Top 5 Agent CX Improvement Stories
How to Give that WOW Experience
“Shauntell goes above and beyond no matter the task.”
Shauntell Kenion is an exceptional Customer Service Representative (CSP) who embodies all of the qualities we expect from our representatives. Shauntell committed to bringing her scores up from 52% in 2016 to 85% in 2017 by tracking her World Class Calls. For this effort, we met monthly to review her overall SQM scores. Shauntell and I worked together on ways to engage the member to make sure she was meeting all their needs. As time went on, she stepped up to the plate to not only prove to me and the member, but also to herself, that she knew exactly how to give that WOW experience.
Shauntell has become accustomed to ensuring customer satisfaction on all calls so the member is taken out of the middle and she works hard to resolve every issue as if it was her own. Shauntell continues to evolve into an exceptional CSP and is now also assisting our member inventory team to make sure the inventory is current and accurate.
Shauntell not only cares about her own individual growth, but also that of the overall team. Whenever Shauntell learns of something new, she shares it with the team. Shauntell is extremely knowledgeable and eager to share what she knows with her peers.
Shauntell goes above and beyond no matter the task, ensuring no stone is left unturned when it comes to resolving a member’s issue or concern. Shauntell is all about meeting and exceeding the expectations of the customer by interacting with them in a friendly, helpful, and positive way. Her goal is to leave a lasting impression on customers by working with them and assisting them in the best way possible. Shauntell sets herself apart from all other customer service representatives by ensuring that she gives the member the highest level of service possible.
Shauntell Kenion – Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
You Can Tell by Hearing Her Talk
“Sheryl is wonderful from the start of her shift until the end.”
Sheryl Jefferys is a wonderful person to work with who truly understands the meaning of empathy and collaboration. Sheryl has been with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina for almost 16 years and you can tell by hearing her talk to our members that she loves what she does. Sheryl is very easygoing and is often heard trying to break the ice with her effortless sense of humor or a funny story. She is very knowledgeable and eager to help others. No matter what situation Sheryl is faced with, she always has a positive, can do attitude.
Sheryl goes above and beyond to understand what each member needs. Because of her knowledge and great attitude, I have received numerous compliments from her peers and our members. Sheryl works the late shift and it can be hard to stay motivated when the sun goes down, but Sheryl is wonderful from the start of her shift until the end. Sheryl is very proactive when it comes to her performance. She self-evaluates and makes corrections as needed even before any feedback is given.
From 2016 to 2017, Sheryl ended with a 15% improvement rate. Even though that may not be the highest improvement rate, it is still a great accomplishment and I cannot think of anyone who deserves to be recognized more. In addition to her 15% improvement, Sheryl also qualified this year as a World Class Call CSR with a World Class Call percentage of 87%!
Sheryl Jefferys – Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
Changing Your Destination Over Time
“She also moved the dial in enhancing her customers’ experiences.”
Building product knowledge and continuing to engage in an ever-evolving learning environment has truly paid off for Brittany. Brittany started her career with VSP back in November of 2015. With starting so late in the year, most of Brittany’s training carried over into the 2016 calendar year. With our extensive classroom training and our Call Center Academy practices, Brittany was well into 2016 before she was completely trained. After Brittany successfully completed her training, her learning didn’t stop there. Brittany knew what personal and professional growth meant, to always be engaged in a continual learning environment. Brittany took her training to the next level. Not only did she learn the job, but she focused on how she could move her product knowledge into a more personalized approach for her customers. This has not only led to an increase in her World Class Calls score, but she has also achieved a 100% call resolution score, and 99% in CSR Csat for 2017. Brittany not only moved the dial in her personal and professional development, but she also moved the dial in enhancing her customers’ experiences.
Brittany shares her success story:
When it comes to World Class calls, I try to keep it simple by listening to what the caller needs first and foremost. I try to stay as relaxed as possible, whether I am on the phone or reading information to further develop my skills. Specifically, I focus on where the improvement needs to occur. Looking at my call resolution score for 2016, I determined this was my biggest development opportunity. I realized that I could resolve the calls through various ways, including calling out to an office or client to verify or provide information, creating cases as needed and following up, or facilitating required follow-up from other departments within VSP. Each day, I begin the same way by checking emails, verifying my schedule, and working on cases. I always take the first call of the day and jump right into casework by calling out, documenting, and updating the members so that everything is resolved efficiently. Using this routine, the members can see that I am making them my priority at the beginning of my work day. They do not question my work ethic, nor do they question whether VSP provides World Class service. This structure and focus on resolving the calls is what has impacted my World Class calls overall.
In terms of staying engaged, I owe that to the fact that I know what is expected me while I am at work. I make sure I am present mentally and physically. I do not take my breaks lightly. I always eat lunch away from my desk and typically listen to music. This is relaxing and allows me to essentially restore some energy. I also come prepared to my one-on-one time with my supervisor. This helps me to be aware of what is expected, trends in my performance, and if there are changes on a team or company level. I usually track an area of improvement (rework cases, AHT, etc.) according to my stats until they are where they need to be. When the goal is reached, I maintain that level of commitment and add on to other areas.
Brittany Wood-Taylor – VSP Vision Care
Everything Changes Once You Change
“You have the power to change their impression.”
I have been with VSP since 2012. I was a World Class CSR from 2013-2015 but in 2016 I didn’t make my certification. Honestly, I was shocked, but I really shouldn’t have been. I became bored and I let the stress of being a CSR get to me. Every time I answered the phone I couldn’t wait to get the caller off. This led me to not always addressing the caller’s needs and sometimes not fully resolving their calls. Additionally, I became frustrated with assisting callers who had already reached out to VSP and not had their call resolved. In my head I thought, “Why do I have to clean up the previous CSR’s mess and navigate this difficult situation when the first CSR should have done this in the first place?” As well, I never listened to my audits to see where I could improve and what things were already working for me.
In 2017, I got my World Class status back. First thing I did was put a sticky note on my computer that said SMILE and HAVE FUN! No one wants to be miserable at work and my attitude was putting a damper on my day and on my calls. Unfortunately, the members didn’t get the World Class treatment they deserved because of my bad attitude. I made a conscious decision to improve my attitude and every interaction that I had. Even with a difficult call, I know I have the power to choose my attitude and how I should react in those situations. I also decided to make sure if a member had to call VSP again for an unresolved issue that I would be the last person they contacted to get their issue resolved. The nice thing about taking a call the second time around is that you have the power to change their impression of VSP and really show them you are putting their needs first. In 2016, my viewpoint was these members are adults, they can reach out to their doctor and figure out any issues they may have. In 2017, I really made the effort to “make the call” and make it as easy as possible to do business with VSP from both the member and doctor perspective. Lastly, I don’t think I utilized my supervisor enough. I recall not speaking to her for periods of time. Now I touch base with my supervisor anytime I have a question on an audit or thoughts on current procedures. This had really helped me gain a better understanding of the goals Customer Care is striving for and what I need to do in order to be the most effective CSR.
Lindsay Argo – VSP Vision Care
Putting Herself in Their Shoes
“I want to understand, help, care, and resolve my customer’s issues.”
Donna’s goal for 2016 was to achieve a World Class certification and when she fell short she took action. For 2017, Donna set herself a goal that she would work hard to improve her overall SQM results. She started with a deep dive into unresolved calls by utilizing the SQM portal for feedback directly from the Voice of the Customer. Once she identified her areas of opportunity, Donna asked for feedback from her coworkers that do well on call types that she identified as areas of opportunity. Some feedback Donna received from her colleagues was to slow down her delivery of information to customers and to make empathy a focus. Donna readily took this feedback and incorporated the advice into her approach.
Donna noticed from checking her SQM portal that a call type causing routine customer dissatisfaction was service outages. Recently Donna’s father had a medical issue and she witnessed first-hand how difficult life can be for someone when their services aren’t working. Donna said:
“It was an eye opener for me and for every call where there was no service I kept my experience with my dad in the back of my mind, especially the joy people experience when their service is restored. When the issue is resolved, I feel that I’ve helped my customer and that their life can go back to normal. A lot of my surveys in 2017 emphasized how patient I am on the phone because I want to understand, help, care, and resolve my customer’s issues."
A specific interaction showing Donna’s patience and white glove service provided to a customer took place in October of 2017. Donna exhausted all resources available to help a customer program Cogeco’s TiVo remote to their television. Eventually Donna had to refer the customer to their TV manufacturer’s support line. This call was surveyed by SQM and resulted in a World Class survey. Donna’s customer satisfaction was “Very Satisfied” with the following comments:
“She was excellent. She was very, very patient. I didn't feel rushed and then in the end she gave me the direct number to call because it ended up being a TV problem. I couldn't have been more pleased.”
Another call that stands out to Donna that she is particularly proud about is a customer calling 15-30 times a day over the period of a month. The reason the customer kept calling was because he required assistance for TV inputs. Even with clear notes left by previous CSRs how to fix the issue and as well as having a tech sent to the customer’s home this issue continued to occur. After speaking with the customer’s daughter, Donna learned the customer had an accident and the issue was caused by him holding the remote and not knowing/remembering that he hit the buttons. When looking at the type of remote the customer had she was able to find a different remote that allowed the customer to properly hold the remote. Donna resolved this repeat caller’s input issue and they no longer had to go through the stress of calling multiple times a day and missing their programming.
Donna achieved her goal of being a world class agent for 2017 and improved her World Class Calls by 10%. This is something Donna is extremely proud of and as her supervisor I can confidently say she is doing a tremendous job taking care of our customers and incorporates SQM best practices daily into her calls.
Donna Poirier – Cogeco Connexion