Quality calls
Quality calls
Research indicates that, not surprisingly, best-practice companies have a commitment to customer satisfaction at all levels, starting with the chairman and CEO and continuing throughout the organization. Customer satisfaction information is available to and used by all levels of management both for strategy evaluation and as the basis of tactical and operational planning. The American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC) uncovered these findings in its recent Leveraging Call Center Investments to Enhance Customer Satisfaction consortium benchmarking study.
"We have always known companies understand the importance of customer satisfaction," relates Peggy Newton, project manager of this study. "Lately, we have seen a move to the collection of this data faster, in real time. Companies can no longer afford to rely on customer satisfaction survey results that take one month to analyze. Successful companies are those that are able to accelerate the collection of customer feedback, determine its validity and importance, and react quickly and correctly to the customers' needs."
Fifty-seven percent of best-practice companies have an automated, real-time customer feedback system that can be used as an "early warning" mechanism. These companies rely on the call center to provide instant, verbatim customer feedback and are developing nimble systems to quickly react to it.
This benchmarking study- APQC's fourth call center study to date- identified best practices in linking the call center's customer satisfaction system with the company's vision, developing and implementing the system, and measuring its effectiveness. APQC worked with subject matter experts Dr William Bleuel of Pepperdine University and Dr Kathryn Jackson of Response Design Corporation. With 14 sponsor organizations, they identified nine best-practice "partner"organizations from which to learn: Bell Atlantic Mobile; Convergys; Eddie Bauer;Intuit, Inc; John Hancock Signature Services; The Prudential Insurance Company of America; Square D; Stuller Settings; and USAA. Four of these organizations are represented in the final report's quantitative data only.
Leveraging Call Center Investments to Enhance Customer Satisfaction,the final report based on this study, is available for purchase by members of APQC's International Benchmarking Clearinghouse for $295. Nonmembers can purchase this report at the retail price of $495 and the executive summary can be downloaded free of charge from the Web site.
The study was conducted using APQC's four-phase methodology that focuses on planning, collecting data, analyzing, and adapting and improving. The study process involved planning sessions, surveys, and site visits. From this information, the team created a final report that includes an executive summary,an examination of linkages from a call center perspective, key findings supported by organization examples and quantitative data, and partner company profiles. Related consortium Best-Practice Reports available to members and nonmembers are Customer Call Centers, Measuring Call Center Performance, and The 21st Century Call Center Rep. You may download executive summaries and order publications from APQC's online bookstore. For more information on any reports, call (800) 776-9676 or (713) 681-4020 or visit APQC's Web site at www.apqc.org
(Founded in 1977, the Houston-based American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC) provides organizations with the knowledge, training, and methods to help them improve productivity and quality. A nonprofit organization and a recognized leader in benchmarking, knowledge management, and best-practice information, APQC serves its 500-plus international members in all sectors of business, industry, education, and government.)
