scholarly journals Enhanced Customer Interactions through Customer-Centric Technology within a Call Centre

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2(J)) ◽  
pp. 79-91
Author(s):  
Devina Oodith
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Customer Experience ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Call Centre ◽  
Call Centres ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Public Sector Service ◽  
Sector Service

Customer call centres have become a critical form of service delivery for many organisations hence technological innovations serve as a critical point of contact between the organisation and its customers and can assist in raising the stakes in businesses in terms of customer service delivery (Burgess & Connell, 2004). According to the 2017 Global Customer Experience Benchmarking Report technology has been the number one enabler to positively enhance customer service experience in the last 5 years (Business Tech, 2017). Customers have become so empowered that they expect to have flexibility to contact a business however they choose; either via a telephone, email or Facebook. The key to ensuring satisfaction though is system’s efficiency and ease of use. This study was undertaken in EThekwini (Durban), South Africa and was directed within a Public Sector service environment comprising of four major call centres employing a total of 240 call centre agents. Using simple random sampling, 220 customers were drawn from all consumers subscribing to e-billing in EThekwini (Durban). Data for the customer sample was collected using a precoded, self-developed questionnaire whose psychometric properties were statistically determined. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results specify that in terms of customers’ perceptions of the influence of technology, on call centre effectiveness the majority of the customers found it challenging to use the technology and to understand the self-help options that were provided to them by the call centre. There were problems encountered with logging in customer queries and complaints and most customers were dissatisfied with their overall customer experience. Based on the results of the study recommendations have been made to manage the interactions between the customers and call centre’s more proficiently and powerfully.

scholarly journals Co-creating customer experience through call centre interaction: Interactional achievement and professional face

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Jagodziński ◽  
Dawn Archer
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Customer Experience ◽  
Call Centre ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
Holistic Treatment ◽  
Call Centres ◽  
The Way

Abstract Many customer service institutions draw on the (argued over) notion of “customer experience”. Gentile et al. (2007) suggest that, at an optimum, the notion assumes a thinking and feeling customer who co-creates their customer experience together with the service providing institution. This co-creation is believed to comprise interactional involvement, personalization and the holistic treatment of the customer’s needs. Given the latter, we might expect service providers, such as call centres, to view language as a vital means of creating an experience with the customer. The extant linguistic call centre research, including our own, points to the fact that call centre institutions view language as fundamental to their functioning. However, heavy language regulation tends to be the most important - if not the only - means of achieving outstanding customer experience (Cameron 2000; Jagodziński 2013; Archer and Jagodziński 2015). There is a clear mismatch, then, between the tenets of customer experience and the way language is conceptualized, interactionally managed and regulated. Throughout this paper, we argue that the co-creation of customer experience must be accompanied by its linguistic co-construction, which can only be achieved by giving frontline employees more interactional freedom than they tend to have in practice.

scholarly journals Critical ingredients for call centre agents’ effectiveness

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 479-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devina Oodith ◽  
Sanjana Brijball Parumasur
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Cluster Sampling ◽  
Call Centre ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Call Centres ◽  
Interpersonal Skills Training ◽  
Public Sector Service ◽  
Sector Service

This study assessed the critical ingredients for call centre agents’ effectiveness (skills/knowledge/ability/attitude, interpersonal skills, training and development, remuneration/motivation, teamwork) in managing customers and their needs. The study was undertaken in Durban, South Africa, and was conducted within a Public Sector service environment which comprised of four major call centres employing a total of 239 call centre agents. A sample of 151 call centre agents was drawn using the cluster sampling technique and a 63% response rate was achieved. These call centre agents were responsible for inbound calls only. Data was collected using a self developed, precoded questionnaire whose validity and reliability were statistically determined using Factor Analysis and Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha respectively. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicate that remuneration/motivation, followed by teamwork, negligibly followed by training and development, interpersonal and other skills/knowledge/ability/attitudes are crucial ingredients for effectively managing customers and their needs. Based on the results of the study a model is designed and presents recommendations that, when implemented in call centre environments, have the potential to enhance agents’ effectiveness in managing customers and their needs.

Social innovation and service delivery in Belgium and South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maréve Inge Biljohn ◽  
Liezel Lues
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
South African ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Value Proposition ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Sector Service ◽  
Sector Service

Purpose Social innovation (SI) remains a latent area in the South African local government (LG) sphere despite its growing use in public-sector service delivery globally. This paper aims to investigate the use of SI in the service delivery of LG through a comparison between the City of Ghent (CoG) (Belgium) and the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (MMM) (South Africa). Design/methodology/approach Through a comparative case study approach, qualitative research methods were used to both collect and analyze the data. Data collection instruments included document analysis (naturally occurring data), semi-structured interviews (generated data) and focus group discussions (generated data). Findings Although LG is obliged to collaborate with citizens, various factors influence citizens’ ability to make contributions, even when platforms are created. Collaborative initiatives aid in the realization of collective development visions and enhance citizen participation in a more responsive and inclusive approach to service delivery. Collaborations would require citizens and LG officials to be empowered by finding new ways of working together, as well as developing skills. Practical implications Citizens’ participation when SI is used to enhance service delivery should be meticulously planned. Co-producing services require a conducive internal organizational context that advances citizen participation in the governance and decision-making of service delivery, which is likewise optimal for enhancing the use of SI during the respective co-production service delivery stages. Achieving a conducive internal organizational context is influenced by the role of LG officials and politicians in understanding the value proposition of participation in service delivery to citizens. This value proposition is crucial to building and establishing a trust relationship between citizens, LG officials and politicians. Finally, consensus concerning the concept of SI and its use and implementation is important to ensure its consistent use and application by a municipality, and thus calls for further in-depth investigation. Originality/value SI is a nascent area for which the discourse is still under development, and it is a concept that is often the subject of debate in literature. This paper is justified by the fact that the use of SI in the South African LG sphere lags behind the growing use thereof in public-sector service delivery by LGs globally. In addition, the study presents novel insights regarding similarities and differences in the use of SI through a comparison between two LGs, namely, the MMM and the CoG.

Do They Always Have Wounded Selves: Moderating Impact of Job-worth on Burnout and Self-worth of Indian Call Centre Employees

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Tuheena Mukherjee ◽  
Kanika T. Bhal
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Call Centre ◽  
Call Centres ◽  
Self And Identity ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
Customer Service Representatives ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Numerous researches in call centres indicate the negative psychological impact in the form of burnout experiences of the customer service representatives. The present study argues that burnout experiences do not always have a negative impact on the employee’s self-worth. The relationship is, instead, moderated by the impact of job-worth, which acts as a potential individual resource. The results of the present study conducted on 312 call centre representatives partially confirm our hypotheses. Results indicate that representatives who have high job-worth maintain their self-worth, even when emotionally exhausted. The results also show that employees possessing high job-worth, even with low personal accomplishments on their jobs, maintain their self-worth. We discuss the findings in the Indian call centre context from the perspective of self and identity literature and provide broader implications for practice and research.

scholarly journals The Impact of Sick Building Syndrome on Call Centre Agents’ Effectiveness

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 532-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devina Oodith
Keyword(s):  
Graphical Representation ◽  
Sick Building Syndrome ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Call Centre ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Sick Building ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Public Sector Service

This study assessed the impact of Sick Building Syndrome (layout, ergonomic design of workstation, lighting/ventilation, health and performance, noise and aesthetics) on the effectiveness of Call Centre agents in managing customers and their needs. The study was undertaken in Durban, South Africa, and was conducted within a Public Sector service environment, which comprised of four major call centers employing 240 call centre agents. A sample of 151 call centre agents was drawn across using a simple random sampling technique and a 63% response rate was achieved. These call centre agents were responsible for inbound calls only. Data was collected using a self-developed, precoded questionnaire whose validity and reliability were statistically determined using Factor Analysis and Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha respectively. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicate that the dimensions of Sick building Syndrome have the potential to impact on agents’ performance. Based on the results of the study a graphical representation has been designed and presents recommendations that, when implemented in call centre environments, have the potential to enhance agents’ effectiveness in managing customers and their needs.

scholarly journals Customer Perceptions of Skills of Agents in Effectively Managing Their Needs within a Call Center

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Devina Oodith
Keyword(s):  
Random Sampling ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Interpersonal Skills ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Service Environment ◽  
Customer Perceptions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Public Sector Service ◽  
Sector Service

The world’s dynamics and demands of employment and production have evolved over the past decade. Human resources has today become the single largest unrestrained resource and many firms are striving to enhance competence and interaction between its customers and itself via the customer call center through enhanced skills, knowledge, ability and attitude by fostering better interpersonal skills and through the promotion of training and development of their call center agents. This study was undertaken in EThekwini (Durban), South Africa and was conducted within a Public Sector service environment comprising of four major call centers employing a total of 240 call center agents. Using simple random sampling, 220 customers were drawn from all consumers subscribing to e-billing in EThekwini (Durban). Data for the customer sample was collected using a precoded, self-developed questionnaire whose psychometric properties were statistically determined. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results specify that agents were unsuccessful in handling customers’ needs timeously and efficiently and that most customers felt burdened by being transferred to other agents due to the incompetence of original agents in handling their queries/complaints. Furthermore it was found that there was an overall lack of empathy from agents in following-up after a customer communication to ensure that the customer was satisfied with their experience within the call center. Based on the results of the study recommendations have been made to manage the interaction between the customers and call center agents more competently and efficiently.

Calling on Compensation in Australian Call Centres

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 62-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Crone ◽  
Lorraine Carey ◽  
Peter Dowling
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Telephone Call ◽  
Call Centre ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Call Centres ◽  
Significant Difference

ABSTRACTWhile there is a growing body of research on telephone call centre management in the U.K. and the U.S.A., empirical studies in Australia are at an embryonic stage. To date, most of the studies have focussed on the management of employee performance. The principal aim of this study was to provide data on current compensation practices in Australian call centres and to determine the extent of their strategic and best-practice orientation. A second aim was to explore whether the strategic management of compensation can help to balance the tension between commitment to customer service and commitment to employee motivation.Using data collected through a mail questionnaire survey of telephone call centres operating in a range of industries in Australia, the paper explores the effect of compensation practices on employee performance, absenteeism and turnover. Following a review of the literature on call centre management and the literature on compensation strategies, the findings are presented. Key findings include: a) a significant negative correlation between annual salary and the number of calls handled by full-time customer service representatives (CSRs); b) a significant positive correlation between casual CSRs' pay rates and turnover; c) a significant negative correlation between full-time CSRs' pay and absenteeism; d) a highly significant difference between the compensation strategies currently practiced in Australian call centres and the strategies call centre managers think should be practiced and e) Australian call centre managers report their compensation strategies are not very effective in increasing performance or employee satisfaction.

Multiple accountability relationships and improved service delivery performance in Hyderabad City, Southern India

2006 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 531-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Caseley
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Andhra Pradesh ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Southern India ◽  
Performance Information ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Frontline Workers ◽  
Delivery Performance ◽  
Public Sector Service ◽  
Sector Service

This article examines a series of service delivery reforms that were undertaken at the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board in Andhra Pradesh State, southern India. Key to sustained improvements in service delivery performance were three effective accountability relationships, triangulating between citizens, senior managers, and frontline workers. In this dynamic, consistent citizen demand for accountability provided new sources of performance information to senior managers, which they could then use to hold frontline workers to account for responsive service provision. Transparent and accessible citizen-based accountability mechanisms have the potential to contribute to organizational change and sustained improvements in service delivery performance in public sector service providers.

Co-Creating Value from IT in a Contracted Public Sector Service Environment: Perspectives on COBIT and Val IT

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 283-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Wilkin ◽  
John Campbell ◽  
Stephen Moore ◽  
Wim Van Grembergen
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Public Firms ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Service Oriented ◽  
Public Sector Service ◽  
Sector Service

ABSTRACT Research that examines Information Technology (IT) value has called for studies to explore the co-creation of value, including in multi-firm environments. This study draws upon the practice of IT governance in a successful large-scale IT deployment, wherein private and public firms were involved as customer service providers with the principal, a large government department. Drawing on customer-centric co-creation concepts from marketing research, through comparative analysis and related application to our case study, we detail the merit of a service-oriented approach to co-creating value from IT and the assistance COBIT and Val IT can provide. Importantly, we identified determinates of co-created value in a multi-firm environment, although our analysis reveals some need to evolve COBIT and Val IT to improve guidance regarding the mechanisms required to achieve this in such environments.

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