One of the biggest topics being discussed in today's call centers and customer service organizations is cost reduction. There are many different factors that go into a call center operating expenses, including everything from agent labor hours to technology costs, and even facility costs. Obviously some things are easier to control than others.
A year ago, we presented at the ATA NY Tech Forum, in New Jersey. It was a great event that drew people from all over New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. One of the most talked about topics was how organizations could lower costs without lowering service quality. Below is the slide show that was presented during the forum.
The basic principles behind the concepts are simple... increase your economies of scale, and operating costs will decrease perpetually. The trick is doing so while maintaining and increase customer satisfaction and common call center metrics (FCR, AHT, etc.) The two key points to take away are the use of a "Multi-brand" knowledge base (for separating client information and processes) and implementing a guided process approach to increase the efficiency of agents.
2009 ATA NY Tech Forum (Reducing Costs in the Call Center)
