Is it possible to apply SMED in a CCC? One of my colleagues recently asked me to train him on SMED, because he felt this tool is as important as the 5S. It is indeed a “magic” tool because the methodology gives striking results. But it is necessary to properly choose in what case to use it. All the tools of operational excellence, Lean, Six Sigma are applicable in the industrial world as well as in the service sector. I’ll tell you how.
Customer Contact Centers (CCCs) are now a key element in meeting the needs of both internal and external customers. Whether it’s an airline ticket, a bank transfer, or a simple request for information from a client. We use these centers regularly for a question about payroll or resetting your password with IT.
Series changes in Customer Contact Center
What is the performance of a CCC related to? Mainly to the working time of the resources. The famous payroll. To optimize performance, as explained in another article, there are two axes: reduce calls volume or the call duration.
Today I will be interested in the call duration and especially at the time after the call. I assume that the time spent with the client is value-added. Then the customer is no longer online. The teleconsultant completes her notes, performs an action for the customer … In short, it is the time that must be optimized to make her available as quickly as possible for another customer.
This is really a series change. The series is unitary since each client is a unique case, therefore a unique series.
SMED is all the more relevant as it aims at optimizing a flow pulled by the customer with a unitary series, which is already the case in the majority of CCC.
Observing post-call periods
Just like in the manufacturing industry, you first have to go to the field and observe. There are different methods to observe, which have all their pros and cons.
One method is to film the change of series. You will film the teleconsultant between the time she hangs up and the time she takes a new call. You will then have the opportunity to review the change, to show it to the people involved, to gather comment on their actions, or to share it with a whole team.
Another method is to use a timer, and have the time measured by a person who usually realizes the action, or on the opposite, someone external.
Regardless of the method used, several series changes must be observed. With the wide variety of calls received, you want a large sample of data. However, be careful not to become paralyzed by analysis. Pareto can help you target the 20% of call types that make up 80% of the workload.
Reduce post-call processing time with SMED in a CCC
You will then divide the activities performed into 4 categories.
1. What can be done in masked time
The fastest improvement is to realize some operations at another moment during the call.
Can the teleconsultant complete certain actions while on the line with the client? The goal is to take advantage of the current time spent with the client, not to lengthen it. This is not always possible.
2. Move some activities to another area
If you have used the theory of constraints, you have determined that the critical resource is the teleconsultant. So you want her to be available as soon as possible for another call.
Can operations be automated? For example, some letters can be generated automatically by the system. Profitability is not only measured in minutes saved, but in additional clients answered, especially if you have recruitment difficulties… Your optimization will then be used for your growth.
You can also delegate these activities to another area, the back office, which is not on the phone and can prepare letters and documents for the client.
3. Reduce the time of remaining activities
Everything that the teleconsultant needs to continue to do can be optimized. With templates, a robust documentation system, she will spend less time working for the client.
Once again, use Pareto to determine what needs to be available quickly. If your teleconsultant has to search for the document to send from a list of 350, she will spend a lot of time on it.
Even virtually, the 5S applies, and the most used documents must be put forward. The rest must be properly organized.
This may be the time to invest in a documentation system. With artificial intelligence, if robots can’t help your customers, they can certainly help your call center agents. They understand the internal language and can translate customer requests into internal requests.
4. Reduce the time of back-office activities
Even if they come last, they should not be forgotten. The back office treats exceptions or longer requests.
If you over-delegate, the back-office will grow and impact your overall performance. We need to do some improvement in this area as well.
Make sure that the value is created at each step. Are procedures up to date? Are the teams trained? How to help them, with a documentary base or templates for example to be more effective?
To conclude: how can you improve the performance of a Call Center?
Work on post-call treatment time. SMED applies to any change of series, including the unitary ones. However, as there is often a great diversity of calls, be careful to work on recurrent cases first.