Process Improvements With Measurable Results
See Our Results Below: Select an organization or industry based area below to view the related case study.
Organization Based
Broadly applicable to many companies and industries.
Support Groups:
- Finance
- Human Resources
- Marketing
- Information Technology
- Corporate Services
- Shared Service Centers
- Compliance/Audit
- Legal
- Internal Improvement Teams
Line Groups:
- Field Sales & Support
- Customer Services
- Contact Centers
- New Product Development
- Post-Sales Services
Supply Chain Operations:
- Order Management
- Master Data Management
- Procurement
- Materials Management
- Production
- Distribution
- Quality Management
Industry Based
Document operations which are unique to particular business segments and industries.
Services:
- Financial Services
- Media Services
- Broadcast
- Newspapers
- Digital
- Magazines
- Books
- Information Services
- Health Plans
- Telecommunications
- Utilities
Supply Chain:
- Pharmaceuticals
- Chemicals
- Food Production/Processing
- Paper/Packaging
- Industrial Products
- Technology
- Print and Mail
- Consumer Packaged Goods
- Retail and Distribution
- Oil and Gas
Contact Centers
Fortune 500 Consumer Leader
North America
Project Sponsor:
Project Descriptions:
Self-funding, non-technology call center operations improvement initiative for a consumer loan operation serving U.S. consumers with North American and Asian operations. Objectives: Improve service; reduce costs; simplify processes
Scope of Project:
- Workforce and capacity planning
- Call handle time reduction
- Increased first call resolution
- Improve call outcomes
- Increase customer satisfaction
- Efficiently process volume increases
Improvement Benefits:
- Operating cost 18%
- Annual savings $5.5M
- Head count 20%
- Avg call handle time [sec]44
- Break even point 7 mos.
- ROI (12 month) 4.0x
- Volume32%
Situation Analysis:
ClientCo is a premier U.S. provider of student loans, with over $3.5 billion in annual revenue.
Reacting to market and regulatory conditions, senior management challenged all business areas, including its Contact Center, to cut costs over 20%, without adversely impacting service levels. At the same time, ClientCo's Call Center has been required to respond to a 30% increase in call volume.
Improvements Identified:
The Phase I effort [eight weeks] analyzed all aspects of call center operations across two call center sites. Over 250, activity-level, non-technology improvements were identified and incorporated into a five month, self-funding implementation work plan. Examples:
- Repayment Matrix - Inbound callers sought a variety of resolutions from ClientCo, each of which had specific pros and cons. Analysis of the impacts of each resolution, preceded redesign of the protocols to direct borrowers to the most appropriate repayment option to maximize ClientCo's cash flow and minimize unnecessary forbearances.
- Service Level Initiative Chart - Legacy operations had inefficient methods for responding to surges or declines in call volumes, reducing the ability to manage quality and cost. Process changes allowed the Call Center to simplify practices and more effectively respond to call volumes.
- Empowerment Matrix - Gaps in authority among call center operators hindered first call resolution and caused unnecessary transfers. Rationalizing operator authority improved call resolution time and customer satisfaction and minimized transfers.
- Interdepartmental Transfers [IDTs] - Interdepartmental transfers with servicing departments - from both directions - was inefficient, causing delays, risking errors, and negatively impacting customer satisfaction. Process changes addressed transfer rules and accountabilities, decreasing the rate of IDTs.
Overall Results:
After the Phase I effort, The Lab worked with ClientCo's Call Center's internal teams to implement the self-funding non-technology improvements and coordinate streamlined business processes to reduce costs while maintaining service effectiveness and accommodating volume increases.