Statistics are a religion in call centers, and the most devout are fundamentalist. Stats Stats Stats! So how do you get the best stats that you've ever had without burning out? This one is a bit tricky, but it can be done.
The first thing to do is recognize exactly what metrics are. Statistics are merely a tool to show how well you are doing your job. That's all. Managers use them in meetings to show what you're doing, and argue for a better budget, and to justify your existence. You'll use them to show the managers what you're doing. With that, it can be really easy to make the mistake that great stats are your job. This would be wrong. Your job is your job. If you're focusing on your stats, and your job, than you are focusing on not 1, but 2 different things. That's going to slow you down just like typing and talking at the same time does.
A Call Center job is just like any other job. "Measure twice, cut once." "If you take something somewhere, bring something back with you to save a trip." All the great advice for jobs works with call centers too if you can visualize how it works with your phone calls. After you recognize that statistics only measure your job, then you can focus on the job. "Slow and steady wins the race." It's true, but please try and go a little faster. The best way to do a good job is to set a good pace, and stick with it. Bosses will constantly be hounding you to GO GO GO!! Obviously, they want as much out of you as possible. You're an investment, and they are capitalizing on their return. You can ignore that if you set your own pace, and make it a good one. It's not that hard to set a pace faster than average. The best part is that once a boss recognizes that you set your own pace, they'll stop trying to set one for you.
Now that you've set the pace, you can focus on your job. You're there to do a job, and they are paying you for it. So why not do a good one, and take pride in your work? Everything that comes your way, get it done whether it's in the stats or not. Whether it lowers your stats or not. We're not focusing on stats anymore, we're focusing on the job because the job is our number 1 priority when at work. I just had a co-worker transfer a call to me because I called a customer, and the customer called back. He could have helped the customer, but he saw a chance to avoid a call, and he took it. Purely stat based decision. The customer waited a little longer, the company spent a little more money, and while it got handled, it was sloppy. Point in case, if you focus solely on stats, your job will be sub par.
If you have to put your customer on hold, or go into after call work, or whatever you call it, so that you can solve a problem. Do it, even if your stats suffer. If you're going to do a job, you may as well do it right. Right? Not sounding helpful? It is, and here's why. Every time you do your job correctly, you'll be that much faster at it, and that much better at it. You'll be far more useful than my co-worker who has a slightly better stat now. People will notice this.
Now for the actual stats.
Yes, stats are part of the job. Supervisors, Managers, and even yourself will be able to measure the job you do by the stats you get. All you have to do is Not focus on the stats, but keep them handy like a tool box. Here is how.
1. Work on one stat at a time, and rotate. You can do this daily, or weekly. So lets say you want to lower your hold time, you focus solely on that one metric all day long, and don't worry about anything else. Next day, your handle time. The next day, your one call resolutions. After that, your active time. Every time you practice just one of these, you'll naturally be faster at it without even thinking about it. And that's what we want. Good stats without focusing on them because you have a job to focus on.
2. Don't compare yourselves with your coworkers. If you push yourself to be competitive, that's great, and if you can work in a competitive environment, that's great as well. The problem is you have take time away from your job to measure and focus on stats. This can take up to an accumulated 1/2 hour - 1 hour of your day. Ergo, if you put in the exact same effort of work as your co-worker, but you aren't looking at stats, you would win because you have the extra time you spent doing your job. Also, your focus is singular.
3. Priorities. Don't worry about your stats. If you are there to do a good job, it won't matter what your stats are. If you set your own pace, that's good enough. You'll automatically have good stats. If you practice one stat at a time, you'll automatically have great stats. It's all in our priorities, and where they lie.
4. Think fast, Act fast, Walk fast, but Talk Slowly. In a lot of places, AHT or Average Handle Time is a metric. It shouldn't be, but it is. With your sups constantly bugging you for faster faster calls, and showing you stat after stat after stat. You're supposed to hurry hurry HURRY!! Well, remember, we're ignoring stats. That's annoying. But still, we need to hurry up, and the instinct along with everyone's pressure is to hurry, and rush the customer. That would be horrible. If you talk slowly, you only have say anything once. Usually. It also gives you time to maneuver around the different screens. You're guaranteed to be faster this way than somebody who talks a mile a minute. You'll also get everything done you need to do. Keep your focus on the issue at hand, and your AHT will be faster than anyone else's, plus the customer's will love you more.
5. Relax. One of the things about call centers is they like to wind people up tighter than snare drums thinking they will work harder. And they do. It works. But it sucks, and the work environment sucks as well when you're all wound up. Just remember that Work is #1, and we're not focusing on stats. Relax, have fun, and enjoy yourself. Smile, laugh, and tell jokes. Focus on your job when you're doing your job, and you will do a good job. Practice one stat at a time, and you'll have great stats.
Am I broken record yet? I hope so. Stand tall, do good work, and let everything sort itself out.
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