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STANDARDS

DATA-BASED DECISION MAKING

  • Value the use of data as the starting point for professional work.

ARTIFACT

EDTEC 540: Introduction to Educational Technology
Project: Can You Hear Me Now? A Call Center Performance Analysis (PDF)

540

Context and Project Description

We were asked to conduct a performance analysis on a problem or opportunity and define a solution system that includes a job aid.  I used an opportunity from a client who runs a call center based in the Philippines, providing 411 services to cellphone company subscribers in the United States. The call center has 15 teams, each team consisting of 25 customer service representatives (CSR) and a team manager. The team’s performance is measured by its excellence rating (ER) which consists of attendance, quality assurance score and CSR excellence report. A typical ER for a team is at least 90%. I took the team with the lowest ER score, analyzed their ER reports, identified opportunities for improvement and proposed a solution system which included a job aid.

How The Artifact Demonstrates The Standard

This artifact showed how I used the results of a performance analysis to identify opportunities for improvement and propose solutions. During the analysis, I reviewed training manuals and existing excellence reports of all 15 teams.  I conducted a survey using a questionnaire and learned that each CSR uses a "call protocol manual", a notebook containing a list of call scripts for every call situation, which they heavily rely on when performing their jobs. Through a telephone interview with the team manager, I found out how each CSR were graded.

With existing data and those gathered from the results of my analysis, I was able to compare the team’s actual performance with the team optimals set by the company. I identified two areas most likely to contribute to the improvement of their ER score in the short term. My recommended solutions included a redesign of their call protocol manual and the addition of feedbacks from the team manager in the CSR excellence reports.   I was allowed to implement the proposed job aid as a test for a period of one month.  Unfortunately, my contract with the client has ended and I was not able to follow-up on the results.      

Challenges and Opportunities

Because of limited access to sources and constraints in time, I was able to focus only on the short term approach of the analysis instead of long term. I also had scheduling problems with the stakeholders due to the 15-hour time difference.  My lack of extensive experience in data analysis made it difficult for me at first to come up with useful survey questions and later organize the data results. However, with diligent time and resource management, I was eventually able to put everything in order and produce results.

What I Learned

I learned the importance of identifying the best sources for the information you are seeking and the different levels of evaluating data.  Grouping them into people, data and things also helped me streamline the process. I also learned that any recommendations to improve performance must be aligned with the overall goal or mission of the company and not just of the immediate individual or department.  

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