Learning Team A
MGT/521
15 July 2013
Phillip Norris
A Timeshare Call Center Evaluation
Call centers can be an effective way to reach customers for the purpose of selling products and services. The North American Quitline Consortium states “even with the explosive growth of the internet and e-mail transactions, telephone calls remain the primary form of communications in the early 21st century” (North American Quitline Consortium, 2010, p. 3). It is important to establish strong measurements to evaluate the employees of the call center and the call center altogether.
Typically, timeshare call centers are made up of three types of core employees on teams; inbound call takers, outbound call takers, and closers (North American Quitline Consortium, 2010). Each of these teams will have a manager who reports to the call center manager. Managers with the ability to analyze the performance and business trends from the established metrics measurements will have valuable tools to make decisions, thus creating a successful operation and a positive work environment
The Frontline
The frontline of a timeshare call center consists of two types of employees; inbound call-takers and outbound call-makers (North American Quitline Consortium, 2010). Inbound and outbound workers are divided into teams. This structure creates an efficient grouping of tasks and required skills. These employees utilize sales leads generated by a variety of marketing techniques that create a database for the outbound callers and entice inbound calls from prospective customers.
Both inbound and outbound sales agents are evaluated on service, quality, and efficiency measures (North American Quitline Consortium, 2010). Benchmark measurements of job performance will be: percentage of calls with a financial commitment, length of time on each call, rate of error or reworking of original order, product knowledge, etiquette, courtesy, qualified leads, and down time
References: Barlow, J., & Moller, C. (1996). A complaint is a gift: using customer feedback as a strategic tool. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler. North American Quitline Consortium. (2010). Call center metrics: best practices in performance measurement and management to maximize quitline efficiency and quality. NAQC Issue Papers, 1-34.