
Performance related data is extracted from the individual transaction systems and transformed for
visualization in the form of reports and charts.
Conventionally, for performance management focus was on the data present in data transformation
and reporting layers (highlighted area).
Learner Tip:
This led to inconsistencies in metrics and reports affecting performance
management. Data analysis of the underlying transaction systems and
building a robust technology infrastructure are essential for effective Contact
Centre Performance Management.
9
http://www.contactual.com/en/Call-Center/Call-Center-Technology/Hosted-Call-Center/MonitoringRecording
10
http://www.exilant.com/contact_center/cs_overview.html
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Learner Guide
Importance of Metrics
Contact Centres generate huge volume of transaction data in numerous systems. This data is used to
derive its performance metrics. However non-standardization of data elements across systems,
leads to inconsistency in the derived metrics and reports. Usability of these derived metrics is also
greatly affected by ability to quickly visualize the required information.
Understanding the nature and source of data is essential to derive proper metrics in a contact
centre. Reporting infrastructure has to be abstracted from the raw data and a semantic layer has to
be built, so that users get faster access to metrics and reports.
Metrics help spot issues, identify root causes and control factors affecting customers. However,
complexity and proliferation of systems in a contact centre makes it difficult to derive the right
metrics.
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Learner Guide
Insight thru Data Analysis
While Contact Centres use traditional reports and charts to monitor performance, they lack the
ability to obtain insights into their operations. Often complex relationships and patterns remain
hidden in the data, which are revealed through manual analysis.
Data Analysis is required to uncover hidden relationships and patterns in the data. A multidisciplinary team is required to perform the tasks involved in implementing analytic projects.
Understanding of Contact Centre processes and data that drive them are essential for a successful
implementation.
Gain insight from customer interactions
Conventional reports cannot uncover complex patterns and relationships present in interaction data.
Analytics improves performance management of contact centres by providing such insights.
Data Quality
Poor data quality makes an otherwise helpful report and insight useless. It is very important to
realize that a functioning contact centre is not automatically ready for implementing performance
management strategies. This is because the rigor applied to validate data quality during
implementation may not rise to the standard expected for performance management.
Data Analysis is an important step in any performance management initiative. During this process,
data has to be compared against system of records to identify inconsistencies. This activity has to be
performed on a periodic basis to ensure clean data.
2.5
Using Metrics to Monitor Performance
The following article was written by Penny Reynolds, a founding partner of a Nashville Call Centre
School, a contact centre consulting and education company.
Article: Monitoring Call Centre Performance
Read the following article for discussion in the next activity.
A new look at THE TOP 20 Contact Centre Metrics11
The evolution of a simple call centre into a multichannel contact centre doesn't happen overnight. You
may need to add or upgrade technologies, and certainly staff skills will need to expand as customer
contacts begin to include e-mail and Web chat in addition to incoming phone calls.
It's also important to rethink what performance measurements are important for this new breed of
operation. Are the measures of performance that served you well in the call centre the same ones
that will determine how well the multichannel contact centre is working?
You can organize contact centre standards into three categories: service, quality, and efficiency.
11
http://multichannelmerchant.com/opsandfulfillment
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Learner Guide
We've put together the top 20 metrics in these categories.
SERVICES MEASURES
The most important measures of performance in the contact centre are those associated with service.
Some of these measures are the same for both the old-fashioned call centre and the modern-day
contact centre, while some need to change slightly to reflect the new types of transactions.
1) BLOCKAGE
An accessibility measure, blockage — busy signals — indicates what percentage of customers will not
be able to access the centre at a given time due to insufficient network facilities in place. Most centres
measure blockage by time of day or by occurrences of “all trunks busy” situations. Failure to include a
blockage goal allows a centre to always meet its speed-of-answer goal simply by blocking the excess
calls. As you can imagine, this damages customer accessibility and satisfaction, even though the
contact centre appears to be doing a great job of managing the queue.
The contact centre must also carefully determine the amount of bandwidth and e-mail server capacity
to ensure that large quantities of e-mails do not overload the system. Likewise, the number of lines
supporting fax services must be sufficient.
2) ABANDON RATE
Call centres measure the number of abandons as well as the abandon rate, since both relate to
retention and revenue. Keep in mind, however, that the abandon rate is not entirely under the call
centre’s control. While abandons are affected by the average wait time in queue (which the contact
centre can control), a multitude of other factors also influence this number, such as individual caller
tolerance, time of day, availability of service alternatives, and so on.
Abandon rate is not typically a measure associated with e-mail communications, as e-mail does not
abandon the “queue” once it has been sent, but it does apply to Web chat interactions.
3) SELF-SERVICE AVAILABILITY
More and more contacts are being offloaded from contact centre agents to self-service alternatives. In
the contact centre, self-service usage is an important gauge of accessibility and is typically measured
as an overall number, by self-service methodology and menu points, and by time of day or
demographic group. In cases of Web chat, automated alternatives such as FAQs or use of help
functions can reduce the requirement for the live interaction with a Web chat agent.
4) AND 5) SERVICE LEVEL AND AVERAGE SPEED OF ANSWER
Service level, the percentage of calls answered in a defined wait threshold, is the most common
speed-of-answer measure in the call centre. It is typically stated as X percent of calls handled in Y
seconds or less. Average speed of answer (ASA) represents the average wait time of all calls in the
period.
In the contact centre, speed of answer for Web chat should also be measured and reported with a
service level or an ASA number. Many centres measure initial response as well as the back-and-forth
times, as having too many open Web chat sessions can slow the expected response time once an
interaction has begun. The speed of answer for e-mail transactions, on the other hand, is defined as
“response time” and may be depicted in terms of hours or even days, rather than in seconds or
minutes of elapsed time.
6) LONGEST DELAY IN QUEUE
Another speed-of-answer measure is how long the oldest call in queue has been waiting: the longest
delay in queue (LDQ). A number of centres use real-time LDQ to indicate when more staff needs to be
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Learner Guide
made immediately available.
Historical LDQ is a more common measure, to indicate the “worst case” experience of a customer
over a period of time. Historical LDQ is measured in two categories. One is the longest delay for a
customer whose transaction was finally handled by an agent (longest delay to answer), and the other
is the longest delay for a customer who finally abandoned the contact (longest delay to abandon), as
might be the case in a Web chat scenario.
QUALITY MEASURES
Perhaps a more significant indicator of customer satisfaction than the “how fast” measures outlined
above is “how well” the contact was handled.
7) FIRST RESOLUTION RATE
The percentage of transactions completed within a single contact, often called the “one and done”
ratio, is a crucial measure of quality. It gauges the ability of the centre, as well as of an individual, to
accomplish an interaction in a single step without requiring a transfer to another person or area and
without needing another interaction at a future time to resolve the issue. The satisfactory resolution
of a call is tracked overall in the centre, as well as by type of call and perhaps by time of day, by team,
or by individual.
You should likewise track the one-contact resolution rate for e-mail transactions and Web
interactions. The resolution rate will likely be lower for e-mails, as it generally takes multiple messages
between two parties to resolve a matter to completion.
8) TRANSFER RATE
The transfer percentage is an indication of what percentage of contacts has to be transferred to
another person or place for handling. Tracking transfers can help fine-tune the routing strategies as
well as identify performance gaps of the staff. Likewise, tracking e-mails that must be transferred to
others or text chat interactions that require outside assistance helps to identify personnel training
issues or holes in online support tools.
9) COMMUNICATIONS ETIQUETTE
One of the critical factors that affect the caller's perception of how well a call was handled is simple
courtesy. You can monitor the degree to which telephone communications skills and etiquette are
displayed via observation or some form of quality monitoring.
E-mail and Web chat etiquette should also be observed. Standard wordings that employees should
follow in both types of communications should be carefully observed, reviewed, and recorded.
10) ADHERENCE TO PROCEDURES
Adherence to procedures such as workflow processes and call scripts is particularly important so that
the customer receives a consistent interaction regardless of the contact channel or individual agent
involved. In the call centre, adherence to processes and procedures is typically measured for
individuals through simple observation and the quality monitoring process. Adherence to processes
and procedures such as written scripts and preapproved responses is also important for e-mail and
other channels of contact.
EFFICIENCY MEASURES
Executives in every type of organization are concerned with how well its resources are being put to
use. That is especially true in the contact centre, where more than two-thirds of operating expenses
are related to personnel costs.
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Learner Guide
11) AGENT OCCUPANCY
Agent occupancy is the measure of actual time an agent is busy on customer contacts compared with
available or idle time, calculated by dividing workload hours by staff hours. Occupancy is an important
measure of how well the call centre has scheduled its staff and how efficiently it is using its resources.
If occupancy is too low, agents are sitting around idle with not enough to do. If occupancy is too high,
agents may be overworked.
Agent occupancy rates often reflect the randomness and unpredictability of incoming calls. In those
instances, the desired level of occupancy may lead managers to pull agents away from processing emails to answering phones, or vice versa. Because Web chat interactions are essentially random
events like incoming calls, the same measures of occupancy apply here as in an incoming call scenario.
12) STAFF SHRINKAGE
Staff shrinkage is the percentage of time that employees are not available to handle calls. It consists of
meeting and training time, breaks, paid time off, off-phone work, and general unexplained time where
agents are away from their stations. Staff shrinkage is an important number to track, since it plays an
important role in how many people will need to be scheduled each half-hour. The same measures of
shrinkage that are used for call centre calculations also apply to the multichannel contact centre.
13) SCHEDULE EFFICIENCY
Workforce management is all about getting the “just right” number of people in place each period of
the day to handle customer contacts. Schedule efficiency measures the degree of overstaffing and
understaffing that result from the scheduling design.
Measure schedule efficiency for responding to the randomly arriving Web chats just as you measure it
for responding to incoming calls. Since e-mails typically represent sequential rather than random
workload, the work fits the schedule, and therefore overstaffing and understaffing measures are less
relevant.
14) SCHEDULE ADHERENCE
Schedule adherence measures the degree to which the specific hours scheduled are actually worked
by the agents. It is an overall call centre measure and is also one of the most important team and
individual measures of performance, since it has such great impact on productivity and service.
Schedule adherence is a critical measure in the multichannel contact centre as well. Specific hours
worked is less of an issue in a group responding to e-mails rather than real-time demand of calls and
Web chats, but it is still relevant in processing the work in a timely manner, especially if response-time
guarantees exist.
15) AND 16) AVERAGE HANDLE TIME AND AFTER-CALL WORK
A common measure of contact handling is the average handle time (AHT), made up of talk time plus
after-call work (ACW). To accommodate differences in calling patterns, you should measure and
identify it by time of day as well as by day of week. AHT is also important regarding the other types of
multichannel contact workload. It's harder to calculate, however, given the difficulties of measuring
how long it takes to handle an e-mail or a Web chat transaction. An e-mail may be opened and put
aside for varying amounts of time before it is completed. Likewise, a Web chat session may appear to
take longer than a phone call, since a Web agent typically has several sessions open at once.
17) SYSTEM AVAILABILITY
Slow response time from the computer system can add seconds or minutes to the handle time of a
transaction. In the call centre, system speed, uptime, and overall availability should be measured on
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Learner Guide
an ongoing basis to ensure maximum response time and efficiency as well as service to callers. For
example, if the interactive voice response (IVR) typically handles 50% of calls to completion but is out
of service, more calls will require agent assistance than normal, causing overtime costs, long delays,
and generally poor service. Often this will be a measure of performance that resides in the IT
department, but it is also a crucial measure of contact centre performance.
18) CONVERSION RATE
The conversion rate refers to the percentage of transactions in which a sales opportunity is translated
into an actual sale. It can be measured as an absolute number of sales or as a percentage of calls that
result in a sale. You should track and measure conversion rates for incoming calls as well as outgoing
calls, e-mail transactions, and other Web interactions.
19) UPSELL/CROSS-SELL RATE
Many companies measure the up-sell or cross-sell rate as a success rate at generating revenue over
and above the original order or intention of the call. It is becoming a more common practice, not just
for pure revenue-generating contact centres but for customer service centres as well. Although more
prevalent regarding telephone calls, it is also an appropriate measure of performance for other
communications channels.
20) COST PER CALL
A common measure of operational efficiency is cost per call or cost per minute to handle the call
workload, both in a simple call centre and in a multichannel contact environment. This cost per call
can simply be a labour cost per call, or it can be a fully loaded rate that includes wage rates in addition
to telecommunications, facilities, and other costs. In setting cost per call, it is critical to define the
components being used and to use them consistently in evaluating how well the centre is using
financial resources over time. This metric is commonly used to compare one company or site to
another in benchmarking, but that's not a good practice, as the components included and the types of
contacts will often vary.
6. Group Activity: Monitoring Plan
In your groups - read the article provided above, then discuss the following
questions:
1. Using the 3 categories provided by the Author, draft a basic Monitoring
Plan that shows WHAT will be monitored, and WHEN it should happen
(daily / weekly / monthly etc).
2. Indicate the methods of monitoring you would apply for each category /
area
3. Indicate how feedback will be provided top relevant role players on
monitoring findings
4. Indicate the types of Actionable Events that will be considered in
correcting deviances in any of the three categories identified.
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Learner Guide
2.6
Alternative Monitoring Strategy
Article: Monitoring Call Centre Performance
Read the following article for discussion in the next activity.
Have service-level stats outlived their sell-by date?12
We all measure the number of calls answered in 15 seconds, and the amount
of wrap-up time. Why? Because they are easy to measure.
Richard Snow’s research indicates that they may have gone past their sell-by
date.
Last year, I carried out a benchmark study into agent performance management. One of the key
questions was about what metrics companies currently use to measure how well they are performing
at handling customer interactions.
I deliberately included options that might be seen as traditional service-level measures and others
that are much more business and outcome related.
As the chart shows, the results were quite interesting and not really that unexpected, given my overall
experience talking to contact centre managers.
12
http://www.callcentrehelper.com
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Learner Guide
The biggest surprise was that the two metrics about pure volumes of calls and other types of
interactions handled only made it as far as 9th and 10th in the list. This suggests companies are more
interested in timing statistics, with average length of a call not surprisingly being the number one
metric and the time taken to complete after-call work making number 4.
First-call resolution
In terms of business and outcome measures, first-call resolution rates have climbed up the list and
made it to number 2, and, given all the hype around it, not surprisingly customer satisfaction scores
make it into the top five.
But what of real business measures?
You have to look quite a long way down the list to number 6 before you see anything business related
(number of customer saves) and value of sales only makes it in at number 12, and number of new
accounts generated comes bottom of the list.
This all rather suggests that traditional service-level metrics have far from reached their sell-by date
and companies are more interested in how efficient their centres are rather than how effectively they
are performing at delivering against key business objectives.
The average company uses six measurements
What these top-line results don’t show is that on average companies use six metrics to judge the
performance of their centres, and indeed the six includes a mixture of service-level metrics, outcome
measures and business-related measures.
It is this that really points us to the answer as to whether service stats have outlived their sell-by date,
which is of course “yes” and “no”. Yes because by themselves they don’t paint the complete picture
and used incorrectly they could actually do more harm than good, and no because they will always be
part of any set of metrics used to judge the performance of contact centres (or more broadly, the
handling of customer interactions).
What I think we will see is that the mix of metrics will change, so while traditional service metrics will
remain, the balance will swing more to business- and outcome-related metrics.
In fact, I have already seen more importance being placed on a crucial metric – first-call (or
interaction) resolution rates (FCR).
FCR in truth is a hybrid metric in that it includes an element of efficiency (more interactions were
closed at the first attempt so more efficient and fewer follow-ups, also saving money) and an element
of outcome (more closed at the first attempt, so happy customers).
The challenge for companies is to measure true FCR rates, for example, closing a call by saying
“someone will get back to you” should not be included as closed at the first attempt.
These days companies have to look across multiple channels to track interactions and define, then
monitor, which are truly closed to the customer’s satisfaction.
However, what is interesting is that centre managers I have spoken with say changing to focus on FCR
brings about a change of behaviour in people handling interactions, in that they try harder to solve
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Learner Guide
the customer’s issue, which can only be good for the customer, the company and the agent.
And this is why companies need to move on from just relying on traditional service-level metrics and
begin to include business- and outcome-related measures in a composite set of metrics that drive
better behaviours, that deliver better business results, and as a consequence indeed drive some of the
efficiencies they are so eager to see.
7. Group Activity: Alternative Monitoring Methods
In your groups - read the article provided above, then discuss the following
questions:
•
•
3.
Do you agree that with the Author that the use of traditional statistics
may have reached their “sell by” date? Motivate your answer.
What does the Author suggest as alternative monitoring parameters –
do you agree with him? Motivate your answer.
Conclusion
Self Assessment:
learning outcomes of this module
US
SO1
SO2
AC2
AC3
AC4
Learning Outcomes
Sorted!
Mostly ...
Need
Help!
Understand company specific service levels.
Meet, implement and maintain company specific
service levels
Monitor implementation processes to ensure
compliance.
Meet service level timeframes and targets
consistently as per company specific
requirements.
Identify and evaluate potential constraints in
meeting and maintaining service levels
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Learner Guide
Module 3: Staff Development
Learning Outcomes:
The following unit standard is covered in this module:
• 10327 Provide coaching to personnel within a Contact Centre (Level 4 –
10 credits)
US Area
SO1 / AC 2
AC1
AC3
SO2
AC1
AC2
AC3
SO3
AC1
AC2
AC3
AC4
AC5
AC6
EEK1
EEK2
EEK3
EEK4
CCFO1
CCFO2
CCFO3
CCFO4
CCFO5
Learning Outcome
Identify development areas within a Contact Centre context that are based on
an assessment against performance standards.
Conduct a needs analysis according to company specific procedures. Range:
formal or informal
Define and translate development areas into specific coaching criteria.
Select coaching techniques and methodology.
Select appropriate coaching techniques and methodologies based on correct
identification of development areas.
Select coaching techniques and methodologies to learners' NQF entry levels.
Ensure that the coaching techniques and methodologies are consistent with
performance requirements.
Coach Contact Centre personnel.
Provide the appropriate support.
Adhere to call centre specific coaching principles. Use informal and formal
coaching methods.
Conduct relevant and objective assessments.
Ensure coaching content is consistent with specific development areas.
Reach company defined coaching targets and objectives
Provide coaching reports to learners and management. Range: Informal
coaching: include but not limited to work the floor, coaching from statistics
and/or call centre reports. Formal coaching: one on one through listening to
live calls, taped calls.
Understand methods and techniques to develop understanding by others.
Display an in-depth knowledge of formal and informal coaching methodologies
in a Contact Centre.
Understand communication techniques within a coaching context.
Understand people’s behaviours.
Identify and solve performance problems in which coaching responses display
appropriate critical and creative thinking.
Work effectively with others as a member of a coaching or supervisory team.
Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information related to the
identification of areas of coaching required.
Communicate effectively with learners during the process of coaching.
Reflect on and explore a variety of strategies to learn more effectively to
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Learner Guide
enhance coaching efforts.
1.
Purpose of this Module
It is often necessary for Line Managers, Supervisors and experienced employees to take care of staff
development in the workplace. This module deals with staff development through coaching and
mentoring, within the context of the current skills development platform in South Africa.
2.
Working with Adults
Learner Tip:
To ensure maximum learning takes place, the Workplace Coach must consider
certain principles of optimum adult learning, and integrate these principles in
the planning and execution of coaching sessions.
2.1
Adult Learning Principles
The task of training, coaching or mentoring adults is almost daunting, and must be approached
carefully. Should the Workplace Coach misinterpret an adult training session, they may build up a lot
of resentment towards the Coach, organization and the intended training.
1.
Stimulation of prior knowledge
People learn quicker and easier when they can integrate new ideas into what they already know.
Find a way of relating your presentation to the existing knowledge of the learners.
2.
Self determination and individualization
Being self-directed, adults will determine how they will learn.
3.
Providing active practice
People learn by doing –the more performance is repeated, the greater the learning that takes place.
4.
Providing feedback
When people are provided with feedback on their performance or knowledge, how
accurate it is and what they can do to improve, they tend to learn more
effectively.
Feedback is the most effective and least utilized form of reinforcement.
5.
Experience-based learning
Adults learn most effectively if they can relate new information to their own
experiences or relate experiences to the content and direction of the
programme.
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Learner Guide
6.
Relevance and application
Design learning experiences that allow the learner to plan or re-learn application of the new skills
and knowledge on a daily basis.
7.
Involvement and inclusion
Adults want the opportunity to participate provided they have sufficient information to
participate effectively. Time must be allocated for questions, clarification and learner contributions.
8.
Psychological comfort
Adults generally personalize errors, which affects their self-esteem. Attacks on their self-esteem will
de-motivate them.
2.2
•
•
•
Learning Styles
Approximately 40% of the general population prefer to learn visually (seeing, reading,
demonstrations, etc.)
Another 40% prefer auditory processing (listening, discussions, presentations, etc.)
The remaining 20% learn best kinaesthetically (physically, with feelings, moving the body, etc.)
In rare cases, some people prefer learning gustatory (by taste) or olfactory (by smell).
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Learner Guide
Self Reflection: Learning Style
•
•
3.
What type of learner are you? How do you take in the most information?
What do you do to organize information for study purposes?
The Skills Development Platform
Learner Tip:
The NQF, or National Qualifications Framework, is a means for transforming
education and training in South Africa. It has been designed to:13
•
•
•
•
•
3.1
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
combine education and training into a single framework, and bring
together separate education and training systems into a single,
national system;
make it easier for learners to enter the education and training system
and to move and progress within it;
improve the quality of education and training in South Africa;
open up learning and work opportunities for those who were treated
unfairly in the past because of their race or gender; and
enable learners to develop to their full potential and thereby support
the social and economic development of the country as a whole.
Understanding the NQF
It is a map showing different learning pathways
It follows an outcomes based approach to education and training
It gives persons access to qualifications
It enables persons to acquire qualifications through both formal and informal learning
situations
It closes the gap between education (knowledge) and training (skills)
It focuses on what must be learnt rather than what must be taught
It recognizes and gives status to different kinds of learning (e.g. academic, vocational,
technical, work-based learning and life experience)
Learner Tip:
The NQF is maintained by SAQA, or the South African Qualifications Authority.
Their implementation partners are the SETA’s, who work with employers and
providers in implementing skills development in their companies.
13
SAQA Criteria & Guidelines – the NQF
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Learner Guide
The National
Framework is broadly
bands, and 10 levels of
5 – 10
•
•
•
3.2
Qualifications
structured into three
education and training:
Academic
2-4
Vocational
1
ABET
General
Schools and Adult Education Centres operate mainly at GET level ( NQF 1 and below)
FET Colleges, and public / private providers offering vocational / skills training operate
mainly at FET level (NQF level 2 – 4)
Universities and Universities of Technology (old technikons) offering academic qualifications
operate mainly at HET level (NQF level 5 – 8)
The NQF Level Descriptors
Critical Note:
Level Descriptors are statements about intellectual demand, complexity of
learning and learner autonomy.
A Level Descriptor is a description of the competence required on each of the
defined learning levels of the NQF, and demonstrates the knowledge, skills
and attributes required of the learner in terms of entry potential or capacity,
and exit competence.
What does that mean?
Intellectual Demand
How much memory / understanding is required to master the content / skills, volume of the work to
be mastered
Complexity of Learning
How difficult / abstract the content of learning is
Learner Autonomy
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Learner Guide
How much the learner is required to interpret information on his own, take
responsibility for his own learning and progress.
Resource:
The following is an extract from Government Gazette14 Vol. 459, No. 25451,
26 September 2003 (Notice 1348 of 2003), which outlines the level
descriptors of the NQF.
Level descriptors, NQF level 1
A learning programme leading to the award of a qualification or unit standards at NQF level 1 shall
develop learners who demonstrate with regard to:
a.
applied competence -
i. a general knowledge of one or more areas or fields of study, in addition to the fundamental areas
of study;
ii. an understanding of the context within which the learner operates;
iii. an ability to use key common tools and instruments;
iv. sound listening, speaking, reading and writing skills;
v. basic numeracy skills including an understanding of the symbolic systems;
vi. an ability to recognize and solve problems within a familiar, well-defined context;
vii. an ability to recall, collect and organize given information clearly and accurately; and viii. an
ability to report information clearly and accurately in spoken and written form;
b.
autonomy of learning -
i. a capacity to apply themselves to a well-defined task under direct supervision;
ii. an ability to sequence and schedule learning tasks;
iii. an ability to access and use a range of learning resources; and iv. an ability to work as part of a
group.
a. applied competence -
i. a basic operational knowledge of one or more areas or fields of study, in addition to the
fundamental areas of study;
ii. an understanding of the environment within which the learner operates in a wider context;
iii. an ability to use a variety of common tools and instruments;
iv. the ability to apply literacy and numeracy skills to a range of different but familiar contexts;
v. an ability to use their knowledge to select and apply known solutions to well-defined routine
problems;
14
Notice 1348 of 2003
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Learner Guide
vi. a basic ability to collect, organize and report information clearly and accurately; and
vii. an ability to express an opinion on given information clearly in spoken and written form;
b. autonomy of learning -
i. a capacity to work and learn in a disciplined manner in a well-structured and supervised
environment;
ii. an ability to manage their time effectively; and
iii. an ability to develop sound working relationships and an ability to work effectively as part of a
group.
i. a basic understanding of one or more fields’ or disciplines’ key concepts and knowledge, in
addition to the fundamental areas of study;
ii. an understanding of the organization or operating environment as a system;
iii. application of skills in measuring the environment using key instruments and equipment;
iv. operational literacy;
v. an ability to use their knowledge to select appropriate procedures to solve problems within given
parameters;
vi. a basic ability to summaries and interpret information relevant to the context from a range of
sources;
vii. an ability to take a position on available information, discuss the issues and reach a resolution;
and
viii. produce a coherent presentation and report, providing explanations for positions taken;
b. autonomy of learning i. a capacity to operate within clearly defined contexts;
ii. an ability to work and learn within a managed environment; and
iii. capacity to actively contribute to team effectiveness.
i. a fundamental knowledge base of the most important areas of one or more fields or disciplines, in
addition to the fundamental areas of study;
ii. an informed understanding of the key terms, rules, concepts, established principles and theories
in one or more fields or disciplines;
iii. an understanding of the organization or operating environment as a system within a wider
context;
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Learner Guide
iv. an ability to apply essential methods, procedures and techniques of the field or discipline;
v. an ability to apply and carry out actions by interpreting information from text and operational
symbols or representations;
vi. an ability to use their knowledge to solve common problems within a familiar context;
vii. an ability to adjust an application of a common solution within relevant parameters to meet the
needs of small changes in the problem or operating context;
viii. an ability to motivate the change using relevant evidence;
ix. a basic ability in gathering relevant information, analysis and evaluation skills; and
x. an ability to communicate and present information reliably and accurately in writing and
verbally;
b. autonomy of learning i. a capacity to take responsibility for their own learning within a supervised environment;
ii. a capacity to take decisions about and responsibility for actions;
iii. a capacity to evaluate their own performance against given criteria; and
iv. a capacity to take the initiative to address any shortcomings they find.
8. Group Activity: NQF Level Descriptors
Read the level descriptors above. Discuss the following questions in your
group, and provide feedback to the class on your findings:
1. How do the level descriptors differ between level 2 and level 4?
2. If you had to coach a person in the Call Centre scripts – how would the
learning outcomes be different for level 2 and level 4?
3. How would your expectations of a level 2 and level 4 learner be different?
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Learner Guide
3.3
Achieving Applied Competence
The level descriptors make reference to the learner’s “Applied Competence”. In developing staff
through coaching, mentoring, skills training or facilitation, the purpose or goal is for a candidate to
reach Applied Competence - so what does that mean?
What does Applied Competence mean?15
Learner Tip:
The above descriptions of applied competence provides the following
principles when conducting staff development:
•
•
•
15
There must be a theory / foundational basis to the coaching
There must be a skills aspect in performing the tasks
There must be a “penny drop” factor – i.e. the learner truly gets why
certain the skills is important, and why it must be done in a particular
way.
ETD Practices Project
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Learner Guide
3.4
An Outcomes Based Model
In the current skills development platform, training and development is based on the principles of an
outcomes based model. The graphic below illustrates the main elements of an outcomes based
model:
Outcome
• Theory
• Skills
• Attitude
Assessment
Method
Critical Note:
WHAT you want to achieve in the training session, will determine WHY you
want to develop a coaching session, and for WHO, HOW it will be assessed,
WHERE training and assessment will take place, WHEN facilitation, coaching
or mentoring should take place, WHERE the best learning experiences will be
achieved, and finally – WITH WHAT resources and material.
In the outcomes based model the following principles are critical:
1.
Outcome
The outcome of what must be achieved must be clearly defined. The outcome can be the purpose of
the programme, the exit level outcomes or individual competencies that must be achieved. The
outcomes are derived from the unit standard purpose statement and specific outcomes.
Outcomes are normally worded as: “At the end of the session, the learner will be able to do the
following:
• Write a letter using the correct templates provided
• Take telephone messages using a prescribed format
2.
Assessment
The purpose and outcomes of the programme will determine how, where and when assessment
should take place, and with which tools. The assessment criteria will provide guidance in this regard.
3.
Method
The programme purpose, outcomes and intended assessment will determine the method of
provision and learning, and therefore influence the structure and design of the programme.
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Learner Guide
9. Group Activity: Developing a Outcomes Based Approach
In your groups – select one of the following coaching areas to coach a group
of new employees on.
•
•
Newly launched company product
New information system / database application
For the coaching area selected, develop the following in your group:
1. Clear learning outcome for the coaching session
2. Method of assessment
3. Method of training / coaching
4.
Conducting a Needs Analysis
Learner Tip:
In order to determine the staff development needs accurately, it is important
that a training needs analysis be conducted.
4.1
The Training Needs Analysis
Many theories and modules regarding Training Needs Analysis have been developed and published.
There is no right or wrong way – the most effective way within your organization should be adapted
to determine training needs.
The Training Needs Analysis that has been adapted for this course consists out of 7 steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Recognize the performance alertness
Identify whether it is a performance concern
Restate the performance objectives
Identify the training needs
Analyze the training needs
Formulate training objectives
Design appropriate training intervention
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Learner Guide
M
O
N
I
T
O
R
Step 1:
Performance
Alertness
Step 2:
Performance
Concern
Step 3:
Performance
Objectives
Step 4: Training
Need
Identification
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Performance Alertness
Performance Concern
Performance Objectives
Training Needs Identification
Training Needs Analyze
Training Objectives
Training design
Other needs
Discard others
The first warning that a potential performance problem may exist :
• client complaints or management complaints,
• deadlines not kept,
• conflict between workers,
• new machinery / equipment purchased by the company,
• excessive wastage,
• disciplinary problems experienced
• Workplace Skills Plan requirements / skills audit findings
• New employee appointments
• Professional registration / legislative requirements
• Establish whether the performance complaint is cause for concern:
determine what is the norm or standard expected, what is the actual
performance given and whether there is a gap between the desired and
actual performance.
• Look at factors such as whether it is a once-off incident, what are the
implications thereof, and whether it affects the standards required by
the organization.
• Re-establish the original standards required - is it realistic, does it apply
to that specific situation/person, should the parameters be re-defined?
• This must be stated as “actions” as it will be crucial for the trainer to
develop the learning outcomes.
• Be aware of establishing “what IS, not what SHOULD be”, as idealistic
wishes often move the parameters out of reach of the normal
employee.
• Analyze the performance discrepancies in relation to correction
methods. What could fix the gap?
• It is important to realize at this stage that not everything can be fixed by
training, and needs other than training needs must be put to one side
for different action to be taken.
• True training issues must be separated from “other” needs, and the
input of the employees involved, management and human resources is
essential at this point.
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Learner Guide
Step 5: Analysis of
Training Needs
Step 6: Restate
Objectives /
outcomes
required
Step 7: Training
Design
Monitor /
feedback
4.2
• Once you have identified the true training needs, you must analyze
them in relation to all the surrounding factors of the organization.
• They need checking against factors such as practicality, cost, priorities,
learning issues involved, organizational plans, manpower or training
alternatives etc.
• Training needs should also at this stage be clustered into logical groups
or areas of learning or coaching, as this will later on determine the
structure of your training course.
• The training needs identified are now rewritten as training objectives
and compared to the performance objectives in Step 3 - determine
whether the needs identified will, if translated to training, satisfy the
original objectives.
• The training objectives and performance objectives should match, and
all irrelevant data discarded.
• Based on the training objectives, the Trainer can now also determine
which methods of training will be the most effective to satisfy the
training and organizational need.
• The training method to satisfy the training objective is now stipulated.
What will best meet the needs: on-the-job training, seminar,
workshops or a formal course?
• A combination of several training designs over a period of time? This is
the stage where the whole TNA comes together, and the training
identified can now be implemented.
• The actual process of training / coaching could reveal various further
performance concerns, or adjustment may have to be made to some
of the stages. Continuous feedback and monitoring ensures that the
TNA and final training methods stay in line with the organizational and
individual needs, and supports the Japanese management concept o
kaizen or continuous learning & improvement within an organization.
The Gap Analysis
• An essential step of the Training Needs Analysis is the GAP ANALYSIS. This will be determined
between step 2 & step 3, and will indicate to the Trainer what the CURRENT performance is, and
what the STANDARD performance is.
• If the GAP analysis is done correctly, it provides the foundation for the rest of the TNA.
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Learner Guide
The GAP ANALYSIS is illustrated below 16:
Analysis of Job Description
Current Performance
Required Performance
What is the GAP?
CORRECTION METHOD?
Review Standards
Consultation
Training
Needs
Other Needs
10. Group Activity: Training Needs Analysis
In your group, outline at least 4 functions that must be performed in your
Contact Centre environment.
1. Clearly define the standard that is expected in the performance of each
function.
2. Outline any possible gaps that may exist between desired and actual
performance at this stage
3. Identify the possible solutions – is it a training problem or due to
something else?
4. Identify how you would go about correcting the performance
discrepancy.
16
Training Needs Analysis in the workplace (R. Peterson)
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Learner Guide
5.
Coaching
Mentored Discussion: Coaching & Mentoring
Your facilitator will lead a discussion on the topic of Coaching and Mentoring.
Questions will be as follows:
•
•
•
•
What is the difference between Coaching and Mentoring?
When is Coaching appropriate, and when is mentoring appropriate?
Have you ever been coached – what was the context?
Have you ever been mentored – what was the context?
It can be difficult to distinguish between coaching, mentoring and counselling. In practice,
‘mentoring’ for example is sometimes used interchangeably with ‘coaching’.
Traditionally, however, mentoring in the workplace has tended to describe a relationship in which a
more experienced colleague used their greater knowledge and understanding of the work or
workplace to support the development of a more junior or inexperienced member of staff.
5.1
Defining Coaching
Coaching17 can be defined as developing a person’s skills and knowledge so that their job
performance improves, hopefully leading to the achievement of organisational objectives. It targets
high performance and improvement at work, although it may also have an impact on an individual’s
private life. It usually lasts for a short period and focuses on specific skills and goals.
Although there is a lack of agreement among coaching professionals about precise definitions, these
are some generally agreed characteristics of coaching in organisations:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
It is essentially a non-directive form of development.
It focuses on improving performance and developing individuals’ skills.
Personal issues may be discussed but the emphasis is on performance at work.
Coaching activities have both organisational and individual goals.
It assumes that the individual is psychologically well and does not require a clinical intervention.
It provides people with feedback on both their strengths and their weaknesses.
It is a skilled activity which should be delivered by trained people.
Learner Tip:
Coaching is the process of teaching a person a task through supervised “trial
and error”.
17
www.cipd.co.uk
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Learner Guide
Think of the rugby coaches – they do not teach rugby in front of a white board
only, they do it on the field, where players try new tactics, and is constantly
corrected by the coach, and repeats the skills until it becomes second nature.
5.2
GROW - a Coaching Model
The GROW Coaching Model18
The Grow Coaching Model is probably the most common coaching model used in business, at least
in the UK. It offers a way of structuring coaching sessions to facilitate a balanced discussion:
•
•
•
•
GOAL – defining what you want to achieve
REALITY – exploring the current situation, relevant history and future trends
OPTIONS – coming up with new ideas for reaching the goal
WHAT/WHO/WHEN – deciding on a concrete plan of action
In practice, since most coaching is driven by questions, this means that different types of question
are used at each stage:
•
•
•
•
GOAL – questions to define the goal as clearly as possible and also to evoke an emotional
response
[What do you want to achieve? What will be different when you achieve it? What's
important about this for you?]
REALITY – questions to elicit specific details of the situation and context
[What is happening now? Who is involved? What is their outcome? What is likely to happen
in future?]
OPTIONS – open-ended questions to facilitate creative thinking
[What could you do? What ideas can you bring in from past successes? What haven't you
tried yet?]
WHAT – focused questions to get an agreement to specific actions and criteria for success
[What will you do? When will you do it? Who do you need to involve? When should you see
results?]
Used judiciously, the GROW model offers an excellent framework for structuring a coaching session.
It is particularly useful for beginners, helping them to see the wood for the trees and keep the
session on track. However we must remember that models and structures are not the heart of
coaching:
Critical Note:
GROW, without the context of AWARENESS and RESPONSIBILITY, and the skill
of questioning to generate them, has little value.
One must think of the GROW model as a compass for orientation rather than
a rigid sequence of steps to be followed. I don’t think I’ve ever taken part in a
coaching session that began with Goals, then progressed smoothly through an
analysis of Reality, then brainstormed Options before settling on the
What?/When?/Who? and How? of an action plan.
18
http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk
56
Learner Guide
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Learner Guide
Coaching can begin at any of the four stages of the GROW model. A coachee might begin by telling
you about something she wants to achieve (Goal), a current problem (Reality), a new idea for
improving things (Options) or by outlining an action plan (What). As a coach, it’s usually a good idea
to follow the coachee’s lead initially by asking a few questions to elicit more detail, then move onto
the other steps.
Many Coaches start a coaching conversation by asking a goal-focused question (e.g. “So what do you
want to achieve?”) as a way of setting the tone for the discussion. Sometimes the coachee replies
with a description of a problem (Reality) which is fine – I’ll listen, probe for a few details then as soon
as possible return to Goals, to keep the conversation focused. On the other hand, if someone comes
to the Coaching Session full of ideas and enthusiasm (Goals, Options), you can do your best to help
them maintain this while taking account of hard facts (Reality) and getting a commitment to specific
action (What). As so often with coaching, the important principle is balance.
Resource Guide:
Refer to your Resource Guide P13 Resource 1 for an article on Coaching
Models.
11. Individual Activity: Coaching Models
Your Facilitator will lead a discussion on the Article about Coaching Models.
• Why is Coaching Model necessary?
• What is the difference between Coaching Strategy and Tactics?
5.3
Process of Coaching
12. Group Activity: Coaching
In your groups – look at the graphic illustration of the EDIIT Coaching Process
below.
Select one of the following tasks, and draw up a Coaching Sheet of how you
would facilitate learning through the EDIIT Principle of the skill.
•
•
•
•
•
Milking a Cow
Ironing a shirt
Boiling eggs perfectly
Making a box from paper
Building a bird feeder
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Learner Guide
A process of coaching that is very easy to use is the EDIIT Principle of Coaching. This technique works
as follows:
Explanation
Explain the theory underpinning the skills, including safety precautions. Describe the purpose and
process of the skill, and the expected standard of performance.
Demonstration
Demonstrate the skill (or call for a demonstration by another person), reinforcing the theory and
process steps.
Imitation
Allow the learner to imitate the action, and provide correction or
additional support until the learner has mastered the skill.
Interrogation
Interrogate the “what if” scenarios around the skill – this enforces critical
cross field competence, and explores the learners ability to apply the same
concepts in troubleshooting.
Testing/ follow up
Test the learner’s ability against the set standard – this assessment must be
documented and a decision of competence made.
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Learner Guide
Self Reflection:
•
•
•
5.4
Which method of Coaching have you used before?
What is the standard method of coaching used in your organization, and
do you make use of Coaching Sheets?
How do you document Coaching sessions?
Skills to Coach
Self Analysis 19
Coaching and development are essential in building skills and motivation.
The first key step in successful development is to spot the opportunities.
A very simple and highly effective tool is the Coaching Wheel.
The wheel can comprise any group of skills, behaviours and job responsibilities that
are relevant to a particular role, individual and organisation.
The example below is of a possible view of the key competencies required within the role of a
Contact Centre Team Leader.
The coach would work with the individual to ascertain the elements of their role and then challenge
them to score their own current performance (10 is the most positive score and 0 the least).
This subjective self rating combines their ability, experience, enjoyment, motivation or satisfaction.
For each segment of the wheel a line can then be drawn at the agreed rating level.
The
19
Coaching
Wheel
http://www.rxp.co.uk/services/self.php
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Learner Guide
Learner Tip:
At the end of this process the individual (and coach) would have a visual view
of how they see themselves in their role.
Immediately this may identify the key areas that need short term
developmental focus.
The concept of the coaching wheel is therefore generic – it can be applied
between coach and recipient for many different areas and management
levels.
13. Group Activity: Team Leader Wheel
In your groups – look at the Team Leader Wheel and identify the following:
• What do you think are the key competencies in each slice of the Team
Leader Wheel?
• Identify at least 2 competencies per slice.
5.5
Decision to Coach
When is coaching the best development intervention?
The first step will be the identification of some kind of learning or development needs, either by the
individual themselves, their line manager or someone from the HR department. Once this has been
identified, the next step is for the manager and the individual to decide how best the need can be
met.
Critical Note:
Coaching is just one of a range of training and development interventions that
organisations can use to meet identified learning and development needs. Its
merits should be considered alongside other types of development
interventions, such as training courses, mentoring or on-the-job training.
Employee preferences should also be kept in mind. There is a danger that coaching can be seen as a
solution for all kinds of development needs.
It is important that coaching is only used when it is genuinely seen as the best way of helping an
individual learn and develop. A useful decision tree tool is reproduced in the figure on the following
page.
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Learner Guide
Decision tree: is coaching an appropriate intervention?20
Some examples of situations where coaching is a suitable development tool include:
•
•
•
•
helping competent technical experts develop better interpersonal or managerial skills
developing an individual’s potential and providing career support
developing a more strategic perspective after a promotion to a more senior role
handling conflict situations so that they are resolved effectively.
It is important to remember that here are some individuals who may not respond well to coaching.
This may be because their problems are best dealt with by another type of intervention, or it may be
because their attitude may interfere with the effectiveness of coaching. So before coaching is begun,
organisations need to assess an individual’s ‘readiness’.
Learner Tip:
Some examples of situations when coaching is not an appropriate
intervention are if the individual has psychological problems, they are
resistant to coaching or they lack self-insight.
20
www.cipd.co.uk
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Learner Guide
Resource Guide:
Refer to your Resource Guide P14 Resource 2 for an article on the Qualities of
a Good Coach.
14. Case Study: Coaching – or Not?
Read the case studies of learners in the workplace given below and relate them
to the descriptions of the coaches’ role. Identify the kind of support / guidance
you would give to each of the learners.
Case Study 1
Sandy works in the Contact Centre, and deals with new product launches. She
prepares thoroughly by reading all available material on the new products, and
understands the rules and point systems around the new products well. She is
always able to answer questions from other Call centre Agents on the products.
In the workplace her performance is poor, she is very nervous and easily
intimidated by client questions, and makes do not seem to have a good
relationship with clients.
Case Study 2
Daniel’s Supervisor has worked very hard to explain to Daniel that he must pay
attention to certain safety rules and protocols in the Contact Centre
environment. However, he often ‘ignores protocol’ in order to finish his call
allocation for the day quickly.
Twice during his competency assessments the assessor had to intervene to
prevent misinformation being communicated to clients. In addition, he has
been seen on several occasions bringing unauthorized food and drink
beverages into the contact centre environment, and even indulging while on
the phone with clients.
There have been feedback sessions and targets set for improvement on
several occasions - each time it is discussed with Daniel he promises to
improve. Daniel is very popular with his fellow workers.
An Old Lesson …
Although the lights went out in Vaudeville a long time ago, one of the
standard gags was about the guy looking for his keys under a street lamp.
Another guy stops by to help and asks, “Where do you think you lost them?”
To which the man replies, “About a half of a block away over by my car, but
the light is better here.”
To improve live call handling, start looking where the keys are likely to be
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Learner Guide
(system-wide improvements), not where the light seems good (trying to
improve agents one at a time).
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Learner Guide
5.6
Using Coaching Plans & Sheets
As a Supervisor or experienced employee required to conduct coaching with fellow staff members,
you may be required to plan for, and document your coaching sessions.
Example 1:
A Coaching Sheet could therefore be structured in the following manner:
COACHING SHEET
1
Coaching Topic
2
Coach
3
Trainee(s)
4
Date of Coaching Session
5
7
Briefing – Performance
Concern
Proposed method of
coaching
Trainee Demonstration
8
Coaching Questions
9
Assessment (Date, process,
decision)
6
The Coaching Sheet can also be used as basis for drafting a Coaching Plan, and updating the plan
afterwards as a Coaching Sheet to reflect actual activities that took place in the Coaching Session.
Example 2:
A simpler format of keeping record of coaching activities are illustrated below:
Date
Topic of Coaching
Description of Coaching Activities
Coach
Candidate
Signature Signature
Generally, the format above is used for higher level candidates, and the Coaching Sheet is used like a
reflective journal – this means the candidate keeps the record up to date and the Coach just signs off
that the sessions actually happened.
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Learner Guide
15. Individual Activity: Coaching Plan
On your own – select any area of operation on your IRIS system that a new
employee may need coaching on. Using Coaching Plan format below,
COACHING PLAN
Coaching Topic
Coach
Trainee(s)
Date of Coaching Session
Briefing – Performance
Concern
Learning Outcomes
Proposed Method of
Coaching
Proposed Coaching
Questions
Proposed Method of
Assessment
5.7
Formal vs. Informal Coaching Methodologies
The word ‘coaching’ conjures up an image of a one-to-one session scheduled in the diary, focusing
exclusively on the coachee’s goals and how s/he can work towards them. And a lot of coaching does
take place in this format, particularly when delivered by an external coach.21
Formal coaching sessions are a powerful way of using coaching with your team, and should never be
undervalued – yet the Contact Centre Team Leader also has the option of using coaching informally,
integrating the coaching approach into the everyday conversations with the team, so that it
becomes part of her basic approach to management.
21
http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk
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Learner Guide
Critical Note:
In their book Solution-Focused Coaching, Jane Green and Anthony Grant talk
of a ‘coaching continuum’:
In-house workplace coaching lies on a continuum from the formal structured
workplace coaching at one end to the informal, on-the-run workplace
coaching at the other – what you might call corridor coaching: the few
minutes snatched in the corridor in the midst of a busy project.
The two types of coaching are not mutually exclusive – many effective coaching managers use both
styles in complementary ways.
Formal Coaching
The most obvious characteristic of formal coaching is that coaching is being used explicitly – during
the coaching session both parties are clear that they are engaged in ‘coaching’ and are committed to
this process as well as the outcome.
Formal coaching usually takes place during scheduled appointments, so that time is set aside
specifically for coaching work. By having dedicated sessions, the manager sends a powerful signal to
individual team members that their development and success is important, and that she is there to
provide support.
When a series of appointments are scheduled, coaching becomes a beginning and end. This can
have a motivating effect, with the well-known phenomenon of ‘deadline magic’ coming into play
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Learner Guide
towards the end of the coaching process, when both coach and coachee focus
their efforts on achieving the goal(s) within the allotted time.
The clear parameters of formal coaching mean that both coach and coachee tend to spend most
coaching sessions in coaching mode – i.e. with the coachee doing most of the talking, and the coach
primarily engaged in listening, asking questions and giving feedback.
Informal Coaching
Informal coaching is a bit of a grey area – when coaching is used implicitly, as part of the everyday
conversation between the manager and her team, it may be that neither party would describe the
conversation as ‘coaching’.
Learner Tip:
Some team members are uncomfortable with the word ‘coaching’ or the idea
of being coached – but respond well to a manager who takes the time to
listen carefully to them and ask questions that empower them to find their
own way of meeting a challenge or solving a problem, without being told
what to do.
Or a manager may be so familiar with the coaching approach (or it may be so
similar to her natural communication style) that she may not consciously
decide to ‘coach’ someone but instinctively listen and ask rather than ‘tell and
sell’.
Informal coaching does not take place in scheduled appointments but in everyday workplace
conversations. These conversations may be short or long, one-to-one or within a group, taskfocused or people-focused – what qualifies them as coaching is not a formal model or structure, but
a style of conversation.
The coaching style of management is one in which the manager typically takes a ’step back’ in order
to empower team members and elicit their commitment and creativity, helping them to both get the
job done and learn something new in the process. So instead of giving orders or dispensing
knowledge, the manager asks questions and listens to see what team members come up with.
For a manager-coach, coaching is not something that begins and ends with the coaching session or
programme – asking questions, listening, empathizing and giving observational (rather than
judgmental) feedback are elements of her personal communication style. For a coaching
organization, the coaching style is simply ‘the way we do things round here’.
Learner Tip:
Because informal coaching is a way of doing things rather than a clearly
defined programme, there is no overall beginning and end, but an ongoing
process.
The coaching conversation becomes open-ended, with markers such as goalsetting and review occurring along the way, not as book-ends but part of a
larger process of learning.
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Learner Guide
As informal coaching is not confined to formal sessions, the coaching style is not used exclusively but
according to the demands of the situation, as part of a range of management styles. During a given
conversation a manager may switch in and out of coaching mode, as well as using other
management styles.
Which style should I use?
Neither style is better or worse than the other, and many managers use both. Which one you use
will depend on a range of factors:
The manager’s
preference
Some managers are comfortable with scheduling formal coaching sessions
and having a clearly structured coaching programme – others’ toes curl up at
the very thought. When working with people, it’s vitally important to be
yourself and use or adapt an approach that you feel comfortable with. So
make sure you are honest with yourself and your team about your own
preferences and work with, not against them. On the other hand there’s
nothing wrong with a bit of creative experiment – I’ve seen some managers
achieve great results by starting the first coaching session by saying “Well
this is a new approach for me and to be honest I’m not sure whether it’s my
style, but let’s try it out and see how it goes…”.
The coachee’s
preference
It goes without saying that this is at least as important as the manager’s
preference. Some coachees love the idea of having dedicated time for their
own coaching and development work, as well as clearly defined goals and a
structure for achieving them. Others, particularly in creative agencies, are
deeply suspicious of any kind of formal structure for this kind of work, and
much prefer to do things in a more informal, casual way. Ignore this at your
peril!
Just as individuals have preferences, so do organizations. Approaches that
are well-received in a large broadcaster or newspaper may be unworkable or
inflammatory in a small agency or studio. This doesn’t mean you can’t try
something new, but you may have to be creative about how you sell it to
people within the company.
Company
culture
The kind of task
It’s difficult to generalize about this, as I’ve seen both formal and informal
coaching used successfully with a wide range of tasks and goals. However for
‘big picture’ goals such as a large new project, a person’s career or annual
goals, a formal coaching session can be a powerful way of setting the scene
and getting people focused.
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Learner Guide
Learner Tip:
There are also many instances in which a smaller or ongoing issue may not
merit a formal meeting, but a brief chat by the proverbial water cooler is just
the job to tease out a problem and get things moving again.
6.
Conducting the Coaching Activity
Resource Guide:
Refer to your Resource Guide – Module 3 Resource
6.1
Communication
Critical Note:
In conducting your staff development session, it is critical that clear
communication takes place of what the learning outcomes are, what the
assessment expectations are, and how training will take place.
6.2
A Communications Model
Learner Tip:
There is always a sender and a receiver in communication. At least there is an
intended receiver. In the diagram above A is the sender, B is the receiver.
In between there is a message being sent with certain intent, and there is a
message being received with certain perception. Successful communication
depend on how close the intent and perception is to each other!
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Learner Guide
•
A and B have different personal realities. They each have their own world
formed by their experiences, their perceptions, their ideas, etc. They will
perceive, experience, and interpret things differently. The same event will always be perceived a
little different by each of two people.
•
The sender will have some kind of meaning she wishes to convey to the receiver. In the case of
facilitation, it is a structured, pre-agreed message that needs to be communicated, and the
receiver is aware of the pre-agreement – therefore there is a measure of anticipation and preconception that has already been created.
•
Between humans there will be several layers of the message being sent. There will often be a
verbal portion, something that is being expressed in language, spoken or written. And there is
also a non-verbal portion, covering everything else, most notably body language. Sometimes the
verbal and non-verbal messages don't agree with each other, they are incongruent. If they do
agree we say that they are congruent.
•
Based on what the receiver perceives, and based on her interpretation of the verbal and nonverbal input, she will form a concept in her reality of what the meaning of the message is. It will
mean something to her.
•
It might or might not be what the sender intended. In successful communication the perceived
message will approximate the intended message to the sender's satisfaction. However, the
sender will only know that if she receives a message back that is congruent with what she had in
mind.
•
One can never take for granted that the receiver has the same reality as the sender. One can
never take for granted that the receiver will interpret the message the same way as the sender
intended it.
Self Reflection:
•
•
Why are the above principles on communication important for the
Workplace Coach?
How can you use the principles outlined above to ensure that your
Coaching Session is effective?
Resource Guide:
Refer to your Resource Guide P 16 Resource 3 for an article on Coaching
Language.
16. Individual Activity: Coaching Language
Your Facilitator will lead a discussion on the article about Coaching Language.
• Discuss each area identified in the article as a “no-no”, and rate the
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Learner Guide
•
importance of the discussion point on a scale from 1 – 4 (Least to most
important)
At the end of the discussion, provide feedback to the class on your top 3
rated “no-no” areas, and compare notes whether your class mates agreed
or differed
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Learner Guide
6.3
Providing Feedback
Listening effectively
•
•
•
•
•
Try to listen for feelings and observe non-verbal behaviour.
Focus all attention on the other person – don’t allow your thoughts to drift.
Listen to yourself as you are giving feedback
Send non-verbal signals indicating supportiveness, a desire to help regardless of the nature of
the message
Respond to intense emotion sympathetically.
Guidelines for giving Feedback
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Where possible, give instant feedback
Keep the time short between the learner’s performance and feedback
Summarise the content and flag the fact that it’s a summary
Encourage learners to assess their own performance
Balance positive with negative (allow learner to identify negative point himself by asking
appropriate questions)
Negative points should be constructive – reframe negative points
Where written feedback is given, it should be followed up with oral feedback
Encourage learners to obtain feedback from other sources (peers, supervisors, etc.)
Make criteria clear prior to assessments
Distinguish between different skills
Offer support
Relate feedback to performance rather than person
Distinguish between formative and summative assessments
Give periodic feedback on progress
Self Reflection:
Do you know what is meant with the “Sandwich Feedback method? Can you
describe how that works?
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Learner Guide
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Learner Guide
6.4
A Feedback Model
Ensure Goals and Expectations Are Shared Up Front
Establishing performance objectives is an important part of obtaining the desired performance from
any employee. In most cases, these goals should be established in terms of the effects of the
employee’s behaviour, not the behaviour itself. What is wanted are results, not simple-minded
compliance?
Focus On Performance
Feedback from external sources is intended to influence performance. Performance is often
confused with behaviour and it pays to keep the two straight. When we speak of performance, we
are referring to a complex mix of goals, expectations, behaviour, and the effects of behaviour.
Behaviour is a means to an end.
The goal or end sought is a result of some kind. Results consist of or are brought about by the effects
of behaviour, but behaviour itself is not the result sought (except in certain limited instances).
Make the Consequences Known
Frequently, people do not know the consequences of their actions until it is too late. This is
especially true when the effects of behaviour, instead of being immediate and direct, are indirect
and delayed. And it is especially true when these effects consist of impact on other people.
Be Specific About Behaviour and Its Effects
When giving feedback to an employee, it does not help to simply pass judgment. Feedback, to be
useful, must provide specific information about behaviour, its effects, and its consequences in light
of previously established goals and expectations.
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Learner Guide
Your Goals and Expectations Aren’t Necessarily Mine—Or Anyone Else’s
There is always the potential for conflict in goals and expectations. This has implications for
feedback. Regarding people, positive feedback acts to confirm behaviour and negative feedback acts
to disconfirm it.
What is essential to understand here is that the classification of feedback as positive or negative is
made by the person receiving it.
Don’t Wait for Feedback, Go Get It
One mark of our maturity and security as human beings is that a key measure of how we’re doing is
progress regarding the attainment of our goals. These goals might be personal, professional, or job,
task, or project specific.
We are often able to obtain feedback on our own but, on occasion, and especially when the effects
we seek to create are in or involve others, we have to solicit feedback. Our own conclusions aren’t
enough. If you want to know how you’re doing, you have to accept the responsibility for finding out.
Factor In the Long-Term View
People remember. They also learn. Effects and consequences, even when delayed or indirect, can
and do have an effect on behaviour and performance.
17. Group Activity: Conducting a Coaching Session
In your group, you are required divide into 2 sets – Coaches and Learners.
Coaches, select a fun skill that you wish to coach your learner group on.
Example:
• How to make a really good sandwich / salad.
• How to apply evening wear makeup.
• How to do the Hakka (All Blacks War Dance)
Each member of the Coaching Group must give instructions for one step in the
skill, before the next member takes over.
Make sure that you follow the EDIIT Coaching Model in your coaching session.
Coaches must draw up a Coaching Plan beforehand, and complete a Coaching
Sheet afterwards.
At the end of the Coaching Session, the Learner Group will critique the Coaching
Session and provide feedback to the Coaches on their performance.
The Learner Group will then become the Coaches, and the exercise repeated.
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Learner Guide
Resource Guide:
Refer to your Resource Guide P 18 Resource 4 for an article on Improving Call
Centre Performance
7.
Preparing Coaching Reports
Reports regarding Call Centre Agents progress and competence can take various formats –
depending on whether the process of coaching was undertaken in a formal or informal manner.
Coaching reports based on informal coaching could range from:
•
•
•
•
Management notes based on “working the floor”
Coaching Journals
Coaching Sheets
Analysis of statistical data / Call Centre Reports
Coaching reports based on formal coaching could range from:
•
•
Listening to active calls – completed observation sheets
Listening to taped calls – Assessment Sheet and related Development Plan
Resource Guide:
Refer to your Resource Guide P 20 Resource 5 for an article on Coaching Call
Centre Coaches.
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Learner Guide
7.1
Statistical Analysis
Below is an example of a Statistical Analysis done of a Call Centre’s performance. 22
The report could then be used to draft an overall summary of the additional training or coaching
needs that are required.
Name
Test Date
Overall
Test
Score
Average
CallHandling
Time
SO
MT
DCR
DCN
PSRN
ALP
TW
Flores, Maria
04
February
2010
05
February
2010
04
February
2010
04
February
2010
04 April
2010
04
February
2010
04
February
2010
04
February
2010
04
February
2010
04 March
2010
04
February
2010
04 March
2010
04 March
2010
04
February
2010
04 March
2010
91
03:42
Medium
High
High
Medium
High
High
High
88
04:01
Medium
High
High
High
High
High
Medium
85
04:27
Medium
High
High
Medium
High
High
High
85
03:51
Medium
Medium
High
High
High
High
Low
83
04:11
Low
Medium
High
Medium
High
Medium
High
78
04:57
High
Medium
High
Medium
Medium
Medium
High
74
03:58
Medium
Medium
High
Medium
Medium
Medium
High
73
04:38
Medium
Medium
High
Medium
High
Medium
Medium
72
04:26
High
Low
High
Medium
Low
Medium
Medium
68
04:44
Low
Medium
High
Medium
High
Medium
Medium
68
04:23
Medium
Low
High
Medium
Low
Medium
High
67
04:52
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
65
04:36
High
Low
Medium
Medium
Medium
Low
Low
63
05:14
Medium
Low
Low
Medium
Low
Low
Medium
62
05:02
Low
Low
Low
Low
Medium
Low
Medium
Armstrong,
Kevin
Taylor,
Gillian
Zak, Barbara
Lee, Dan
Owen, Dale
Hunter,
Mitchell
Dalton, Alex
Wing,
Richard
Johnson, Jim
Jones, Amy
Dodge, Chris
Rameirez,
Ray
Spencer,
Elizabeth
Smith, Pat
KEY:
SO - Sales Orientation
MT - Multi-Tasking
DCR - Developing Customer Rapport
22
DCN - Discovering Customer Needs
PSRN - Problem Solving & Responding to
Customer Needs
ALP - Ability to Learn & Apply Procedures
TW - Teamwork
Easy Simulation: © Employment Technologies Corporation (2004)
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Learner Guide
Skill
Low
Medium
High
Sales Orientation
4 (26%)
8 (53%)
3 (20%)
Multi-Tasking
6 (40%)
6 (40%)
3 (20%)
Developing Customer Rapport
2 (13%)
2 (13%)
12 (74%)
Discovering Customer Needs
1 (7%)
12 (80%)
2 (13%)
Problem Solving and Responding to Customer
needs
Ability to Learn and Apply Procedures
3 (20%)
5 (34%)
7 (46%)
3 (20%)
8 (53%)
4 (26%)
Teamwork
2 (14%)
7 (46%)
6 (40%)
18. Individual Activity: Coaching Needs
On your own – review the report sample provided above and do the following:
1. Can you identify from the report where the major areas of development would
be? Identify at least 3 areas, and list them in order of priority.
2. What would you recommend to management – formal or informal coaching, or a
combination of both? Motivate your selection of Coaching Technique.
7.2
Individual Reporting
Below is an example of an individualized Report, which could be used / adapted to provide feedback
to management on individual performance and developmental needs, as well as Development Plans
that must be monitored.
CALL CENTRE AUDIT
PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL - MR. TOM SAMPLE
Basic Characteristics
Outgoing, persuasive, gregarious, thorough, careful, detail-orientated, sociable, positive, precise
Understanding and Responding to Client Needs
•
•
•
•
•
Tom Sample is friendly and amiable and will relate positively to most people
He is anxious to help others and create a favourable impression
He is particularly sensitive to negative feedback
He will rarely be consciously antagonistic but may, sometimes, respond in a tactless way
Tom Sample prefers a specialist approach to his interaction with callers
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Learner Guide
Imparting Information
•
•
•
•
Tom Sample is a competent, confident and factual communicator
He will be able to impart technical or specialist information logically and with flair
His communications will be conducted at a fast pace and will be both convincing and
enthusiastic
Tom Sample is a good promoter of images, concepts, his organization and himself
Problem Solving
•
•
•
•
Tom Sample prefers to act in a consulting capacity rather than as a decision-maker
He is a perfectionist. This fact may delay him finding solutions
Tom Sample backs up his suggested solutions with all the available supporting information
He demonstrates a high degree of persuasiveness, activity and diplomacy
Demonstrating Persistence with Sensitivity
•
•
•
•
Tom Sample is, at times, not particularly sensitive to his peers
He will concede when directly challenged or confronted
He will certainly prefer to work in a non-antagonistic environment
He can become bored if he is not regularly involved actively, with others
Response to Peak Work Loads
•
•
•
•
•
Tom Sample may be more concerned with popularity than tangible results
He can often talk himself out of demanding assignments
He may also allow himself get bogged down in unnecessary detail
He can be an impetuous decision-maker when under pressure
In order to fully understand Tom Sample's response to pressure, we suggest that reference is
made to the comments contained in the "Behaviour Under Pressure" paragraph within the basic
PPA Report.
Managing Aggression and Unreasonable Clients
•
•
•
•
Tom Sample will use his positive and optimistic personality to overcome unreasonable claims
He has the ability to solve both human problems and technical issues
If in a conflict situation, Tom Sample will revert to rules and procedures in support of his stance
Tom Sample will use information, data and detail, coupled with his persuasive manner to
reassure aggressive callers
Proactively Promoting Products, Services and Concepts
•
•
•
•
Tom Sample has a most persuasive presentation style
He can be verbally communicative and physically demonstrative
He has a high social drive
For a more thorough description of his communication and promotional capabilities, we
recommend that the "Sales Summary" be prepared for Tom Sample.
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Learner Guide
Summary
Tom Sample is a highly social individual. He prefers to influence verbally with specialist advice. He
can cope with detail but prefers variety of task. Tom Sample seeks to avoid confrontation, preferring
a more friendly, participative and democratic environment. He has a high level of restless energy and
a strong need for variety of tasks.
His behavioural style will, we believe, be too cautious, conservative and erratic for outbound call
centre positions and could possibly be lacking in patience, stability and self-control for inbound
Call Centre activities.
Resource Guide: Individual Report
Please refer to your Resource Guide (Module 3 – Resource 6) for an additional
individualized report on Call Centre Performance. Make sure you read it and
do the mentored discussion below, as it will assist you in completing your
Portfolio Activities for this section.
Mentored Discussion: Individual Report
•
•
8.
Do you agree with the developmental areas identified at the end of the
report?
Which other developmental areas have you spotted in the report?
Conclusion
Self Assessment:
learning outcomes of this module.
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Learner Guide
US
Learning Outcomes
SO1 /
AC 2
Identify development areas within a Contact
Centre context that are based on an assessment
against performance standards.
Conduct a needs analysis according to company
specific procedures. Range: formal or informal
Define and translate development areas into
specific coaching criteria.
Select appropriate coaching techniques and
methodology based on correct identification of
development areas.
Select coaching techniques and methodologies
to learners' NQF entry levels.
Coach Contact Centre personnel.
Adhere to call centre specific coaching principles
through use of informal and formal coaching
methods.
Conduct relevant and objective assessments.
Provide coaching reports to learners and
management. Range: Informal coaching: include
but not limited to work the floor, coaching from
statistics and/or call centre reports. Formal
coaching: one on one through listening to live
calls, taped calls.
Understand methods and techniques to develop
understanding by others.
Identify and solve performance problems in
which coaching responses display appropriate
critical and creative thinking.
Work effectively with others as a member of a
coaching or supervisory team.
Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate
information related to the identification of areas
of coaching required.
Communicate effectively with learners during
the process of coaching.
AC1
AC3
SO2
AC2
SO3
AC2
AC3
AC6
EEK1
CCFO1
CCFO2
CCFO3
CCFO4
Sorted!
Mostly ...
Need Help!
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Learner Guide
PoE Activity:
Refer to your Portfolio Guide for the assessment activities related to this
section.
Formative Activities
These are the Critical Outcomes adopted by SAQA:
1. Identify and solve problems in which responses display that responsible decisions using
critical and creative thinking have been made.
2. Work effectively with others as a member of a team, group, organisation, community.
3. Organise and manage oneself and one’s activities responsibly and effectively.
4. Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information.
5. Communicate effectively using visual, mathematical and/or language skills in the modes of
oral and/or written presentation.
6. Use science and technology effectively and critically, showing responsibility towards the
environment and health of others.
7. Demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that
problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation
8. In order to contribute to the full personal development of each learner and the social and
economic development of the society at large, it must be the intention underlying any
programme of learning to make an individual aware of the importance of:
Reflecting on and exploring a variety of strategies to learn more effectively;
Participating as responsible citizens in the life of local, national and global communities;
Being culturally and aesthetically sensitive across a range of social contexts;
Exploring education and career opportunities, and
Developing entrepreneurial opportunities.
83
1. Group Activity: Computer
Literacy
2. Individual Activity: MIS
Access
3. Group Activity: SLA
Indicators
4. Individual Activity: Using
Metrics in Management
5. Group Activity: Company
Specific Service Levels
6. Group Activity: Monitoring
Plan
7. Group Activity: Alternative
Monitoring Methods
8. Group Activity: NQF level
Descriptors
9. Group Activity: Developing
an Outcomes Based Approach
10. Group Activity: Training
Needs Analysis
11. Individual Activity:
Coaching Models
12. Group Activity: Coaching
13. Group Activity: Team
Leader Wheel
14. Case Study: Coaching or
Not?
Coaching Plan
Coaching Language
17. Group Activity: Conducting
a Coaching Session
Coaching Needs
√
X
X
√
X
√
X
√
X
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
√
√
X
X
X
X
√
X
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
X
X
√
X
X
X
X
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
√
√
X
X
X
√
7 understanding of the
world as a set of related
systems
8. Contribute to the full
personal development
6 Use science and
technology
5 Communicate
effectively
4 Collect analyse
evaluate information
3 Organize and manage
oneself
2 Work with others
1 Identify & solve
problems
10327
FORMATIVE ACTIVITY
10313
Learner Guide
X
X
X
X
84
Learner Guide
Administration
1.
Learner Evaluation Form
Learning Programme
Name
Trainer Name
Learner name
(Optional)
Dates of Facilitation
Employer / Work site
Date of Evaluation
Learner Signature
Trainer Signature
Critical Note:
Please complete the Evaluation Form as thoroughly as you are able to, in
order for us to continuously improve our training quality!
The purpose of the Evaluation Form is to evaluate the following:
•
•
•
•
logistics and support
facilitation
training material
assessment
Your honest and detailed input is therefore of great value to us, and we
appreciate your assistance in completing this evaluation form!
85
1
2
3
4
Excellent
Criteria / Question
Above Standard
No
Sufficient
Logistics and Support Evaluation
Poor
A
Below Standard
Learner Guide
5
Criteria / Question
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
2
3
4
Excellent
No
Above Standard
Trainer Evaluation
Poor
B
Sufficient
Was the Programme Coordinator helpful and efficient?
Was the training equipment and material used effective
and prepared?
3
Was the training venue conducive to learning (set-up for
convenience of learners, comfortable in terms of
temperature, etc.)?
Additional Comments on Logistics and Support
Below Standard
1
2
5
The Trainer was prepared and knowledgeable on the
subject of the programme
The Trainer encouraged learner participation and input
The Trainer made use of a variety of methods, exercises,
activities and discussions
The Trainer used the material in a structured and
effective manner
The Trainer was understandable, approachable and
respectful of the learners
The Trainer was punctual and kept to the schedule
86
Learner Guide
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
2
3
4
Excellent
Criteria / Question
Above Standard
No
Sufficient
Learning Programme Evaluation
Poor
C
Below Standard
Additional Comments on Facilitation & Learning Programme
5
The learning outcomes of the programme are relevant
and suitable.
The content of the programme was relevant and
suitable for the target group.
The length of the facilitation was suitable for the
programme.
The learning material assisted in learning new
knowledge and skills to apply in a practical manner.
The Learning Material was free from spelling and
grammar errors
Handouts and Exercises are clear, concise and relevant
to the outcomes and content.
Learning material is generally of a high standard, and
user friendly
Spelling/ Grammatical Errors
Trainer/Learner File, etc.
Section/Page
What?
Additional Comments on Facilitation & Learning Programme
87
1
2
3
4
Excellent
Criteria / Question
Above Standard
No
Sufficient
Assessment Evaluation
Poor
D
Below Standard
Learner Guide
5
1
A clear overview provided of the assessment
requirements of the programme was provided
2
The assessment process and time lines were clearly
explained
3
All assessment activities and activities were discussed
Additional Comments on Assessment
88

71498 FETC Contact Centre Operations

Transcription

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