Building A High Performance Contact Centre

Reducing Stress, Turnover And Increasing Productivity, Morale And Customer Satisfaction

Executive Summary
This case study reports on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) measured before and after a HeartMath training programme in a Fortune 50 High Tech Firm's technical support call centre. This call centre was the frontline of technical support for the company's technology product lines. The business goals of the programme were to reduce stress, improve communication and improve morale of the technical support group, thereby leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. By training the technical personnel to be able to recalibrate their stress levels after difficult calls, it was also expected that turnover would decrease and productivity would increase. The total estimated savings realized by the firm from the HeartMath training programme was $632,539.

The changes in the KPIs based upon those who reported in the categories of “often” or “most of the time” were:

• 67% reduction in intent to leave the job (decrease in turnover)
• 16% increase in productivity
• 100% reduction in stress, anger, exhaustion, tension and depression
• 38% improvement in communication between staff and managers
• 33% improvement in listening to customers and fellow employees
• 36% improvement in feeling cared about by the organization.
  

The key driver of these results was: participants learned techniques that were used in real-time to transform their physiological reactions from stress, thereby boosting their performance when dealing with customers and co-workers. In addition, several individuals who were on high blood pressure medication were able to reduce or stop taking the medication after the training (with doctor's approval). While potentially significant, the outcomes of the health care cost savings were not tracked in this study.

Call Centre Stressors
The Technical Call Centre group's goal was to solve the customer's issues in the first call and, thereby, increase the number of “First and Done Calls.” At times the issues could not be solved and were escalated. Problems not resolved in the first call would upset some customers. As a result, the Call Centre group would feel pressure when they could not satisfy the customer immediately. At times, when operating under reduced staff situations, the group felt overloaded with calls and stretched for resources. As a result of the difficulties on the job, anxiousness and concern were common complaints. The Senior Manager of the Education Department was concerned about costly turnover and looked for a proactive solution.

The following tables are the changes in KPI metrics over a period of 60 days. Baseline measurements were taken before the HeartMath programme started. After 60 days, the same group of people was measured again. This programme generated benefits for the entire call centre group, especially those that were most discontent or least satisfied.

Observations
Current US industry research from Purdue University's Centre for Customer Driven Quality and BenchmarkPortal, Inc. states that the number one reason Technical Call Centre Professionals leave their jobs is due to stress.

Figure 1. Stress--the number one reason for turnover   Before the HeartMath Programme: Pre-programme surveys revealed the following percentages of participants reporting “often” or “most of the time”: 27% were tense, 19% were depressed, 18% were unhappy, 14% were sad, 9% were angry.

From other research conducted by HeartMath, it has become well established that stress experienced on the job causes changes in the physiology of workers and executives alike, in this case the Technical Call Centre Professional. Those stress-induced changes in physiology often result in people leaving and less productivity on the job. Prior to the HeartMath training, average performance in this group had resulted in increased operating costs and more customer complaints. People leaving resulted in a reduction in staff. Therefore, the remaining staff was unable to reach Customer Service business goals. Increased operating costs also increased due to additional recruiting and retraining costs resulting from the turnover. This High Tech Firm recognized that personnel performance issues had been directly related to the pace of their business and that was costly for their Customer Service organization and for the corporation..

After the HeartMath Programme:
After the HeartMath programme, post programme surveys of the same participants revealed: 0% were tense, 0% were depressed, 0% were unhappy, 0% were sad, 0% were angry (based on “often” or “most of the time” responses.)

The Technical Call Centre Professional and managers reported being able to monitor, measure and control their own stress levels, thereby feeling more in control of their unpredictable environment and the pace. They felt more equipped to provide improved customer service under stressful situations.

Testimonials about the HeartMath Training programme from Fortune 50 High Tech Firm

"In dealing with customers, our group is under stress all the time. Members of the team have said, 'Communication with their managers is more effective after the HeartMath training.' Also, prior to HeartMath, a lot of people had said they were thinking about leaving the organization. After the HeartMath training, they aren't thinking of quitting anymore. The quality of people's lives is improved as people are less stressed at the end of the day. They have more energy to work better with customers and also have more energy for their family when they leave work.”

“I personally am more efficient at work and in how I balance my time. Specifically, in a group I listen with more clarity for core messages so that we can focus meetings effectively. Essentially, I have become more efficient at getting to solutions. These tools are universal. Wherever you are these tools work.”

--programme Manager/Education Department

“In our high-pressure customer service jobs, Freeze-Frame® is fantastic technology. We are able to give customers time to vent using our intuitive listening skills. Since we have had our entire team using HeartMath, we have an 80% improvement in our focus on the business problem at hand. We draw on our full creativity.”

--Technical Call Centre Professional

© 2002, HeartMath LLC