Embbio Innova

Archive for January, 2010

It is a fact that First Call Resolution (F.C.R) is the single most important metric within a customer service organization. Maximized F.C.R rates will drive cost to serve as well as customer satisfaction to highly competitive levels and ultimately provide a shift from cost to profit center.

With so many talented industry experts, consultants and call center management focusing on this matter, why isn’t there a simple ready made formula which can help address the issue once and for all? Why are call centers still struggling to make the tiniest improvements whilst operational excellence is so vital?

Everyone agrees that the journey to First Call Resolution starts with the Customer Service Representative (C.S.R). Who is involved and what happens next varies, is debatable or is simply too vague. Very often, attempts to address F.C.R end at the first levels of management or the project becomes unmanageable.

The Customer Service Representative’s point of view:

Having been on-the-phone for 3 years serving customers around Europe and progressing throughout the ranks of call centers during the last 14 years, I have had time to lead my own investigations and collect my own findings on the subject. The mission, which every C.S.R accepts, is to qualify and to resolve the customer query at the very first call, there is no mistake about that. The inability to do so is due, in my experience, to policies and processes and is the driver for low F.C.R rates as well as high employee turnover and burnout.

The policies and processes in question are not quickly or easily modifiable; they are corporate policies and cross functional processes. I can vividly recall several instances where I was unable to resolve the issue even with 5 calls!

Trying to convince the customer that although he had purchased his product 6 months ago, it was unfortunately, according to the date of manufacturing, out of warranty because it had sat on a dealer’s shelf for 6 months in a different country of origin.

Attempting to refer the customer to a different vendor as a result of his system no longer functioning with our device made no sense but support boundaries dictated that only the hardware had to be troubleshot.

Trying to answer intelligently the customer questions when the new product or service had hit the streets before you were even trained on it! These are only a few examples and as a C.S.R, you pass on this information to the next level.

The point of view of the Support Engineer:

The quest of this next level job was precisely to gather C.S.R and customer feedback and improve the resolution rate. To do so, support engineers were provided with contacts into different parts of the organization to find the appropriate owner. My initial analysis showed me that on average 67% of total calls were closed at first contact and that the remaining 33% were split between 2-time callers (10%), 3-time callers (20%) and abandoned cases (3%).

This meant that if a customer query was not closed during the first call, it was a case of Third Call Resolution the majority of times. By investigating and classifying the reasons behind the open calls, I was rapidly able to address some training and knowledge gaps and system performance. But the greater parts of the problems were linked to dozens of processes and policies which became isolated topics in the realm of things.

The increasing speed of New Production or Service Introductions meant that testing and customer feedback phases were shortened and products were launched with unwanted or unknown features. Replication of customer problems was only done in rare and severe cases as resources were working on future product releases instead. Products were falling short of customer expectations but sold otherwise. Unit and spare-part stock allocation was done in favor of the sales channel and not available for support.

With the number of complaints typically being lower than .5% of the total volume in any one given area, it was hard to gain attention to develop solutions for customers. Yet behind every open case the customer was still waiting to be served.

Creating awareness of the above, gave me the opportunity to move into a management position.

The Total Customer Experience Manager’s point of view:
From my findings so far, moving further away from the customer meant, strangely enough, that I could come closer to helping him. By this time, I was determined to address all the customer queries and went about my role very literally. Total customer Experience meant walking the customer path and removing all the road blocks. In other words, I was certain to find answers in customer life-cycle management.

Every organization involved in the system was performing on target or close to target according to its performance measures. And during my interview rounds, I was frequently confronted with the feedback that the Call Centers were not handling the calls properly, that call centers were jeopardizing the company’s reputation and results. That was the source of the problem, I was told.

Knowing better, I investigated into each organizations’ reason for being. My starting point, the sales organization, was selling complete untested solutions as opposed to products or services. This alone did not match how the call center was organized, trained or staffed. Services were sold that did not exist according to the sales brochure and it quickly became apparent that local country organizations were developing their own sales strategies without informing the rest of the company. It was good for the numbers so no case there. The Sales Representative had no idea of the after sales customer experience and neither was it of interest since performance did not measure customer satisfaction.

Once the customer was in possession of his purchase, the post-sales process started. As the C.S.R’s were dealing with product bundles non-conforming to the catalog, the out-of-the-box experience became everything but user-friendly.

Everyone impacts F.C.R
Having moved on since and having observed identical scenarios across industries, I am a firm believer that F.C.R does not start with the Customer Service Representative, it ends with the C.S.R. The starting point is with the Sales Representatives. The lack of visibility, understanding and knowledge between these 2 functions can be devastating to the customer. Having trained both communities in one single training class and monitored progress, it has been an eye opener and worthwhile exercise.

The next fundamental element in successful F.C.R is measuring. What is not measured does not get done, as we all know. If all the contributors to the system impact F.C.R, why are only the C.S.R’s and call center organizations measured on it? Implementing F.C.R and customer satisfaction individual performance targets in operations such as supply chain, on-site installation and order processing has also brought the right level of focus on customer queries and given amazing results. Bottom line, we all need to take care of First Call Resolution.

The cars can be protected, adorned and enhanced in terms of their performance by making use of the car accessories available in the markets in this era. However the most important of the car accessories that has managed to sustain its worth among the other accessories, is the body cover for the cars.

These practical accessories can be used despite the fact one has the facility of the garages or not. The car covers are empirical to maintaining and managing the appeals and the exterior perfection of the car for a longer tenure. Not only does the car cover save it from the wrath of the sun, but also from the scratches that seem to appear on the surface of the cars despite being extremely careful about the same.

It also saves the exterior of the car from corroding due to moisture and curbs the chances of the growth of mildew due to humidity. The car covers are available in a variety of colors and materials however, it is recommended that the car owners use the car body covers made from breathable material. The car body covers can be bought are very reasonable prices and offer maximum protection of the car.

With the versatile varieties available in the markets pertaining to the car accessories it is almost impossible that one will be able to find a car accessory that they do not like or is not in accordance to the needs of the owners.

One of the latest accessories that are popular among the people who need to travel long distances due to the demands of their profession is the head rest clothes hanger. Most of the times, these hangers are customized according to the measure of the dimensions of the car. The best thing about such hangers is that they are behind the seat and thus, do not block the view of the driver or cause discomfort at all. Sometimes the car accessories are the essential add-ons which are required to enjoy better functionality benefits. The examples of such car accessories are the HID light kits and the LED lights of the cars. Though both these types of lights provide brighter light and a clear view to the car owners; yet, they consume lesser power of the battery. For utmost security during the foggy days one should install these light kits into their cars.

The car owners who are looking for better bargains on the car accessories should buy them from the World Wide Web. However, when buying from the internet, make sure to understand and read the terms of payment and delivery and ascertain the details pertaining to the warranty of the car accessories being bought.

If you have a car, you know that petrol is biggest expense you will spend on it. Now that petrol prices are increasing, it is getting more expensive to keep your car running. There has been a rumour spreading on the internet that you can use water as an alternative fuel to petrol. Is it real or is it a scam? If you are naive enough to pour water into your car petrol tank, you will end up with a big repair bill at the end of the day. You cannot burn water thus you cannot use it as fuel for your car.

However, if you were to analyze the components of water closely, you will see that it consists of 2 parts hydrogen and 1 part oxygen. That is why in elementary science, water is known as H2O. Hydrogen is a highly flammable gas and if you can harness its power, you can run your car with it.

How do you extract hydrogen from water? You use a process call electrolysis. Electrolysis is a process where electricity is run through water to separate the oxygen and hydrogen molecules. What you need to do is to channel the hydrogen gas through a hose into the air intake of the engine. The gas will be sucked into the combustion chambers and mixed with petrol vapour. This mixture will create a stronger explosion compared to normal gas and air mixture alone. With the same amount of petrol used, you are extracting more power from the engine thus improving your car mileage.

The modification work is similar to the process of injecting nitrous oxide (NOS) into the engine to generate a bigger engine output. NOS cylinders are expensive to use, but hydrogen gas can be extracted for free from water with electrolysis. The good news is, the whole modification process is totally reversible. The only by product is pure water coming out from the exhaust pipe.

Incoming search terms:

How many of us go phone call to phone call shopping auto repair shops for estimates to do a specific repair to our vehicle? How many of us have had those cost estimates differ from significantly low to enormously high? How do we then sort through the information we get and decide on which auto repair shop will do the work for us?

Most shops don’t seem to understand the importance of customer service, then there are those of us that operate on the basis of what is in the best interest of our customers. With this in mind, we have come across several customers asking for an estimate or would just walk in and ask us to “do a tune up” on their vehicle.

Now let me ask, how many different definitions are there for a tune-up? Honestly, it differs between shops and that’s why you get so many different variations in your estimates. Go with the cheapest and you might just be getting plugs and wires and inferior parts. Go with the most expensive and you might just be getting everything from plugs all the way to all filters and fluids replaced.

What can you do to make this ordeal more simple and be more educated on what service it is you truly need and use that knowledge to get a more accurate representation of estimates between repair shops? Since your definition of a tune up might be different between several auto shops, start by asking the first one you call what they see is recommended by the manufacturer.

A good quality auto repair shop will have the resource to tell you. Once you have the info, ask the auto repair shop to break down their estimate or if it’s a “package” price, break down each and every part they will be replacing. Use this same method described above for each subsequent auto repair shop you call. Use this knowledge to help you determine which auto repair shop you feel provided you with the best experience, those that answer your questions politely, those who were willing to take the time to break down the estimates and one that offers a warranty for the work performed, they may not be the “cheapest” but they are typically the ones that will treat you right and use quality parts on your vehicle.

Hope this short article helped.

Everyone has their own memory of the first time they were legally allowed to drive a car. It is a very momentous occasion that gives one an empowered feeling of freedom. There are several great ways to reward and congratulate the new driver that you know. Everyone needs something for their first car regardless of how new or old it is. From incredibly inexpensive to higher end, there is no shortage to the things you can give as a gift to a new driver.

A decorative license plate frame makes a nice gift and it is reasonably low in price. For twenty dollars or less you can get a really nice license plate frame. From Disney characters to fancy chrome trim, license plate frames comes in a variety of styles. You can even get some with letters that allows you to create your own custom phrase. You can take this gift to another level by having a custom license plate made for them with a word or saying of their choice.

Every new driver should have a roadside emergency kit in their vehicle at all times. Stock it with a flashlight, booster cables and flares. Other great safety items include such things as First Aid kits, blankets or candles. There is no end to safety items that you can give a new driver to increase their peace of mind. Cover all of the bases so that they can head off safely with little worries, especially new drivers that are teenagers.

A back up camera might make a nice gift and it encourages safe driving. It can be installed on the rear of the car near the license plate so that the driver can see if anything is behind the car. It’s perfect for those little things that you may not be able to see with your mirrors alone.

An iPod or cell phone holder gives drivers a place to store their electronics so that they do not get tossed around inside the car. It also prevents new drivers from making the mistake of digging around in pockets to look for the item. If you choose a gift like this, make sure it allows for as much hands free action as possible.

Though it may come as a surprise to some, there are mini refrigerators available for vehicles. They are quite small and often plug into the power outlet in the car. They can often hold up to six cans of sodas and also make a great place to store lunches. It’s certainly a unique idea for a gift. As far as convenience goes, a remote car starter is also a gift that tends to be well received by most people. It is a luxury that is appreciated the first time it’s used.

Seat covers are something that everyone needs to have in their car. When it comes to cleanliness and maintaining your interior, it’s an essential item. Seat covers come in many fun patterns and colours. They are also available in a waterproof form. This can be especially good when it comes to spills or a day at the beach. Car accessories for new drivers are numerous. There is no end to the selection.

Incoming search terms:

These days, with increasingly more motorists on the roadway, often there is the likelihood for accidents. However, as soon as this happens, the most important thing that individuals think about is finding a top quality auto body repair shop.

The reality is, no one really intends to have any sort of collision, but they do happen when we least expect it and can cause much stress on the brain, as well as the pocket. It will be important to find the best shop in your neighborhood and also one that you will feel confident enough to trust with your auto body repairs. If you are looking to find an auto body shop within the Tri-Valley area of the East Bay, the task will be pretty easy, however obtaining a trustworthy and reliable repair shop will be the challenging part. Therefore, you have to conduct an in depth research prior to leaving your motor vehicle at a shop, so on the next paragraphs you will find several helpful tips.

1. Get a Diamond Certified Body Shop. In order to have a Diamond Certified Company the process is not only detailed, but difficult as well. So, if you are told that they have a Diamond Certification, they specialize in the highest quality by an independent source.

2. Examine the length of time that the auto body repair shop is in operation. Is this a franchise or a family owned? Typically, the life span of a business can tell you about their devotion and also the support that they are receiving from the area. Additionally, most family owned repair shops will be a good option since they often treat customers just like a member of the family.

3. Word of mouth advertising always generates sales. Therefore, if you are investing a particular shop and you are getting only positive reviews and seeing proof of their work, then you can feel confident that this repair shop will ensure that you are not only getting the best work, but you will leave as a satisfied customer.

4. Another important factor to look at is if the facility is in good condition and is equipped with the necessary technology to address the repair problems for the modern-day vehicle. In most cases, you cannot determine this when you at the front of the store, so it’s best to request a tour of the premises to get a firsthand look.

5. Perhaps, one of the most essential queries required for finding a top quality auto body repair shop is if they are able to restore your vehicle to its state prior to the accident. You also want to find out if the staffs are skilled, certified or licensed mechanics. While, you are touring the premise, you can check the walls for any accreditations.