Academy Bay
a specified set of tools. This in turn, fortifies the question answer approach to troubleshooting and engrains efficient resolution skills.
Hand in hand with drilling is testing. Testing provides occasions for agents to apply what they have learned in class, drills, and call coachings. It gives agents awareness of their strengths and where they need extra practice. Testing also give us feedback as to where we should give more emphasis and where we have been successful.
Feedback allows us to hear testimonials from agents about how the Academy Bay helped them. We can find out what practices work so that we can repeat them and weed out those practices that are little help. This way, the Academy Bay progresses and grows along with the agents. We want to repeat the best practices.
Innovation in Practice
The Academy Bay is ideal as a test bed for innovations that may benefit the whole of Your Call Center. The Academy Bay dynamics allow for controlled testing, managed introduction of new information and tools, reduced risk of experimental practices and procedures, and an opportunity for strengthening the whole of Your Call Center by keeping it current in the fast paced information market.
A cornerstone of McDonald’s success is their ability to provide the exact same product to every customer worldwide. A traveler from the American Midwest can enjoy a cheeseburger in downtown Tokyo because it is just the same as the cheeseburgers in their home town. Through similar standardization, we can provide consistent high quality support to each customer call after call. Areas that standardizations can be easily implemented are:
I. Standard format of up-to-date cheat sheets/ phone lists and articles.
A. A single format aids in identifying that the given documents are from a single source.
B. A familiar format also makes documents more useful and the information on them more accessible for speedy reference.
II. Coordination of local website, hardcopy info and emailed information.
A. Having the same trusted information available in two or three mediums allows greater accessibility.
B. Coordinating efforts reduces duplication and confusion.
1. Duplicate and slightly different material can be confusing.
2. Sharing the labor allows efficiency and synergy.
III. Standardized mentor education in line with all other sources of information.
A. The mentors are first line educators once agents reach the floor.
B. Each mentor must have access to the latest information and the ability to disseminate it with uniformity across the board.
C. There should be one answer for every question.
IV. A central station where an agent can find up-to-date accurate materials. In essence, one trusted ‘endorsed’ source for all information.
A. A key to learning is trust. All information going out to the floor [next page]