Working with someone else’s data is sort of like being a doctor. The “patient” is sharing their most vulnerable details with the “professional”, like how much they weigh or attrition rates (basically the same thing, right?), to gain advice on how to get better. The intent is admirable, but there’s one fatal flaw: it can be easy to hide the truth with numbers.
For example, the doctor can help a patient weigh less, but did that actually improve their health? Losing 10 pounds sounds great until you realize it was mostly muscle. A similar rationale applies to the contact center: sure, we can lower your average handle time (AHT) no problem! But what if we ignored the very real possibility that your first call resolution (FCR) rates will decrease?
The driving force here is having authenticity and meaning behind your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Using the earlier example, is a lower number on the scale the only path to improved health? Of course not. If you went from struggling to get off the couch to running a marathon, but happened to gain a little weight in the process, you would be thrilled for your improved health! The same logic applies to the contact center. Wouldn’t you take a 1% loss in AHT if it meant your FCR rate improved 5% alongside your customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores?
Great, we’ve established you need to have a broader perspective on what defines improvement and what really matters. But how do we actually apply this newly defined perspective?
Here are 4 pillars to consider when driving your improvements:
- Human-Centric: Focus on the needs of your stakeholders (the user, the customer, the cross-functional internal team, etc.) and frequently refer back to them when alignment is slipping. Understanding those diverse needs requires time spent on being present with your people.
- Quality-Driven: With clear definitions and aligned expectations of quality, completed projects will deliver on the stated objective. Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.” Apply Honest Abe’s sentiment here. It may be painful to invest more time in conversation than development, but you won’t regret it, especially when your team inevitably hits obstacles.
- Proactive Risk Management: If the obstacles are inevitable, why not call associated risk out early? The odds of success are better with advance agreement on whether the anticipated risks are worth figuring out. Teams should be proactive on determine whether risks like development delays are worth assessing now or handling later, when in relation to a deadline.
- Holistic View: Each facet of your operation is connected and the better you understand the impact of your intentions, the more likely you’ll see positive results. Would you improve one KPI if you knew it came at the expense of 4 other KPIs? Would you want to improve a KPI if it came at the expense of your customer experience? What about the impact on your employee experience?
KPIs are a tempting mistress—they offer clarity and a seemingly linear path to “success”. Before charging ahead towards “success”, dedicate meaningful energy toward the intangible factors, the things that require deeper conversations to understand the bigger picture. Business success and innovation require more than concrete data. Make a change by being someone who understands that qualitative knowledge can be as valuable as the quantitative measures of KPIs.
