Call Center Management: Two Ways of Thinking
- June 23rd, 2009
- Posted in Systems Thinking Concepts . Systems Thinking and Contact Centers
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There are a couple of different ways of thinking with regards to call center management . . .
command and control thinking and systems thinking. Both types of thinking require us to plan for resources using call volumes and duration. The similarities pretty much end there.
The command and control thinker uses these same data (call volumes and duration) to improve productivity. Such measures as (average handle time), cost/contact, customer satisfaction, agent utilization and of course you must have a balanced scorecard (a pretty version of MBO). Command and control thinkers also focus on the individual with coaching, performance appraisals, inspections, monitoring, targets and incentives . . . and the worker only is worried about not getting paid attention to by his manager/supervisor. All of these things are waste and with all the time organizations spend putting into it, I wonder what could really be done to improve things.
Systems thinking focuses on the customer and more importantly the customer purpose and measures from their perspective. They understand that the focus is the system, not the individual. That performance of an organization is 95% determined by the system they work end and only 5% is attributable to the individual. They also understand that call center management’s job is to manage this system and leave decision-making about the work with the work instead of some report. They understand that failure demand (unwanted calls, problems, follow-ups, missed appointments, etc.) make up between 25% and 75% of all calls in a call center. They understand that the call center is part of a broader system and not a part to be outsourced to reduce transaction costs or share services to cut costs without first studying customer demand and eliminating waste BEFORE such ventures. They understand that targets and incentives become the defacto purpose of the worker and the real purpose is tied to serving the customer.
The two types of thinking are almost opposites. Command and control fails to deliver sustainable results, while systems thinking can provide business improvement that organizations only thought were possible for manufacturing companies in Japan. Are you ready to change thinking?
Tripp Babbitt is a speaker, blogger and consultant to service industry (private and public). His organization helps executives find a better way to make the work work. Download free from www.newsystemsthinking.com “Understanding Your Organization as a System” or sign up for his newsletter and gain knowledge of systems thinking or contact us about our intervention services at [email protected]. Reach him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TriBabbitt or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/trippbabbitt.
I posted the following at http://www.kickingcommandandcontrol.com Tripp Babbitt’s latest post contrasts the many types of waste generated by Command and Control Thinking with the reduction in waste and improvements in performance that result from the introduction of Systems Thinking in Call Centers. As always, Tripp says many wise things, but I think that he and other very able systems bloggers need to ‘re-frame’ their messages. In order to break though the culture barriers, Tripp et al have to recognise that they are actually in the ‘Leadership’ business. As ‘Leadership thinkers’ their first task is to help managers to abandon the “Command and Control” leadership paradigm and adopt ‘Liberating Leadership’ paradigm. Only then will they be able to liberate the vastly increased performance potential in their staff and their organisation though the use of systems thinking.
Roy: Possibly you are correct. I believe, however, that most worthwhile causes need a defining moment. For Iran it will be the resistance sparked by the election. A revolution if you will. Years of agony associated with the evolutionary process leads one to say “enough is enough.” I have watched as manufacturing has declined in the US with the same worn out thinking. Waiting for things to evolve, there is no more waiting 25 years with little change and loss of industry. My sense of urgency basically says now or never. I believe that the people that read these blogs will either be curious enough to see why the two contrast or will dwell in their paradigm forever. I can help the former and only pity the latter (let them sort themselves). The blogs help incite movement rather than apathy and any movement is better than none (Newton’s first law: An object at rest, stays at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion). When people go to refute (move) they build the case for systems thinking or sharpen the argument.
Thx for sharing the feedback and your reply to it. I do sense your sense of urgency clearly. I compare it with Barack Obama. He played sense of urgency for Change. He did is with a positive message: yes we can.. not with: you do not understand me.. you do it completely wrong.. Also: a positive message is far more fun to spread.. I would most certainly retweet if you came from a positive angle. Probably more people would.. And by the way.. please bear with me for a couple of days/weeks.. I may surprise you..
Are you familiar with the Change Equation and how it applies to these situations?
Wim: You see I think my message is positive. There is hope, but not doing it the same old way. I always give people what they could be doing instead. They may not like it at first, but the ones I care about always come back. The more caustic I am, the more interest I generate, positive or negative in their eyes doesn’t matter. What matters is they are engaged.
Roy: I am or believe I am familiar. I ran into it in Deming circles in the early 90s. D x V x F > R D= Dissatisfaction V = Vision F = First Steps R = Resistance to Change This is great once you get in an organization. The problem is getting folks to pay attention to what is truly different. I don’t see application here. The your OK with your approach method, I have something that is a little different is too passive. BTW, if this had worked for these situations before now . . . wouldn’t we already have seen the change? If this method came out before I saw it, it hasn’t been very effective for these types of situations.