Robotic Process Automation

Unlocking The Power Of KPIs: A Guide To Optimizing Contact Center Performance

by Liana Hakobyan | May 23, 2023 | Robotic Process Automation

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are crucial in shaping the success of any contact center. By understanding their importance and creating effective ways to optimize them, you can take your contact center’s performance to new heights.

In this blog post, we will explore what contact center KPIs are, why they’re important, the top four KPIs to focus on, how to set targets, and the best practices for KPI monitoring and optimization.

What are contact center KPIs and why are they important?

KPIs are the metrics that organizations use to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of everything they’re doing. When used correctly, they can provide valuable insight into performance, enabling businesses to identify areas for improvement and monitor progress toward broader business goals.

KPIs are essential for optimizing contact center performance because they’re environments with a lot of moving parts that rely on both people and technology. Those organizations that understand and implement KPIs are able to allocate resources more effectively, streamline their operations, and enhance customer satisfaction.

Top 4 KPIs in contact centers

There’s a huge variety in the KPIs you can choose to apply in your contact center, and what you choose will be based on your overall business goals, as well as how your contact center is organized. Here are our top 4 KPIs for use in contact centers.

Reducing customer effort: To improve the customer experience, contact centers should focus on reducing friction points and making interactions as smooth as possible. This involves identifying and eliminating obstacles in the customer journey, from navigating IVR menus, to accessing self-service options. For example, you could measure how long it takes for a customer to find a resolution with your web chatbot.
Reducing call volume: Using predictive analytics can help contact centers anticipate customer needs and proactively address them – reducing the overall call volume. This frees up agents to handle more complex issues that require a human touch, while also giving customers quicker resolutions via FAQs or chatbots. Measuring the number of calls you receive is a very basic metric, but a very important one, as it has a direct impact on the human resources you need.
Optimizing call-handling time: The goal is to strike the right balance between efficiency and customer satisfaction. Spending too little time on a call may leave the customer feeling rushed, while spending too much time can mean your operators aren’t working efficiently enough. The perfect call-handling time ensures that agents are providing thorough, efficient assistance that meets customer expectations. But that isn’t a totally qualitative metric. In fact, you can benchmark your staff when you set up the KPI and then track Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) alongside it: to see if improvements in time positively or negatively impact it.
Improved service quality: Several key metrics that reflect the overall quality of contact center performance include After Call Work (ACW), Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), Agent Satisfaction (ASAT), and First Call/Contact Resolution (FCR). By focusing on metrics like these, contact centers can enhance both agent performance and customer satisfaction – both of which contribute to wider goals like business growth. After all, happy staff do better work and happy customers spend more money – generally at least.

How to set KPIs

When setting KPIs, it’s important to establish realistic and achievable targets that align with the organization’s broader objectives – just like with any goal. This involves understanding the current performance levels and determining what improvements are attainable within a given timeframe.

Involving employees in the target-setting process can also go a long way in creating a sense of ownership and commitment within your organization, as they can contribute their insights and expertise and are given targets they actually believe in rather than something ‘invented’ by their managers.

Best practices for KPI monitoring and optimization

While KPIs are going to be reasonably unique between different contact centers – best practice covers them all. There are key principles you should follow if you want your KPIs to really deliver.

Regularly monitor and report: To effectively manage KPIs, contact centers should establish regular monitoring and reporting processes. This ensures that everyone involved stays up-to-date about performance trends, can identify issues early on, and can make data-driven decisions to address challenges.

Continuously review and refine: As business priorities and customer needs evolve, it’s essential to review and adjust KPIs accordingly. This involves analyzing performance data to identify new trends, reevaluating the relevance of existing KPIs, and establishing new ones to meet changing goals.
Celebrate successes and address failures: Recognizing and celebrating achievements can help to motivate employees and reinforce the importance of KPIs. Similarly, addressing areas where performance falls short enables organizations to learn from mistakes and make necessary improvements.

Putting it all together

Optimizing contact center performance hinges on understanding and leveraging KPIs effectively. By focusing on key metrics such as reducing customer effort, call volume, call-handling time, and service quality, organizations can drive growth and improve customer satisfaction.

Whether it’s customer satisfaction, brand loyalty, or top line growth, achieving well-mapped KPIs can go a long way in achieving wider business goals, providing you set realistic targets, involve employees, and monitor and review performance regularly.

Do you want to improve your contact center performance? Automation is perfectly placed to help and PAteam are the experts, so get in contact with us today.

Introducing Assisted Automation

by Liana Hakobyan | May 9, 2023 | Robotic Process Automation

As the automation industry continues to grow and evolve, we believe it’s time to reconsider the language we use to describe one of its key components. Tech buzzwords are thrown around with reckless abandon – but we want to seize a very specific term.

In fact, once we’re finished with this blog, we’re no longer going to use the term “attended automation”. From this day forward, it shall be called “assisted automation”. Here’s why.

Attended Automation: The Status Quo

Any automation that is designed to work alongside people (rather than replace them entirely) is usually called attended automation. It’s been created to build a more collaborative and integrated work environment, with human performance enhanced by the technology. We’re big fans of that concept… but not the name. ‘Attended’, to some, sounds like a less robust version of automation, and to others it means nothing at all – just another bit of jargon.

The Rebranding: Assisted Automation

Assisted is a far more accurate term to brand this breed of automation with. It focuses on the supportive nature of the technology, while also avoiding the sometimes negative connotations with the word ‘attended’. Remember, automation isn’t about replacing a person, it’s all about helping all people do better work – assisting them.

Why The Need For Change?

To start, clarity in technical jargon is long overdue in our industry (and many others). Using assisted automation as the go-to term from here on out will help to introduce new people to the technology in the clearest way. Easier to understand means easier to adopt. Also, ‘assisted’ just sounds nicer. People are going to be far less afraid of technology stealing their job if it’s positioned as a purely supportive tool.

‘Attended’ doesn’t really give us enough to work with. Is it the bot attending a problem? Is it a bot only working when a person is by its virtual side? That’s the problem with bad naming conventions: they don’t highlight the essence of something. If you’re trying to bring assisted automation into your business, the last thing you want to be doing is explaining the basics of it every time you start a new conversation with someone.

Here’s To A Helping Hand

Well, that’s it, we’re officially over the word ‘attended’ from…now. assisted automation is the future. It’s here to help, super useful across a host of applications – particularly in contact centers – and it’s only going to get more powerful. Get on the bandwagon and make assisted automation a part of your business, help your team work better, and deliver better results for your clients.

See the value of good names for great technology? assisted automation is everything you need and more, so start the journey today with PAteam.

Why Automation Is Perfect For Contact Centers

by Liana Hakobyan | Apr 21, 2023 | Robotic Process Automation

Automation offers contact centers improved efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction – it’s a revolutionary technology. In this blog, we’ll explore the benefits, discuss how to successfully implement automation, and even share some insight into our recent work with FedEx that demonstrates the power of automation in optimizing contact center performance.

The role of automation in contact centers

In the past few years, automation has been something of a revelation for contact centers, with a wide range of potential applications – from chatbots and voice bots to the automation of data capture and processing. By automating repetitive tasks and offering instant support to customers, these tools have revolutionized the way contact centers are able to operate.

For example, chatbots can handle a variety of customer queries, from providing information about products or services to troubleshooting basic issues, and all without the need for human intervention. Similarly, voice bots can interact with customers via telephone, offering quick and efficient responses, in a more personal way, but still without the need for a human operator.

This not only frees up customer service agents to handle more complex tasks but also ensures that customers receive assistance quickly, which can be one of the most common causes of frustration for customers using contact centers.

The benefits of automation in contact centers

Many of the standard benefits of automation are applicable in a contact center environment, here are a few of the headline improvements a contact center can tap into with the right automation:

Improved Efficiency and Productivity
Automation reduces the workload of human customer service agents, allowing them to focus on more critical tasks. This improves overall efficiency and productivity in the contact center, as well as employee satisfaction
Enhanced Customer Experience
Tools, like chatbots, offer rapid responses to customer queries, leading to higher customer satisfaction. Because these tools are always online, customers can receive support 24/7, without having to wait for contact centers to open

Increased Accuracy and Consistency
Automation ensures that customers receive accurate and consistent information, as automated responses are based on pre-set data. This helps reduce human error and maintain a high standard of service

4. Cost Savings and Improved ROI
Implementing automation can lead to significant cost savings, as fewer human agents are required to handle customer inquiries. The improved efficiency and customer satisfaction brought about by automation can lead to higher revenue and a better return on investment in the long term

Implementing automation in contact centers

If you’re interested in bringing automation into your contact center, there are some key steps you need to cover. Firstly, you need to identify the processes in your business and understand which can or can’t be automated, and which gives you the best ROI. When you’re starting out with automation, you want big wins earlier on to encourage momentum and wider adoption.

Once you understand what you want to automate, you need to pick the right tools to get it done. No two contact centers are the same, so finding technology that fits is very important. That might require you to tweak something off the shelf or build a totally bespoke solution, but either way, it’s got to work.

When you’ve got the tools to automate your chosen workflows, you need to put resources in place that your teams can lean on. That can be in the form of training – ready for the launch of your automation(s) – but may also be in things like a resource center, where FAQs can be covered, and more in-depth content can be available for advanced users or the people you want championing automation in your various departments.

Our FedEx example

We recently worked with FedEx to implement an automated phone system that uses voice recognition technology to identify customers and their needs. The system is able to handle a high volume of calls and can direct customers to the appropriate department quickly and efficiently. Since its implementation, FedEx has seen a significant improvement in customer satisfaction and a reduction in wait times – these are big wins in any contact center.

A Guide For You

While the benefits of automation in contact centers are clear, and the steps to implement seem straightforward, what is truly important is carefully considering the benefits and challenges of automation in the context of your specific business. To do that you might need a guide, an expert, or someone who has done it before. For that, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better partner than PAteam.

Want to make automation a reality in your contact center? Reach out to PAteam and get started today.

Understanding Citizen Development

by Liana Hakobyan | Apr 13, 2023 | Robotic Process Automation

The hype around citizen development is very real. Many organizations are ready to explore citizen automation and development platforms, but forgetting the hype, what can it actually offer businesses in the real world and how can they put it in place?

The definition of citizen development

Citizen development (CD) is a new trend in software engineering that provides employees with low-code and no-code platforms so that even those without coding experience can create powerful applications using pre-built modules and components. By democratizing technology, you empower individuals to actively shape the tools they will be using in their roles, which can result in applications that are perfectly suited to their use.

Why you need citizen development to unlock automation at scale

CD enables non-technical employees, that’s probably the majority of people in your business, to participate in the development of digital solutions. Immediately, that is a massive increase in the development resources available to your business. By empowering people, you also give them a level of autonomy that is not only personally motivating but helps them drive the adoption of new technology and processes, making automation buy-in much more widespread.

Pillars of Citizen Development in Automation

There are four key pillars that support CD in automation, and if organizations commit to them, they can enable non-technical individuals to contribute more easily and effectively. The four pillars are:

Academy & Community Management is a core pillar in the success of CD initiatives. This pillar is responsible for providing comprehensive training resources to citizen developers, helping them acquire the fundamental skills needed to begin developing. Even low and no code solutions require some knowledge, so this helps to facilitate entries into the technology. It also fosters a community where citizen developers can share knowledge, learn from one another, and collaborate on projects – making CD a part of your business’ culture.
Governance ensures CD initiatives are carried out in a controlled and secure manner. This pillar establishes guidelines, roles, and responsibilities for citizen developers, ensuring that they comply with regulations and manage risk effectively. Governance also provides a framework for managing and governing CD initiatives, ensuring that they align with the organization’s goals and objectives – otherwise the efforts of some of your team could contradict the work of others.

Support Center offers essential technical assistance to citizen developers when they encounter problems or have questions. This can include providing access to a help desk or knowledge base, that helps your citizen developers resolve issues and improve their skills. With the right support, citizen developers can become more confident, contribute more effectively to automation projects, and drive innovation within their organizations.

4. Infrastructure is the final pillar that provides the necessary technology and security setup to support CD initiatives. This includes ensuring that citizen developers have access to automation tools, integrating them with existing systems and processes, and ensuring easy access. By providing great infrastructure, organizations can reduce the barriers to entry that their citizen developers would face without it.

Start empowering citizen development with automation

By understanding CD, and implementing these pillars, organizations can quickly empower citizen developers to create and manage automated processes and drive greater operational efficiency and staff motivation. With the right support, citizen developers can play a vital role in driving automation initiatives forward, and most importantly, helping organizations achieve their goals and objectives

Want to know more about citizen development? Contact PAteam today, we’re ready to help.

The Potential Of Healthcare Automation

by Liana Hakobyan | Apr 3, 2023 | Robotic Process Automation

Automation in healthcare has the power to improve the quality, equity, integration, coordination, and affordability of healthcare services everywhere. Above all, it empowers healthcare institutions and organizations to put people before profit. Here’s how.

In the light of a cost of living crisis, alongside material shortages, the pressure is on to make healthcare more efficient, effective, and equitable. Automation presents a number of ways to make that a reality, so in this blog, we’ll explore a few of those opportunities and show just how revolutionary the technology could be for healthcare globally.

Healthcare Opportunities

Because there are so many potential applications for automation in healthcare, we’ve picked out distinct use cases that show off how powerful a tool it can be for healthcare providers and patients alike.

Embracing Personalized Medicine

Medical treatment tailored to your unique needs, taking into account your medical history, genetic makeup, and lifestyle habits – that’s the future. It’s also referred to as personalized medicine, a rapidly evolving field that harnesses the power of healthcare automation.

By applying Big Data techniques and technologies, and collecting and analyzing vast amounts of patient information, healthcare providers can craft bespoke treatment plans that enhance effectiveness and minimize side effects. For example, a cancer patient could receive a customized treatment plan designed specifically for their individual needs.

Streamlining Reporting and Compliance

Healthcare automation also plays a crucial role in streamlining reporting and compliance, ensuring that healthcare providers follow industry regulations and best practices. It can assist in generating reports on patient outcomes, billing, and quality of care, allowing providers to refine operations and maintain regulatory compliance.

For instance, assessments of new treatments for diseases can be based on data from a large patient pool, helping to improve future treatment plans and enhancing overall care. Claims audits, Fraud Waste and Abuse (FWA) detection, and disease reporting are invaluable tools in this area. They help to pinpoint non-compliance, and reduce the risk of fraud and abuse, ultimately saving healthcare providers money.

Optimizing Utilization Management

Automation offers a lifeline to healthcare organizations that are tackling post-Covid backlogs and are under pressure to help more people than ever. Utilization management is the process of ensuring that healthcare resources are used efficiently and effectively, which involves optimizing how healthcare resources are used throughout a healthcare organization.

For example, healthcare automation can assist hospitals in managing hospital bed usage or medical equipment uptime, ensuring that as many of the right resources are being used at all times, so no patient is missing out, and the healthcare provider isn’t paying for unused equipment.

Empowering Patients with Consumer-Driven Self-Service

Consumer-driven self-service is a growing trend in many sectors, one certainly one that is seeing huge popularity within healthcare. With patients wanting to take greater control over their bodies and health regimes, healthcare providers are becoming more aware of that desire. It’s great from a patient satisfaction perspective, and if patient choices still drive the best levels of care for their particular needs, it’s great for healthcare providers too.

Price transparency is a vital aspect of this approach, empowering patients to make informed decisions about their healthcare options and associated costs. With automation, a healthcare organization could put together a list of treatment options, and then automatically have a detailed quote calculated and sent to the patient for sign-off. This cuts down on manual tasks and delivers value quicker to the patient.

Healthcare automation is revolutionizing the medical landscape by enabling personalized medicine, streamlining reporting and compliance, optimizing utilization management, and fostering consumer-driven self-service. These advancements are not only making healthcare more efficient and cost-effective, but also enhancing patient satisfaction and overall care quality, and that’s why it’s only going to go from strength to strength.

Want to dig deeper into the power of all things automation? Follow us on LinkedIn for even more content on technology developments and industry insights.

Learn Automation Without Limits

by Liana Hakobyan | Mar 14, 2023 | Robotic Process Automation

Learning Automation is no walk in the park. It’s a demanding field that requires dedication, hard work, and a keen drive to learn – if you want to do well at it, that is. But, once you’ve gotten started, and begun to figure it out, it’s one of the most rewarding things you can do – not just for yourself but also for your business!

Because of this – and the fact that there are many automation learning platforms and resources that don’t get it right – we decided to build something for learners that would deliver everything they could ever want or need. Welcome to the PAteam Learning Academy.

Learning Automation doesn’t usually work

Many students are tired of taking short, non-guided online courses that only scratch the surface of automation training. From our research and experience, we know that most people are looking for a deeper understanding and a practical foundation to take their skills to the next level.

That is exactly what the PAteam Learning Academy is for.

Our expert-led training courses provide you with a comprehensive understanding of automation and the hands-on experience you need to make it a success in your business. Don’t go it alone, journeys in automation learning are best taken with a guide – let us have your back every step of the way to mastering automation.

Why PAteam Learning Academy is different?

Our training courses are designed to help individuals and organizations kick-start their automation journey and stay ahead of the curve by maximizing their working resources through practical automation training. Led by our own automation training experts, the structured programs provide in-depth learning for both the development and the practical application of automation, with an emphasis on hands-on experience to turn participants into automation pros.

We don’t stop at the fundamental development level, offering additional development with exclusive masterclasses for further learning. With a comprehensive curriculum, our training program is the ultimate choice for anyone looking to enhance their automation skills and become an asset for any organization.

Who is it for?

If you’re an individual or organization looking to establish or upscale an in-house automation department, or perhaps an IT company or consultancy looking to enter the world of Automation (through RPA/RDA), then the PAteam Learning Academy is for you. We also offer training for organizations looking to train their employees in RPA, and for universities looking to teach automation as part of a wider curriculum.

Accelerate your learning with us

With an extensive learning path and real-world content that is up-to-date, you’ll be equipped with the tools and knowledge to succeed in anything that needs automation.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to enhance your existing skills, our courses offer a dynamic and engaging learning environment that will help you achieve your automation goals.

Get in touch with us to find out which course perfectly matches your needs. PAteam is ready for your call.

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