Increase Operational Efficiency by Tracking Agent Performance

By Allan Pulga

Providing agents with the right performance data can be retailers’ ticket to better operational efficiency and higher profits.

In 2005, gift retailer 1-800-FLOWERS.COM saw agent productivity and conversion rates increase considerably, spurred by the implementation of a performance management solution from call-centre software specialist Syntora.

Using on-screen dashboards (allowing each agent to self-monitor performance in real time) and a suite of reporting, messaging and training tools, the near 2,000 agents in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM’s nine call centres now handle an average of five additional transactions per day, with 1 to 3 per cent increases in conversions and upsell.

“Having all the key performance indicators right in front of us has really enhanced operational efficiency,” said Lou Orsi, Director of Vendor Relations and Strategic Projects for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, in a recent White Paper from Syntora.

In the past, the company obtained performance data by combining order and call data from separate company databases. It was a time consuming and labour intensive process. And because nothing was in real time, immediacy – sharing of results and quick interventions with underachieving agents – was impossible.

“Most of our reports were produced at the end of the day, and it is very difficult to react proactively when you’re not accessing information in a timely manner,” recalled Orsi. “We needed real-time performance reports so that agents, managers and even our executive-level team could see how we were doing on any given day at any given hour.

“Our goal is to continually assess what we can do to make our lives easier.”

Now, with the help of an integrated set of performance tracking, reporting, messaging and training tools, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM collects both real-time and historical performance information and consolidates the data into reports. These reports have different views for agents, managers and executives. Data from all five company call centres and four outsourced partner sites can be merged onto one report.

Customizable ‘always on’ dashboards provide insight into agent and group productivity. Orsi said allowing agents to self-monitor their progress on a daily, or even hourly, basis has created a “positive, competitive environment.”

Tracking agent performance in real time lets 1-800-FLOWERS.COM respond quickly if targets aren’t being met and set up employee incentive plans to encourage agents to keep meeting targets.

“Now we can easily identify who our top performers are,” said Orsi.