Managing call center metrics during recession periods should be given primary importance, because they provide valuable data on which to base decisions on the fly.
Managing call center metrics during recession periods may seem of secondary importance, but in fact, it is extremely necessary in order for a call center to minimize losses. Economic downturns usually trigger companies to go all out and try to cut expenses as much as possible. This is more often than not accomplished via such measures as budget cuts, bonus and salary cuts, employee layoffs, and other equally drastic steps. What companies should realize is that a longer term perspective should still be adopted, even in the face of very turbulent short terms.
Metrics are key parameters that serve to allow managers to get an idea of how particular aspects of a process or organization are performing. In the case of call centers, some metrics include average handling time, or the time that it takes for an agent to wrap up a query, and customer satisfaction ratios. These metrics are important strategic tools, as they allow managers to keep track of employee and department performance accurately. For example, the effects of training, salary raises, and other actions should be reflected eventually in these metrics.
During times of recession, it becomes more important than ever to keep a close eye on call center metrics. One big reason for this is so that management will be able to rein in cost cutting when it begins to have too big an impact on performance. Call center performance relies on a number of different factors, with morale being one of them. Salary cuts and termination of coworkers will presumably have a negative effect on morale, leading eventually to decreased performance. Not to mention the loss of manpower that terminating employees would result in.
All in all, managers should always be aware of the effects of their decisions on call center performance, and even more so during periods of financial recession. Decisions made during recessions tend to involve even more risk than usual, apart from usually having to be made quickly. These represent crucial turning points for the company, during which every bit of data available to base the decision on would help immensely. Call center metrics become much more valuable in crunch times such as recessions, and they should be paid as much attention as possible. Objective data, with the proper analysis, will prove invaluable to managers devising strategies and tactics for coping with financial developments such as recessions.
A complete business plan to weather a downturn in the economy should include, therefore, a comprehensive plan for keeping up the monitoring of performance through metrics. Past and present performance should be used as benchmarks for determining the acceptable extent and percentages of drops expected to be experienced during the recession. Using these estimates, budget cuts and other cost cutting measures should be carefully limited. Managing call center metrics during recession will act as a barometer to help managers ensure that the company’s performance is not suffering too much because of cost-effectiveness measures. This will minimize losses and maximize the chance of making it through.
Tags: call center, managing, metrics, recession