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Editor’s Note: This is the fourth and final installment in a four-part series, in which Dennis shares benchmarks that ensure his company is on the path to growth. Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 now.
What employee screening methods are you using? If you have 50 employees at the first of the year, and 55 at the end of the year, but you terminated 30 during the year — your turnover rate is 57 percent. That is a lot of hiring. I know, because I have been there; it was mostly panic hiring to get bodies in positions.
Take the time to hire correctly. Interview carefully, and have someone else interview each candidate as well. You should have multiple opinions from the people already working with you.
Clearly keep your core values on display in your company buildings. Talk about what is important to you. Most applicants will try to conform to your ideals, but ask questions that can show whether they are being honest. For instance, if service is a core value to you, ask how the applicant demonstrated that in his or her work history.
If your turnover rate is between 15 percent and 20 percent, you probably are doing a lot of things right. If you are at 5 percent, you may be holding onto people you shouldn’t. This is, of course, assuming you have 50 or more employees. If your company consists of you and three others, and you are working together like a well-oiled machine, then charge ahead. Just keep in mind that as you grow, you will need to make the right hires to keep that company culture going.
CALL CENTER METRICS
Call center metrics are areas of measure that will greatly affect the customer experience when people call your office. Were you ever put on hold for a long time, waiting for someone to help you? As a customer, how did that make you feel? Do you ever get robocalls from a company you use for services? As a customer, how does that make you feel? If you don’t measure these practices, you cannot change them.
Some of these areas require the use of a more sophisticated phone system, but it is a worthwhile investment. Today’s customers are very fickle and busy; you can’t waste their time. Here are three basic areas to measure:
⦁ Service level. How long does it take to get to a live person who is able to help your customer? There was a time when I had customers telling me they were on hold for more than 15 minutes before someone took care of them. I did not believe it, so I called my office myself, over and over. I was on hold for more than 17 minutes for nearly every call. If you don’t measure it, it will get away from you. Today, our average wait time is approximately 16 seconds. We are over 90 percent service level — that is, at least 90 percent of calls go to a live person within 30 seconds or less — each and every month. This costs money, but the payoff is worth it in customer retention.
⦁ Accuracy. How good are your people when they are on the phone with your customers? This is a bit harder to measure. You need to record all phone calls, and listen to a random number per agent who answers your phones. Are they answering the phones and treating customers the way you want them to? Are they being professional and setting realistic expectations for customers? If not, you will need to counsel them; if they can’t improve, you will need to replace them. This can be really hard if that person is your spouse or other relative. It often seems easy to have someone answer the phone for your business, but they are the first impression a customer has of your company. If your relative is not cut out for this job, find them another area of your company to work in. Maybe they need a job like data mining, billing, marketing or somewhere else that does not put them in direct communication with customers. Your customers will thank you for focusing on this vital area of your business. When you do it right, your customers will feel as connected to your office staff as they do to your field staff — or you.
⦁ Productivity. What percentage of time are your agents on the phone or waiting to be on the phone? You will need a sophisticated phone system to measure this. They should use the phone system to clock in and out — stating when they are on tasks away from the phone, such as lunch and bathroom breaks or any reason they are not doing their primary function, which is to answer the phone in 15 seconds or less. Conduct an online search for the term “Call Center Scorecards” for more information. Again, you cannot manage what you do not measure.
JENKINS, who rotates this column with his brothers Bobby and Raleigh, is president of ABC Home & Commercial Services, Dallas, Texas. He can be reached at djenkins@abcpest.com.
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