“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it!”
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it!” is a quote from Peter Drucker – a world-renowned management consultant and business philosopher - and a quote that I really stand by.
Whether you work in sales, HR, marketing or anywhere else, we are all measured by a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These measurements are the critical numbers which tell us how we are performing against our goals. They provide us with key insight into our overall company performance and they provide a level of consistency no matter what changes in the business (people, targets, strategy, etc. KPIs also help deliver innovation because they naturally instigate conversation, they open the doors to better understanding and new ideas. Only with measured performance, can you provide a platform for employee engagement including reward and recognition, positive feedback, staff appraisals and morale-boosting.
In the contact centre space, we are used to measuring a familiar set of KPIs. How many calls are waiting? How long have calls been waiting? How many agents are available… Whilst these are of course important, it is only focusing on one thing – Calls. As everyone knows, contact centres have been multi-channel if not omnichannel in their approach for many years, but I still walk into contact centres each day and see just one thing on the wallboards – Calls.
More recently, we have noticed a further change in business focus on the performance and quality scores, as they understand the value these factors have on their business. Many businesses are already measuring these new KPIs, NPS, CSAT, FCR, Etc… And yet, guess what they still have on their wallboards… You guessed it – Calls.
The point I’m trying to make is, if you want to improve your first call resolution or your customer satisfaction score, then you need to both measures and manage it in the right way. Telling contact centre agents that there are currently 5 calls in queue offers very little value if calls in the queue are always 5… But, if you can tell them that they are only 5% away from hitting their FCR score and that there are still 3 hours left of the day to achieve that, then you are giving more than just data. You’re providing actionable insight that might just help them achieve their goals.
In summary, KPI’s are some of the most important numbers in your business. When measured and communicated correctly, they can transform the way your contact centre runs.
As a best practice, I always follow the same 3 points:
- TARGETED – Are you showing the right KPIs to the right audience?
- PURPOSEFUL – Do they provide a clear call to action?
- CONTEXT – Are they presented at the right time and place to take action?
RMG Networks has been managing the visualization of KPI data in the contact centre space for nearly 40 years. We offer unrivalled experience in making metrics both measurable and actionable and specialize in custom integration solutions with existing contact centre systems. If you’d like further information, please speak to a member of our team.
About RMG Networks
RMG goes beyond traditional communications to help businesses increase productivity, efficiency and engagement through digital messaging. By combining best-in-class software, hardware, business applications and services, RMG offers a single point of accountability for integrated data visualization and real-time performance management. The company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with additional offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.rmgnetworks.com.
