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GOOD PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CONTACT CENTRES

SECTION 8: MANAGING IMPLEMENTATION

The setting up and development of a contact centre in government bodies can best be achieved through a phased programme that allows for the integration of extra services over time.

The task of developing the right approach and devising a plan to put it into effect can be daunting. The issues to be considered include:

• systems and telephony: critically the systems considerations should include the interface of the contact centre with supporting departments of functions to ensure continuity of processing;
• facility design;
• organisational design including how internal relationships with other business areas will be identified, reviewed and resolved;
• staffing;
• vendor management; and
• business process.

Successful implementation will rely on a comprehensive approach to the project and to change management. Below are some guidelines for success.

Creating the blueprint

This will provide the design required for the contact centre and should offer answers to these questions:

• What changes does the organisation need in relation to:
  • strategy, for example vision, role and purpose, channel strategy;
  • culture and change management;
  • operations, for example location, functional design, outsourcer selection and implementation if required, processes, resource management, opening hours, ergonomics, forecasting, service level agreements, targets, management information;
  • human resources, for example structure, job profiles, training and development, resourcing and selection, reward and recognition, performance management, policies, career development, retention; and
  • systems and telephony, for example architecture, telephony, applications?
• How will the successful completion of the project be measured?
• What level of resource commitment will be required?
• What cross-functional activity will be needed?

Creating the project plan

This entails devising a detailed plan and establishing the key steps, the links between these steps and the timescale. You must:

• determine the discrete tasks and associated deliverables;
• establish the milestones and interdependencies; and
• allocate the appropriate resources and timing.

Managing the project

• Appoint a strong project manager: This post is critical to the success of implementation. A good project manager is one who offers strong leadership, a methodical approach to work and excellent communication and presentation skills. A key element of the role is the ability to foster a culture of sharing and exchanging information. Regular group discussions and workshops are useful in achieving this and are also the best way to bring issues out into the open and obtain commitment on contentious matters.
• Select the project team with care: Understand what skill sets are needed and how they can be best matched against available resource. The team is likely to embrace varied levels of expertise and training. By utilising contractors or consultants, any skills gaps should be able to be overcome.
• Manage risk: It is important to identify and document risk factors at the start and carry out routine monitoring during the course of the project.
• Manage expectations of senior management: Be realistic about the goals and benefits of the project and communicate accordingly. There are two main areas of expectation that tend to run ahead of events:
  • speed of implementation; and
  • speed of demonstrated return on investment.
• Achieve 'buy-in' early on: Think about your communication, be clear, motivational and effective and involve people early in the process.
• Communicate success: Go for some quick 'wins' and communicate them, for example completed contract negotiations with the selected IT vendor, successful pilot delivery, appointment of contact centre manager.

Facilitating culture change

The cultural issues affecting change programmes are integral to the project. To plan it without considering potential cultural resistance is to plan for failure. If successful, the implementation and management of contact centres plays a critical role in transforming the way an organisation provides services and information to citizens and in making it more efficient and customer-focused. If the organisation's culture does not support this move, it will go on applying old and irrelevant ways of doing things to new developments, thus making it impossible to implement change.

As the place of culture in driving change and performance is more widely recognised, it is becoming, on merit, a key agenda item for senior management. Culture has always fascinated psychologists and an abundance of research has been produced over the years. Though this is a complex subject, common themes emerge such as:

• Culture is linked to a pattern of beliefs, values and perceptions that manifest in behaviours. Any culture emergence must focus on these patterns.
• Culture is not static, but constantly evolving.
• Time is needed for behaviour to change. It does not happen overnight.

Successful contact centre cultures tend to be those where:

• there is a strong focus on customers, on understanding their needs and driving quality customer service;
• there is a high degree of staff accountability, ownership and empowerment;
• senior management advocates defined corporate values in relation to trust, integrity and respect;
• the value and contribution of the contact centre to the organisation is realised and communicated;
• there is genuine teamwork;
• staff morale is high;
• there is open communication between senior management and employees; and
• an inclusive approach to management is adopted and staff views really count.

Unsuccessful contact centre cultures tend to be those where:

• there is a lack of strategic vision for the centre and how it contributes and adds value to the organisation;
• an over-reliance on productivity measures exists;
• customer contact is process- and technology-driven, not customer-driven;
• management style is about enforcement rather than leadership and development; and
• staff morale is generally low and they often feel they are victimised and have little control.

Useful tips for facilitating cultural change

• Cultural change begins with a clear vision of the organisation's new or desired direction and the related values and behaviours. It will only proceed effectively if there is full commitment by senior management to the new values and the need for change.
• Analysis of the existing culture and the influencing drivers is a useful starting point. There are many 'culture audit' tools in the market to help you establish the gap between the current culture and the one to which you aspire.
• By understanding what drives culture, effective interventions to help existing collective values, beliefs and assumptions to evolve can be devised.
• Create openness to change by helping staff and unions understand the gap between the current and desired position. Ensure that positive messages are relayed through clear and effective communication. Regular discussion and consultation is also strongly recommended.
• Remove any negative obstacles that stop positive behaviours from emerging, for example inappropriate management, time-consuming and irrelevant processes.
• Ensure that managers 'walk the talk' and evolve their role to focus on coaching and facilitating.
• Make training a catalyst for cultural change through a planned approach to staff development that promotes the desired values.
• Incorporate a planned programme of celebration, socialisation and recognition.
• Ensure that the recruitment process for new recruits aims to match candidates with the desired cultural fit.
• Analyse the progress of change by monitoring defined behavioural and commercial indicators

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