1. 6/3/2009211 LA County1 The How of Metrics What to Collect and How to Use it Amy Latzer Chief Operations Officer, 211 LA County 31st I&R Annual Training and Education Conference June 3, 2009

2. 6/3/2009211 LA County2 Introduction Understanding performance metrics and methodology. Understanding the drivers of world class service as well as obstacles. The importance of setting goals and standards. How to apply performance metrics to the growth and improvement of service delivered by your agency.

3. 6/3/2009211 LA County3 Overview Our goal today is to identify areas of measurement and how to use that data to help your organization grow. Cost s WFM Metrics Inquirers Fundin g Goals KPIs Workload Staffing

4. 6/3/2009211 LA County4 Glossary of terms Abandoned Call/Contact - A call or other type of contact that has been offered into a communications network or telephone system, but is terminated by the person originating the contact before any conversation happens. After Call Work (ACW) - Work immediately following an inbound call or transaction. If work must be completed before agent can handle next contact, then ACW is factored into average handle time. Work may involve keying activity codes, updating database, filling out forms, or placing an outbound contact. Agent - The person that handles calls in a contact center also referred to as a Specialist.

5. 6/3/2009211 LA County5 Glossary of terms AHT (Average Handle Time) - The amount of time an employee is occupied with an incoming contact. This is the sum of transaction time and wrap-up time. Blockage - The inability to complete a connection between two points because of a busy condition in the pathway. Key Performance Indicator (KPI) - The most critical measures of performance in any organization, typically productivity measures. LDQ (Longest Delay In Queue) - The longest time a caller waited in queue prior to being handled.

6. 6/3/2009211 LA County6 Glossary of terms Occupancy - Generally a percent of logged in time that an agent spends in active contact handling. Schedule Adherence - The term used to describe how well agents stick to their planned work schedules. May also be referred to as compliance. Service Level - Speed of answer goals that are often expressed as the speed of answer to be attained or as some percentage of calls to be answered within some number of seconds (e.g., 80 percent of call answered within 30 seconds). Workforce Management (WFM) - The art and science of having the right number of agents, at the right times, to answer an accurately forecasted volume of incoming calls at the service level standard set by the call center.

7. 6/3/2009211 LA County7 What is a metric and what is its value? A Metric is a measure of activity or performance that enables assessment of outcomes. Metrics can help to answer key questions about operational effectiveness: Are long term goals and objectives being achieved? What does success look like? How satisfied are callers with services? How important is the service to the community? How effective are managers and specialists?

8. 6/3/2009211 LA County8 What are the benefits? Enhanced decision making-goals can be set for desired results, results can be measured, outcomes can be clearly articulated. Improved internal accountability-more delegation and less micro-management when individuals are clear about responsibilities and expectations. Goals and strategic objectives are meaningful- tracking progress enables the evaluation of planning efforts and can aid in determining whether a plan is effective or not.

9. 6/3/2009211 LA County9 AIRS Data Requirements Reports and Measures Service Requests Referrals Provided Service Gaps Demographic Data Zip Code City Age Gender Language Target Population First Time/Repeat Caller Follow up

10. 6/3/2009211 LA County10 Step One – Determine KPIs Identify the most important indicators of performance. They should at minimum identify the following areas. Long term goal measurement Quality of service delivered Efficiency of the organization Effectiveness of management and specialists Performance indicators should be measured at the organization and individual (Specialists) levels at varying intervals.

11. 6/3/2009211 LA County11 Sample Reports

12. 6/3/2009211 LA County12 Step Two – Set Goals Analyze historical results and trends to determine future objectives. Goals should be based on a percent improvement over historical results and should be time driven. The goal should identify gaps, improve processes, and increase overall performance. Create a monthly, quarterly and/or annual action plan.

13. 6/3/2009211 LA County13 Step Three – Action and Implementation Plan Successful organizations use a detailed plan to ensure a systematic approach and process to gain measurable results. Have SMART goals. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results focused, Time focused) Get buy in from management and all organizational areas affected by the action plan prior to finalizing it. Establish roles and actions throughout the organization to help generate best practices. Understand the history Historical analysis is key-know where you have been so you know where you are heading. This will lead you to root causes for problems and help guide you to solutions. DO IT! Start gathering the information and using it to help grow your agency and improve service delivery.

14. 6/3/2009211 LA County14 Sample: 211 LA County – Action Plan Action Plan: Efficiency Decrease ACW Decrease Time in Aux Increase Productivity Quality Full implementation of quality program Increase coaching program Team Coach and CRA will create coaching plan and determine area for improvement Service Handle through efficiency and Quality measures 100% Contract Compliance Program Managers streamline quarterly reports

15. 6/3/2009211 LA County15 Balancing Act-Quantity and Quality

16. 6/3/2009211 LA County16 Suggested Technical Tools ACD Phone System reporting tool Database reporting system Excel Access Erlang-C Calculator Quality Monitoring System Work Force Management System Internal Portal

17. 6/3/2009211 LA County17 Summary Identify KPIs Develop Goals Create action plan and timelines

18. 6/3/2009211 LA County18 Contact Information Amy Latzer 211 LA County Chief Operations Officer 626-299-2979 alatzer@211la.org Real People. Real Answers. Real Help. www.211LACounty.org INFORMATION AND REFERRAL FEDERATION OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY Serving Los Angeles County since 1981