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Call Center Management – Best Practices of an Effective, Quality Project Launch
[February 24, 2006]

Call Center Management – Best Practices of an Effective, Quality Project Launch


President, CH Consulting
 
The success of a new project launch, whether with an existing or new client relationship, can be determined before your agents even get on the phones and start making calls. The steps taken, or lack thereof, by the management team during the pre-launch processes is critical to establishing the communication flow, department input/follow-up and timeline management expectations that ensure a smooth, and accurate project execution.


 
By following the below recommendations the next time you deploy a new project deployment you’ll enjoy an effective deployment that will help guarantee client satisfaction, project ROI and internal efficiencies:

 
1. Process documentation: Have a documented plan so all involved departments, from IT to Sales; Client Services to Operations; Accounting to the Executive Team understand the steps, and responsibilities needed to launch a new campaign. The absence of such a document will result in expensive internal mistakes and delays. Worst yet, clients may sense that your team is not all on the same page in regards to internal responsibilities and question your ability to handle their needs. If you do not have the expertise to develop process documentation and charts internally, partner with a company that can work with your team to develop these tools. It will be a worthwhile team building exercise that will begin saving you time and money immediately after deployment.
 
2. Define your client’s role: Operating together under a true partnership scenario is the best example of how to run an effective project for your client, and a profitable one for your call center. Many times our client contact is not familiar with call center processes and are in need of your expertise to make the project successful. Your first responsibility is to provide a clear and helpful definition of their role throughout the life of the project, beginning with the implementation phase. Have honest dialogue with your client about what you need from them and how they may help or hinder their own project’s success. Take advantage of the implementation stage to educate your clients regardless of their call center experience or your history together. Fully explain all your internal processes and steps you must complete and how they impact the project. With existing clients, take additional time to highlight any differences between the new project and past projects you’ve worked on together. Complete a checklist of all needed steps for a successful project set-up and launch, indicate who is responsible for each step (you or the client) to help mange these steps and educate the client on your needs.
 
3. Project kick-off processes: I highly recommend that immediately after contract signing that you hold/include a formal project “Kick-Off” process defined as part of your overall implementation plan. The kick-off can be as simple as a conference call between your internal team and your client’s project teams to complete introductions, review the project goals, contract scope and finalize a timeline. The kick-off should include all involved parties on both sides so that there is a comprehensive understanding and plan at the completion of the call to set the stage for a successful launch. Allow your client an opportunity to introduce their team and give a high level overview of their business, project goals and expectations. Make sure that contract scope and terms are reviewed so that if additional services (training, programming, reporting, etc) are mentioned during the kick-off that are not part of the original scope can be addressed and adjusted. This should not be the first time this is reviewed with the client, (the sales team should have had a similar conversation outlining the project scope and offering/addressing out of scope add-ons and pricing with the client during the closing process), however, reviewing these terms during the kick-off will help to keep everyone’s expectations in line and costs in check.
 
4.Communication: Communication is a fundamental element to successfully launching a project. Upon contract signature, it is Sales responsibility to clearly communicate the client’s needs, expectations and goals to the rest of the internal team. After the project kick-off, we recommend assigning a primary contact for your company for the client and vise versa, who will act as project leaders for the duration of the project. This will allow for a single point of contact on both teams that can help manage timeline adherence, check-off list items and manage responsibilities. Flowing all communications through the two primary contacts ensures that each individual component of the project stays on track and appropriate information is disseminated to other departments or people as needed.
 
5. Test, Test, Test: Technology is a critical component of a call center’s success, and as a result, many call center companies have over taxed IT departments. It is crucial that all IT components are set up correctly from the beginning, including scripting, campaign parameters, dialing rules, TSR profiles, data output files and reporting, and that they are ready to go when the calling starts. At the end of the day, the data and reports that call centers send their clients are the results they are ultimately paying for. Not having access to business critical information is not a place you want to force your client into.
 
Remember that the better the communication and partnership established between you and your client, the better your odds for mutual success. Having thorough and clear process documentation to support the communication of expectations will have a positive impact on profit management for both companies. 
 
Christa Heibel is the CEO of CH Consulting LLC. Still in her early thirties, Christa has led CH Consulting to revenue growth of over 200% annually since it’s conception in 2002. Christa is regarded as an expert in the field of integrated marketing campaigns as well as effectively using technology for supporting sales and marketing efforts.
 
An accomplished speaker, writer and sales trainer, Christa is looking forward to leading her many corporate clients and partners to similar growth over the next few years. She continues her commitment to staying active in the political arena, and plans to expand CH Consulting to actively managing telemarketing and other outreach campaigns for public officials.
 

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