客服中心是否寿终正寝?这是新冠肺炎疫情引发的许多涉及未来工作的有趣问题之一。自从我首次听闻一位热情的电信公司首席执行官宣称客服中心员工即将在家办公以来,已经过了足足20年。但现在,这种预测终于因为新冠肺炎疫情而成为现实。根据市场咨询公司J.D. Power于9月11日发布的一份研究报告,在接受调查的124家客户服务机构中,有86%的机构表示,即使在新冠肺炎疫情消散之后,他们也计划实行永久性的在家办公模式。
J.D. Power的调查涵盖今年5月和6月。92%的受访机构表示,他们的客户满意度得分保持不变(56%)或有所增加(36%)。该报告指出,在新冠肺炎疫情期间,许多致电客户都在寻求延期付款安排,并且得偿所愿,这一事实可能推高了客户满意度得分。一旦这些延期付款计划结束,客户满意度就很可能会下降。
调查还发现,55%的公司对于每通电话的“平均处理时间”(Average Handle Time)高于以往。这不仅反映了来电诉求的复杂性有所增加,也表明客服人员和客户之间的互动程度进一步加深。“许多以前来公司上班的员工现在独自在家办公,过着被迫隔离的日子。”一位客户中心的接线员表示,“这种社交孤立感往往会拉长平均处理时间,因为客户和员工都在利用通话时间来帮助缩短一些社交距离。”
展望未来,该报告称,与居家工作模式相伴相随的孤立感和支持缺失“将对工作表现和员工流失率造成负面影响。”预计培训新员工也将成为一大挑战。
这个问题的最关键之处在于:“考虑到客服人员表现不佳、员工流失和消费友好型金融政策缩减等方面的风险,员工体验和客户满意度预计将在未来几个季度显著下降。聪明的品牌最好现在就采取行动,深入了解客服人员在情感和心理方面对居家办公环境的适应程度。”(财富中文网)
译者:任文科
客服中心是否寿终正寝?这是新冠肺炎疫情引发的许多涉及未来工作的有趣问题之一。自从我首次听闻一位热情的电信公司首席执行官宣称客服中心员工即将在家办公以来,已经过了足足20年。但现在,这种预测终于因为新冠肺炎疫情而成为现实。根据市场咨询公司J.D. Power于9月11日发布的一份研究报告,在接受调查的124家客户服务机构中,有86%的机构表示,即使在新冠肺炎疫情消散之后,他们也计划实行永久性的在家办公模式。
J.D. Power的调查涵盖今年5月和6月。92%的受访机构表示,他们的客户满意度得分保持不变(56%)或有所增加(36%)。该报告指出,在新冠肺炎疫情期间,许多致电客户都在寻求延期付款安排,并且得偿所愿,这一事实可能推高了客户满意度得分。一旦这些延期付款计划结束,客户满意度就很可能会下降。
调查还发现,55%的公司对于每通电话的“平均处理时间”(Average Handle Time)高于以往。这不仅反映了来电诉求的复杂性有所增加,也表明客服人员和客户之间的互动程度进一步加深。“许多以前来公司上班的员工现在独自在家办公,过着被迫隔离的日子。”一位客户中心的接线员表示,“这种社交孤立感往往会拉长平均处理时间,因为客户和员工都在利用通话时间来帮助缩短一些社交距离。”
展望未来,该报告称,与居家工作模式相伴相随的孤立感和支持缺失“将对工作表现和员工流失率造成负面影响。”预计培训新员工也将成为一大挑战。
这个问题的最关键之处在于:“考虑到客服人员表现不佳、员工流失和消费友好型金融政策缩减等方面的风险,员工体验和客户满意度预计将在未来几个季度显著下降。聪明的品牌最好现在就采取行动,深入了解客服人员在情感和心理方面对居家办公环境的适应程度。”(财富中文网)
译者:任文科
Is the call center dead? That’s one of many interesting questions COVID-19 has raised about the future of work. It’s been two decades since I first heard an enthusiastic telecom CEO talk about how call center workers would soon work from home. But now, because of COVID, it has finally happened. And according to a J.D. Power study out on September 11 (CEO Daily got an early peek) 86% of 124 customer service organizations surveyed say they plan to implement permanent work-from-home models even after the pandemic passes.
The J.D. Power survey covered May and June, and 92% of those surveyed say their customer experience scores stayed the same (56%) or increased (36%) during work-at-home. The report noted customer satisfaction scores may have been boosted by the fact that many callers were seeking deferred payment arrangements during the pandemic—and getting them. Satisfaction could go down once those payment leniency programs end.
It also found that “Average Handle Time” for each call increased for 55% of companies. That reflected an increased complexity of calls, but also an increased degree of interaction between agents and customers. “Much of the work-at-home staff who were previously in the office live alone and have been forced to quarantine,” said one call center operator. “With this sense of social isolation has come longer AHTs as both customers and employees are using their time on calls to help bridge some of the social distance.”
Looking forward, the report said isolation and lack of support in the work-at-home model “will take its toll on performance and agent attrition.” Training new hires is also expected to be a challenge.
Bottom line: “Combine the risks of underperforming agents, agent attrition, and the scaling back of consumer-friendly financial policies, and the stage is set for a significant decrease in employee experience and customer experience for the next several quarters. Smart brands will do well to take action now to understand how well their employees fit emotionally and psychologically in a work-at-home environment.