Agent support manual
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You have resolved a complex complaint, checked fulfilment on any action you promised, and contacted the customer to ensure satisfaction. Now it is time to turn your attention to the actions of the staff who were involved in the complaint.
If you have been handling complex complaints, it is likely that you are already a team leader, or acting in that role. Analysing staff performance is a very important part of your work, and can make you more aware of areas of weakness in the service we provide.
Analysing the performance of staff handling complaints ensures that we: bullet point.
learn more about why the complaint happened so that similar problems can be prevented in future , bullet point.
identify any weaknesses in company policies and procedures that need to be dealt with , bullet point.
identify staff training requirements , bullet point.
identify areas where mentoring and coaching could improve staff performance , bullet point.
constantly improve our complaint handling procedures.
What kind of information should I be looking for when analysing staff performance?
The table below will give you an idea of what you should check when analysing staff performance. You are aiming to find out whether there are areas in the complaint resolution process where staff did not perform as well as possible.
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You may find that a problem is isolated - perhaps there has been a simple error when completing the database which has led to the non-delivery of an order. In this case, you might decide that further training is not required.
On the other hand, you may find that the problem is more serious - perhaps an agent has incorrectly interpreted company policy and you suspect that other agents may do the same. Or, you are concerned that an agent's poor attitude to customers reflects what is happening generally. In these cases, you would probably want to provide training or coaching/mentoring to deal with the problems before they recur or get worse.
We use both formal and informal methods of analysing staff performance here at Bushland Blooms.
This is the kind of assessment where you learn from watching and listening.
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Casual conversations
A casual conversation is the type of chat that can take place any time and in any place. Your colleagues may feel more comfortable sharing their opinions and giving feedback in an informal setting, such as over coffee.
For example
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Casual observation
This is where you observe what is happening around you in your workplace. bullet point.
How does a particular agent respond to complaints? , bullet point.
Does the agent sound flustered and under pressure, or calm and helpful? , bullet point.
Does the agent raise their voice? , bullet point.
Does the agent have a positive or negative attitude when dealing with complaints?
Your observations can give you helpful hints about the way complex complaints are being dealt with. The information can help you identify whether a team member is dealing confidently and calmly with complaints or whether they are becoming tense and stressed. If you notice a lot of tension and stress, it's probably a sign that the agent needs further training or coaching.
Third party views
Sometimes it can be useful to speak to other colleagues about your team's overall performance. Speaking to specialists and other departments can help you gain a fuller picture of your team's performance. This in turn can help you identify areas where training is required.
For example
The Complaints department tells you that they have had 20 queries from your team this month about issues relating to refunds.
This tells you that your team is uncertain about refunds and probably requires further training.
Formal assessment of performance should be taken very seriously. The results of the assessment can affect a person's future career.
When undertaking a formal assessment here at Bushland Blooms we require all staff to be told of:
the reasons for the assessment , bullet point.
when and where the assessment will be held.
This allows the staff member to be prepared for any questions and have any required information at hand.
It also allows the staff member to assist with, and contribute to, the resulting outcomes.
It is important to be as open and flexible as possible when carrying out formal assessment. Some people may feel threatened by formal assessment and it is your job to reassure them that the process is designed to maintain or improve Bushland Blooms performance standards.
Performance reports
A performance report lists statistics relating to complaints handled (as well as other performance-related information). This will include the amount of time taken to resolve the complaint. You can compare the time an agent spends resolving complaints with the recommended target time.
Self-analysis
Asking an agent for their own opinions about how they handled a complaint can be a useful source of information and feedback.
Self-analysis can take the form of: bullet point.
surveys and checklists , bullet point.
verbal questioning , bullet point.
discussion during coaching/mentoring. , bullet point.
The benefit of self-analysis is that agents themselves suggest areas where improvement is required. They are then more likely to commit to making the necessary changes.
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Observation/call monitoring
When you formally monitor an agent's calls, you observe and make notes about the way an agent is handling a complaint. Your notes allow you to identify areas for improvement.
Observing an agent at work allows you to concentrate on WHAT the agent says, and HOW they say it.
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Customer surveys
Customer surveys can be used in two different ways. Either you can survey each customer who goes through a complex complaint resolution process, or you can incorporate questions about complaints and complaint handling into larger surveys.
Agents dealing with complex complaints must fill in a section on the Customer Care form (in the Customer database on the Intranet) to indicate whether the customer is satisfied or not. Recording this information is part of the closing process of complaint handling.
You can use this information to help you survey customers either by phone or using a formal survey.
At Bushland Blooms we believe in addressing a problem before it becomes a problem. If an agent needs improvement in a particular area, we provide mentoring and coaching to the agent.
Mentors provide assistance to agents on an ongoing basis, usually in response to how to handle situations that arise during a call.
Mentoring at Bushland Blooms is usually carried out: bullet point.
on a one-on-one basis. For example, a more experienced agent may review a team member's performance when handling a complaint. The experienced agent notes down how the complaint was handled and helps with specific areas. , bullet point.
by role modelling. The agent listens in to an experienced agent's handling of a complaint.
Coaching at Bushland Blooms is usually a structured session in response to a specific area that needs improvement. For example, agents may need coaching on a new product line, a policy, or how to use the technology and databases.
Coaching can also be provided to agents: bullet point.
on a one-on-one basis , bullet point.
in a team - by team leaders, or subject experts , bullet point.
by other department members (eg. the Complaints department).
You may decide that your staff needs are too great to be addressed by mentoring and coaching. If this is the case, then you need to identify areas where training would help. These could include: bullet point.
dealing with difficult customers , bullet point.
customer service skills , bullet point.
systems training (for example, using the database) , bullet point.
conflict management , bullet point.
time management , bullet point.
project planning , bullet point.
negotiation skills.
If you decide that training is necessary, then you should contact Sue Abib, our Complaints manager. One of her responsibilities is to organise training relevant to complaint handling.
 ASM
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