How To Select The Best Agent Management Solutions In Call Centers?

In a recent report, Ventana Research concluded that “the pandemic created the circumstances for a complete re-evaluation of the tools and processes used in call centers to manage agents.”

Many organizations are considering business improvement projects and software selection processes to enable changes driven by hybrid working, increased demand, and employee turnover. Therefore, selecting the right platforms and technology is vital to the success of a modern business.

How To Select The Best Agent Management Solutions In Call Centers?

1) Carrying Out a Process To Evaluate Suppliers

Ventana Research indicates that “business improvement efforts should be based on best practices that research shows quickly generate value.” The analyst firm has developed what it calls the “Value Index” that can be used to evaluate business agent management systems and tools. In this sense, it advocates the use of the Index as part of a structured approach to ensure that the right decisions are made to obtain the required results.

In its “Value Index” for agent management, Ventana Research evaluates the software in seven key categories, of which five are related to product experience (PX) and two cover customer experience (CX). These categories are:

• Usability.
• Adaptability.
• Manageability.
• Reliability.
• Ability.
• Supplier validation.
• Total cost of ownership and return on investment (TCO/ROI).

2) Integrating The Various Categories In The Selection Processes

The Index categories are also useful for integrating the software selection process, as they can be weighted to match their importance to specific needs. In this way, solutions and vendors can be objectively evaluated and scored against common criteria to help drive a structured selection process. This step provides the necessary evaluation tools to move from a long list of vendors and solutions to a short list that can be further evaluated to make the final selection.

An orderly, transparent and auditable selection can be useful for:

• Speed up the selection process itself.
• Reduce the cost of the process.
• Promote a common understanding throughout the organization.
• Provide criteria to measure success.

3) Establishing a Framework For a Technology-Driven Business Improvement Project

According to the report, there are eight steps that should constitute a technology-driven business improvement project. These include the importance of establishing technology evaluation criteria and how to select the right technology to meet a company’s specific business requirements more efficiently and accurately.

In conclusion, daily operations call for a reevaluation of the tools and processes used in call centers for efficient agent management.