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How to Clearly Hear Your Customers and Agents

How to Clearly Hear Your Customers and Agents

/ Current Issue, Operations
How to Clearly Hear Your Customers and Agents

Does your survey process need tuning?

Almost every company my firm does business with offers a post-interaction survey, especially if they have a contact center. I will almost always respond to a survey when presented with one. It probably stems from being in the industry for so many years, but I also want to reward a great experience as much as I wish to complain about a bad one.

Unfortunately, what frequently happens is that I’m presented with either a poorly defined survey, or one that goes on so long that I will bail out to stop the pain because I’m eight minutes into the survey and the questions just keep coming!

Crafting the Surveys

Post-contact surveys should be about measuring the interaction with the representative, rather than demographics, household income, or how you feel about a company overall. Companies can get that data in other ways.

When crafting post-contact surveys, it’s critical to ask simple questions that only leave room for one response and measure what matters to drive your business forward.

For example, if your center has a mandate to drive first call resolution (FCR), you may ask “Did the representative resolve your issue on the first call/contact?” This is a Yes/No response question. It’s unambiguous and is not a compound question that can leave someone wondering which response to choose.

An example of a compound question might be “Did the representative resolve your issue, and was this your first call?” Note the use of “and.” This is a good indicator that there is a compound question in play.

When crafting post-contact surveys, it’s critical to ask simple questions that only leave room for one response...

It’s important to stop and think about what you are trying to measure, why you are measuring it, what you hope to learn, and whether the response options meet those goals. It’s equally important to ensure you are getting as many responses as possible, which means keeping the questions short and sweet.

The Importance of Agent Feedback

While it’s great to get a pulse on how our customers feel about our contact center, it’s equally important to find out how our agents feel about us. Everyone talks about customer surveys, but agents are rarely involved in the process or asked for their opinions.

Agent feedback can make a contact center a more productive and effective machine. Frontline staff are the ones who first feel the effects of broken or ineffective processes and polling them regularly can help smooth out operations. They are truly the pulse of the contact center and a frequently overlooked resource that should not be ignored.

We don’t have to wait for the once or twice-yearly check-in from HR to ask our staff questions. I’ve polled mine on everything from what kind of pizza they want for lunch to what kind of schedules they would be interested in working when I need to fill staffing holes. It’s amazing what creative ideas can come from frontline staff if we just ask.

Anonymous Versus Known Staff Responses

There are appropriate times to generate anonymous surveys, and times when you will need to know who is responding.

For example, if it’s important to get a pulse on how the staff feels about their direct management, anonymous responses are more likely to provide a more truthful response. Again, it’s important not to use any demographic questions with a survey like this.

I have been on both small and large teams during my career. But immediately after being asked survey questions about how I feel about my direct management team, I’ve been asked about my tenure with the company, my gender, and other information that would point directly to me as the person making the response.

Unless everyone started at the same time or is the same gender, it can be a clear indication of who made that response. This will probably make someone less likely to provide a true response out of fear of retaliation. Be cautious about any questions that may make it easier to pinpoint the respondent.

Make sure surveys are accessible across various devices and platforms...

I typically will include respondent information for something like a schedule survey, however. If you are trying to get a feel for shift preferences, it becomes important information to know.

Staff with the same preferences might start at the same time, or have the same skills, which can only be determined by also gathering the names of staff who are interested. Not knowing who was truly interested in working a specific shift could become an issue when it’s time to assign the new schedules.

Creating a Panel

When developing new survey questions, it’s good to gather a panel to assist with crafting a set of questions that move the needle on those business drivers.

How about inviting tenured agents to be on a survey questions development panel with a member of your executive team, a department director or manager, and a supervisor or two? You may find this panel will help provide excellent surveys, in obtaining agent buy-in, while improving their loyalty.

Engaging our staff can be a challenge, though, especially with staff spread across multiple centers or working remotely. Surveys (and panels) can be a great tool to make that happen, and frontline staff can help improve customer satisfaction and efficiency if you allow them a voice.

When developing new survey questions, it’s good to gather a panel to assist with crafting a set of questions...

I try to hold my surveys to three to five questions. I also recommend letting the customer (and agent) know about the length of the survey upfront if the survey mechanism will allow it. Knowing there are only a few questions to answer can help generate more responses.

If you truly can’t resist attempting to get that demographic data, make it an optional continuation to the survey, to ensure you get the more critical data before the customer decides to disconnect or bail out.

Key Points Recap

Let’s recap the points that you need to consider.

1. Clarity and Focus

Customer Surveys: Focus on measuring the specific interaction with the representative rather than broad company opinions or demographics. Simple, direct questions yield clear, actionable data.

Agent Surveys: Ensure questions are relevant to their immediate work experience and avoid demographic questions that could compromise anonymity. Use clear, actionable questions to gain insights into operational challenges or staff preferences.

2. Survey Length and Structure

  • Limit surveys to three to five questions to maintain high response rates. Communicate the expected time commitment upfront to manage expectations and encourage completion.
  • If you need additional demographic or detailed information, consider making these optional and separate from the core survey.

3. Engaging Frontline Staff

  • Include frontline agents in the survey development process. Their unique perspectives can provide valuable insights into operational efficiencies and areas for improvement.
  • Regularly seek feedback from agents on processes and tools. This not only helps in refining operations but also increases their engagement and buy-in.
  • Consider creating a survey development panel and inviting tenured agents to participate.

4. Anonymous Versus Identifiable Surveys

  • Use anonymous surveys for sensitive topics like feedback on management to ensure honest responses without fear of retaliation.
  • For logistical matters, such as shift preferences, it’s acceptable to collect identifiable information to manage and allocate resources effectively.

5. Using Survey Data

  • Act on the feedback received from both customers and agents. Analyzing this data can help identify trends, pinpoint areas for improvement, and enhance overall satisfaction.
  • Regularly review and update survey questions to ensure they remain relevant and continue to provide actionable insights.

6. Communication and Follow-Up

  • Share survey results and any actions taken in response with customers and agents. This transparency helps build trust and demonstrates that their feedback is valued and acted upon.

Additional Considerations

Survey Timing. Ensure surveys are sent at an appropriate time, such as immediately after the interaction or event, to capture relevant feedback while the experience is still fresh.

Accessibility. Make sure surveys are accessible across various devices and platforms to reach a broader audience.

Whether gauging the Voice of the Customer, or the Voice of the Agent, surveys can be an excellent tool for providing nearly immediate feedback.

When done properly, surveys can be used to increase efficiency and improve engagement, and satisfaction. Being thoughtful in your approach can provide more actionable results, which can have lasting benefits in your contact center.

Mary Weiss

Mary Weiss

Mary Weiss is a Sr. WEM Consultant with over 20 years of experience. She has worked with multiple WEM platforms and has a proven track record in consulting, strategy, and implementation. Mary’s expertise extends to contact center operations, business process optimization, and training.

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