At the time of writing, course participant Aleid Vos is employed at Webhelp, a business process partner specializing in customer experiences for various major global brands, including the four largest banks in the Netherlands. They employ between 100 and 200 customer advisors. It was here that Aleid Vos initiated the Lean Six Sigma project with the ultimate goal of creating an exceptional customer experience.
Why This Project?
Every customer who contacts a bank deserves an outstanding customer experience, but this is not always the reality. Wait times, being bounced between departments, lack of follow-up, there are many hurdles to good customer experiences. But this also proved the perfect stage for an improvement project.
In the beginning it was decided that the project would aim to enhance the communication and dealings between the bank’s retail customers and the entire Webhelp staff. Customer satisfaction scores displayed significant variances between employees, thus the goal was set to achieve a minimum customer satisfaction score of 8 out of 10. Prior efforts of the Webhelp staff to raise the customer satisfaction scores to 8.5 proved unsuccessful and resulted in no significant improvements. This was another reason which prompted Aleid to commit to this endeavor.
How Did the Team Get Started?
Aleid began the project with three customer advisors and one specialist. The methodology that was applied was the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve & Control), a Six Sigma project structure that enhances a process in five well-defined steps. In the earliest stages of the project, the team actively engaged with many customer advisors, collaborating for a simple but essential reason: to identify any and all causes and brainstorm about underlying issues.
What Are the Key Aspects for Good Customer Satisfaction?
Once the issues had been laid bare, the team tested their solutions during a three-week pilot. During this pilot, eleven customer advisors assisted with implementing the proposed solutions. Analysis revealed which aspects had the most significant positive impact on customer satisfaction:
-Understanding the actual question behind the customer’s query.
-Addressing the customer’s personal situation.
-Making clear agreements regarding the solution.
Implementing these aspects in practice required heightened awareness, as customer advisors needed to be conscious of their influence on customer satisfaction. This awareness was heightened through group discussions with customer advisors, including in-depth analyses of previous conversations with retail customers and what could be improved.
What Changed in Practice?
Customer advisors began to view their work differently after the awareness sessions. For example, by requesting feedback from customers during conversations, the advisors were motivated to improve their own work. They also became more adept at asking useful follow-up questions, leading to a clearer understanding of the customer’s needs. This, in turn, contributed to better solutions and ultimately improved customer satisfaction.
The Results
The ultimate result was a substantial improvement in customer satisfaction Through better training and awareness, the number of conversations rated by customers with a score of at least 8 out of 10 sky-rocketed after the pilot. An unexpected result was also that the representatives were experiencing higher job satisfaction as their work resulted in many more happy customers and they were better able to actually resolve issues for callers. This single project by Aleid helped not only Webhelp improve to improve their services, but set a new standard at the bank for which they supply customer service.
What Does ‘Ultimate Customer Contact’ Entail from Now On?
Achieving ultimate customer communication requires that you pay genuine attention to the customer and their needs. A personal approach is crucial; customer advisors should fully understand the issue and offer the right solutions to retail customers. The customer must perceive the advisor as trustworthy and knowledgeable. The solution should be comprehensive and delivered as swiftly as possible. This necessitates effective collaboration and the previously mentioned heightened awareness.
How will this success be sustained?
One of the most effective ways of learning on the job is through colleagues and learning from one another. Therefore, it was decided that they should listen to each other’s conversations and supply feedback. This enables a comprehensive evaluation of both positive and negative aspects of each call. Lastly, team meetings would from now on include a dedicated group discussion where prior conversations were analyzed and learned from as a team.
