ALESYS Contact Center Solutions: Problem Analyzer

ALESYS has performed extensive research in the Customer Contact Center industry.

Over the years, we’ve worked closely with many Contact Centers, helping them to identify and successfully address the problems that kept them from world-class achievements.

From our experience, we’ve generated the following list of problems that commonly undermine Contact Centers. To learn more about how to solve these problems, select those that apply to your Center. To close a problem, click on the link again. You can also use the custom box at the end of the Problem Analyzer to tell us about the problems that your Contact Center is facing. One of our Senior Consultants will be happy to discuss solutions specific to your situation with you.

Problem 1:

Agents take too long to respond effectively to Customer contacts.

Agents may not truly know how to find the right answer, so they put the Caller on lengthy holds to research the situation.
Agents receive little recognition or incentive for improving their ability to rapidly handle calls.
Agents don’t know how to efficiently use the available reference tools.

Problem 2:

Agents don’t know how to solve the Customer's real problem.

Agents don’t know how to probe to identify Customer needs.
Agents are not required in training to practice uncovering Customers’ true needs in typical situations.
Agents are not taught how to “think on their feet” to manage unique Customer situations.
Supervisors don’t provide effective coaching on the job.
Agents don’t listen to Customers.

Problem 3:

Your Center has an excessive turnover rate.

Agents lack confidence they can be successful after Training. They believe everything is too complex.
Agents are surprised by what it’s really like on the Floor.
Agents don’t have the skills or the confidence to handle unpleasant Customer interactions.
Managers/Team Leaders are not skilled in coaching Agents.
HR hires Agents who are not a good fit for your environment.

Problem 4:

Different Contact Center sites use different procedures and standards, leading to inconsistent results.

Managers have developed their own standards and performance expectations.
Managers have not been professionally developed using a company-wide philosophy on how to manage effectively.
Line Managers are not clear about the company’s vision or business objectives, so each manages their unit differently.
Procedures are not updated consistently to reflect changes.

Problem 5:

Managers use measurement data poorly.

Line Managers may think they are just fulfilling their own Manager’s expectations when they inappropriately use performance data or Customer satisfaction scores to motivate staff performance.
Managers often do not know how to analyze the numbers they get or find information that could really help them manage their units more effectively.
Many Managers believe they should always keep the pressure on to make sure their units perform.
Measurement data is unreliable or hard to obtain.
Line Managers are not effective at "rallying the troops" around improving performance measures.

Problem 6:

When a key employee leaves your organization, their knowledge goes out the door with them, adversely impacting the functioning of the Center.

Your organization does not have a system for capturing the learning and knowledge of those who perform tasks well.
Employees may not believe they have a responsibility to document how to perform various tasks to standards.

Problem 7:

Procedures and products change so quickly that it’s hard to keep everyone up to date.

Little accountability exists for making sure everyone knows what they need to know to be able to serve Customers most effectively and profitably.
Your systems for updating procedures and reference materials are slow and not very user-friendly.
The organization leaves it up to the Agent to figure out what they need to know on their own, or in their work units.
The organization has no process for quickly and effectively disseminating information to employees.

Problem 8:

Your computer systems are complex, and Agents have a difficult time learning multiple screens.

The current system is confusing, with ineffective online help tools to guide Agents to use the system properly.
Training doesn’t prepare Agents to use the system effectively!

Problem 9:

Your Agents seem to make the same mistakes after training as they did before training!

Your Trainers have never been professionally developed to effectively train others in what they know.
Agents don’t have the opportunity during training to practice with new skills or information to enhance their transfer to job application.
Your training programs are poorly designed.
Line Managers are not trained or rewarded for coaching effectively on the Floor.
Managers do not know what Agents have been taught, so they cannot reinforce the use of learned skills on the job.

Problem 10:

The skill level of New Hires is very low when they join you, and seems to remain low even after training.

Your HR function struggles to find qualified staff in your area who fit well in your organization's culture.
Rigorous assessments that would screen out unqualified applicants are not being used.
Management has not communicated to HR the skills and qualifications required to be successful on the job.
Training may not be powerful enough to provide skills to those new hires who really want to perform to standards.

Problem 11:

High pressure from Operations to achieve productivity goals means you can't take Agents off the Floor for training.

The organization is constantly in fire-fighting mode, and is not committed to investing in staff for the long-term success of the Center.
Staffing levels are not adequate to allow for professional development as needed for new products or procedures.

Please describe any problems you may be having in the space below and provide your information so that we may contact you.
What you are experiencing?
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