Management of productivity in a service call centre

Abstract: The aim of this research was to investigate the management of call centre productivity by identifying the factors that contribute to lack of knowledge and low productivity levels in a service call centre. This research investigated measures that are required to manage productivity, factors that affect call centre productivity, as well as the knowledge required to manage productivity in a service call centre effectively. In-depth case study research was conducted through document analysis and a questionnaire process, in order to gain insight into how lack of knowledge can affect the management of call centre productivity. The document analysis was done on operations reports from January 2011 to October 2015. The questionnaire results are a summary of 19 service call centre staff working for the same organisation representing agents, team leaders and managers. The results from the document analysis suggest that only 50% of the current call centre productivity management processes are similar to those recommended in the literature. The questionnaire results suggest that there is a knowledge gap across all staff in the call centre when it comes to knowledge required to manage productivity efficiently. The results show that 55% of the agents and 54% of the team leaders require training on call centre knowledge and processes that improve call centre productivity. The combined results from both the document analysis and the questionnaire show that call centre staff do not have enough knowledge to improve current call centre productivity. Training is recommended as the solution to the knowledge gap identified. The two types of training that are recommended for call centre staff is formal call centre qualification training, as well as on-the-job training i.e. job mentorship and job rotation for all call centre staff. The researcher hopes that the information provided in this research report will provide readers with insight into how lack of knowledge among call centre staff can affect the management of productivity levels in a service call centre.M.Phil. (Engineering Management