Kick-Start 2014 With Certification Workshops

2014 Winter/Spring Call Center Training Schedule
Management Certification
Workshop Agenda: Organizational Leadership Human Resources Quality Monitoring & Coaching Customer Satisfaction WFM Forecasting & Scheduling Call Center Technologies Tech-Enabled Processes Knowledge Management Benchmarking Self-Service Analytics Discover More »	Management Certification Dates and Locations: Jan. 21-23, 2014 Mckesson Specialty Health Scottsdale, AZ - Downtown   Feb. 18-20, 2014 Hotel Palomar San Diego, CA - Downtown, Gaslamp   Mar. 18-20, 2014 Lincoln Financial Group Greensboro, NC - Downtown   Apr. 15-17, 2014 AutoTrader Atlanta, GA
Quality Assurance Certification
Workshop Agenda: Creating a Quality Assurance Strategy Positive Culture, Behaviors and Definitions Quality Assessment Forms Service vs. Compliance Call Monitoring Process Evaluation Frequency Art of Coaching Time Management Reward & Recognition Methods Technology Discover More »	QA Certification Dates and Locations Jan. 29-31, 2014 Live Online   Mar. 12-14, 2014 Live Online
Workforce Management Certification
Workshop Agenda: Gathering Information - The foundation to all workforce management practices Forecasting - Setting the framework for contact center success Planning - Matching supply to demand Optimizing Performance - Real-time adjustments to the plan, forecast and data Analysis - Reviewing the outcomes to determine improvements to the next forecast and plan Change Management - Preparing leaders to lead workforce management change Discover More »	WFM Certification Dates and Locations: Feb. 26-28, 2014 Live Online July 23-25, 2014 Live Online
Coaching For Performance
Workshop Agenda: Review the role, responsibilities, and characteristics of an “ideal” coach. Match management expectations of using call center metrics and the impact on performance. Perform a gap analysis to identify what you have versus what you want in terms of performance. Examine successful verbal communication techniques. Compare and contrast the needs of new stars, rising stars, super stars, and falling stars. Create a strategic plan for all levels of performers to include team building, retention, and motivation. Practice and Application: Review the performance for five agents. Practice and Application: Create a coaching plan to sustain and/or improve performance. Discover More »	CFP Dates and Locations: Feb. 5-7, 2014 Live Online   May 21-23, 2014 Live Online
Supervisor Certification
Workshop Agenda: Defining & Performing the Supervisor's Job Communication Development Process Feedback Improvement Action Plans Coaching Course Formats: On-Site Personalized Training Discover More »
Agent Certification
Workshop Agenda: Complaint Handling Basics Active Listening Anger Diffusion Objection Handling Mediation Negotiations Course Formats: On-Site Personalized Training Discover More »

MAXIMUS New York Medicaid Programs Achieves Its Fourth Certification as a Call Center of Excellence

The New York Enrollment Broker Services customer contact center operated by MAXIMUS has been certified as a Center of Excellence by BenchmarkPortal, a leading contact center research and consulting organization. “Only the top 10 percent of those benchmarked annually achieve this distinction,” said BenchmarkPortal CEO Bruce Belfiore. “A contact center that seeks and achieves the Center of Excellence Certification from BenchmarkPortal demonstrates a noteworthy commitment to service excellence. The obvious beneficiaries of this commitment are the center’s customers, employees, and shareholders.”   

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Prince Charles and AHT - Contact Center Economics 101

“If you chuck away too many things, you end up discovering there was value in them.”  This quote from a Time Magazine article on Prince Charles (11/4/2013) is a warning to our sector.  The customer contact industry is prone to vogues just like any other.  Several years ago it was fashionable to be obsessed with average handle time (AHT), while these days increasing numbers of managers dismiss AHT as irrelevant, or even harmful.  I recently participated in an industry panel in which some felt that it is definitely time to chuck AHT.

My feeling is that would be a mistake; there are solid economic and quality reasons to keep AHT as a key performance metric, at both the center and the agent levels.

We should recognize how much may be gained from benchmarking and thoughtfully analyzing the components of AHT, which are: Average Talk Time, Average Hold Time, and Average After Call Work Time.

Average Talk Time
Average Hold Time
After-Call Work Time

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  “Contact Center Economics 101” articles are written by Bruce Belfiore (Harvard MBA), Senior Research Executive and CEO of BenchmarkPortal to spotlight practical opportunities for financial improvement of contact center operations.