Call Center Excellence: Critical Steps for Delivering First-rate Customer Service.

Business Editors

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 2004

As the world's leading companies continue to move toward a more customer-centric approach, excellence in contact centers becomes increasingly critical for driving client retention and boosting market share. A study by benchmarking leader Best Practices, LLC, reveals critical steps top executives undertake to ensure call centers achieve high-performance standards and deliver first-rate customer service.

"Managing World-Class Call Centers: Site Visit Findings," available online at http://www3.best-in-class.com/rr396.htm , details specific practices top companies use to increase call center performance. For example, one financial services company developed a system to ensure it had the capability to handle fluctuating call volumes. When call levels rise 10 percent above the forecast system's estimate, managers alert more than 500 trained corporate reserves. During market stress periods, the company places messages on its Voice Response Units to explain the situation and outline the company view of the market change.

"Managing World-Class Call Centers: Site Visit Findings" compiles best practices from site visits at 11 world-class call centers, including two Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winners. The study also includes the following findings:

-- Performance statistics, such as abandoned call rates, answer

rates, handling time, hold time and save rates

-- Call center organizational structures, including staffing

levels for management and customer service representatives

-- Employee reward and recognition systems, including salary

ranges and incentive programs

-- Call center rep evaluation and management practices, including

performance scorecards and coaching techniques

"Customer service is more important now than ever," said Chris James, Best Practices, LLC vice president. "Recent research has shown that 70 percent of customers will buy products from companies with excellent customer service reputations. Companies need to bolster call center proficiencies to capture and retain these empowered customers."

To download a summary of "Managing World-Class Call Centers: Site Visit Findings," visit http://www3.best-in-class.com/rr396.htm . For more information about this report or other benchmarking reports, contact Susan Silverstein at [phone] or at [e-mail].

ABOUT BEST PRACTICES, LLC

Best Practices, LLC is a research and consulting firm that conducts work based on the principle that organizations can chart a course to superior economic performance by studying the best business practices, operating tactics and winning strategies of world-class companies. For more information, call [phone] or visit http://www.best-in-class.com/.