Doing More With Less--Managing a Support Center More Effectively -Omar Reece, Lawson Software

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Doing More With Less--Managing a Support Center
More Effectively -Omar Reece, Lawson Software
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Welcome!

• Who is Lawson?
• Lawson Software provides business process
  software solutions that help services
  organizations in the healthcare, retail,
  professional services, public sector, financial
  services, and other strategic markets achieve
  competitive advantage. Lawson's solutions include
  enterprise performance management, distribution,
  financials, human resources, procurement,
  merchandising and services automation.
• Lawson Support Model (phone and online
  interactive-chat)
• Complex support90 minute average case time,
  40 first case closure rate

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SCP Certified

• SCP CertificationFive years in-a-row.
• Maturation ProcessWe wanted to do more with what
  we had, how could SCP help?
• We were scoring off the charts for responsetoo
  fast answering the phones.
• What was the impact of this to other areas (e.g.,
  backlog, time to work other issues, etc.)?
• This case study outlines a re-engineering process
  in one area of support
• Change the way you take calls without effecting
  customer satisfaction or primary response rate
  while at the same time reduce the group backlog
  while making agents more productive

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Identifying Areas to Focus

• Idle timeamount of time an agent not working
  while waiting to take next issue
• Schedulinghow much time do agents have to
  resolve existing issues?
• Cross-functionaldo your agents only work in
  specific areas, or are they utility players?

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Case StudyProcurement/Distribution

• Idle timeup to 70 idle due to emphasis on
  primary response
• Schedulingfrontline/backline/point person
  responsibilities all scheduled
• Not Cross-functionalDedicated Distribution
  personnel, dedicated Procurement personnel

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Idle Time

• Idle timeup to 70 idle due to emphasis on
  primary response
• Primary response (picking up the phone) was
  leading mgmt objective. Achieved through
  scheduling many agents to be available
• Could not quantify how productive agents were
  while waiting for the next call, but felt like
  could never really start something because phone
  could ring

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Scheduling

• Schedulingfrontline/backline/point person
  responsibilities all scheduled
• Many staff members were needed to cover frontline
  shifts to achieve response (4 hours/day)
• Scheduled Backline (case transfers from other
  areas/email cases) (3 hours/day)
• Scheduled point person (1 hour/day)

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Not Cross-functional

• Not Cross-functionalDedicated Distribution
  personnel, dedicated procurement personnel
• Consultants specialized in products supported
• Phone models separate
• Volume low for smaller group
• Based this on perceived higher customer
  satisfactioncustomer intimacy

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Changes Made

• Combined Two Groups to handle all incoming phone
  issues
• Scaled back frontline phone coverage to staff as
  minimally as possible
• Took away other non resolution type
  responsibilities (e.g., escalation coverage)
• Instituted overflow system where scheduled agents
  would jump in only if calls were holding. That
  way, if things are slow, agents are most effective

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Results of Case studyareas effected

• Total idle time--Reduction
• Service level--Maintained
• of Hours Issues Were Worked by scheduled
  agents--Reduction
• Backlog--Reduction
• Customer SatisfactionIncrease
• Agent Productivity--Increase

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Total Idle Time--Reduction
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Service Level ( of calls answered in 3
minutes)--Maintained
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of Hours Issues Were Worked by Scheduled Agents
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of Hours Issues Were Worked by Non-Scheduled
Agents (Ad-hoc)
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Backlog44 Reduction
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Customer Satisfaction--Increase
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Agent Productivity35 Increase in Production
Efficiency
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Questions?