Rethink contact centres Dr Annemarie Lombard

Our clients

All Rights Reserved. The skills and the staff Sourcing tools and up-skilling management to handle up-skilled staff What does it mean and WHY?  Sourcing tools  Upskilling management  Skilled staff

All Rights Reserved. Staff & Skill – the big picture view Culture Leadership Environment Person Profits and growth Recruit, Train, Coach, Support, Empower Space, Design, Optimize Lead, Vision, Change, Strategy Lead, Engage, Support, Voice

All Rights Reserved. Staff and Skill - process 1. Recruitment strategies  Sourcing 2. Skills training 3. Coach and support 4. Retention strategies  Leadership  Culture  Space and environment 5. Profits and growth

1. Sourcing tools – find people who are: Suitable Sustainable Profitable

All Rights Reserved. Recruitment practices

All Rights Reserved. Recruitment practices  Not exact science – it is a grey area  Dealing with behavior – always subjectivity  Many variables influencing how people work, perform and manage themselves  We just don’t go there….  Industry realities  Dispensable workforce  Numbers game  “Cheap and cheerful”  No spent upfront – “fundamentally flawed”?

All Rights Reserved. Cost of absenteeism, attrition, poor performance?  What is the cost of poor performance?  What is the cost of absenteeism?  What is the cost of attrition?  The above costs outweigh initial costs – ROI is clear  Legislation now in place to ensure staff are skilled for collections industry  Upskill the best-fit staff

All Rights Reserved. Staff & Skill – Competencies explained by neuroscience

All Rights Reserved. Finding Suitable, Sustainable & Profitable Staff – neuroscience Above the surface Profiling Below the surface Cognitive and learning skills

All Rights Reserved. A bat and a ball cost R1.10. The bat costs R1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? The power of the intuitive, lower, unconscious brain – below the surface stuff

All Rights Reserved. Thinking Brain 20% brain activity Feeling Brain 80% brain activity Reason Think Learn Perform Gut Habits Preferences Comfort levels Unconscious Uncontrolled Intuitive Conscious Controlled Calculated Focus, Energy & Stress

All Rights Reserved. Thinking Brain 20% brain activity Feeling Brain 80% brain activity Reason Think Learn Perform Gut Habits Preferences Comfort levels Sensory IQ All rights reserved. IQ EQ Focus, Energy & Stress

All Rights Reserved. Finding Suitable, Sustainable & Profitable Staff – neuroscience Numeracy Literacy (speak and writing) Learning aptitude Numeracy Literacy (speak and writing) Learning aptitude Sensory Profiling Resilience/Stress Energy Focus/attention Resilience/Stress Energy Focus/attention Apps on brain training

All Rights Reserved. Brain training apps  Luminosity  Memory, Attention, Flexibility, Speed, Problem solving  Peak brain training  Memory, Language, Focus, Problem solving, Mental agility  Elevate  Focus, speaking abilities, processing speed, memory, match skills Numeracy Literacy (speak and writing) Learning aptitude Numeracy Literacy (speak and writing) Learning aptitude

All Rights Reserved. Sensory profiling Doctoral research study, UCT, 2012 Study correlated:  Sensory profiles (measuring intuitive and unconscious responses to the environment through sensory stimuli) with  Performance, Absenteeism and Attrition  Data (n=456) from:  Service, inbound financial, Cape Town and Johannesburg  Sales outbound, outsourcing: Cape Town  Collections: Johannesburg Resilience/Stress Energy Focus/attention Resilience/Stress Energy Focus/attention

All Rights Reserved. Study Findings  The sensory profile is a predictor of performance and absenteeism  Best used as determiner of resilience and sustainability  Designed to be an upfront filter for recruiting contact centre agents and team leaders  Added value for resource allocation – put people where they will work best  Senses on Call – online version

All Rights Reserved. Senses on Call – case studies

2. Upskilling management –it starts from the top

The contact center environment  Large, open plan, dense working spaces  High impact and sensory overloaded  Customer service, sales or collections focus  Highly legislated  Multichannel communications  Target driven  Constant monitoring and surveillance  Cost factor

All Rights Reserved. The PEO Model Person Environment (Space) Occupation (Job-role) Senses on Call Profile for suitability Space optimisation Sensory audits Role & Seating Leadership & Corporate Culture Profiling & Skills training Insights, strategies, solutions

All Rights Reserved. Environmental influences on performance Temperature  Increase performance by 8.9% with correct temperature regulation (20,21-23˚C) [different studies] Lighting  Increase performance by 16% with the use of more natural lighting Air quality  Poor indoor air quality can reduce performance by 6 – 9%  Sick building syndrome??

All Rights Reserved. Sensory Audits  Comprehensive and detailed 50-item best practice rating system of:  Collective space  Individual space  Culture and wellness factors  On-site assessment  A blueprint of your current space status against best practice benchmarks (± 22 page report)  What are you doing well and where you can improve  NOT considering design but performance indicators

All Rights Reserved. 5 key space strategies to enhance performance 1.Chairs 2.Headsets 3.Temperature 4.Air quality 5.Clutter

All Rights Reserved. Staff & Skill – the big picture view Culture Leadership Environment Person Profits and growth Recruit, Train, Coach, Support, Empower Space, Design, Optimize Lead, Vision, Change, Strategy Lead, Engage, Support, Voice

All Rights Reserved. BOOK for sale R ory-Intelligence-Lombard- Annemarie/dp/

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“There’s a way to do it better – find it!” Thomas Edison