Shuanna Wilson, one of our Workforce Engagement (WEM) consultants, takes a closer look at the evolving role of advisors in contact centres as businesses adapt to new technologies and customer expectations. From the rise of self-service options and bots to the increasing complexity of customer queries, Shuanna explores how WEM strategies are adjusting to support advisors in these changing times.
Businesses have had a huge steer on how customer interactions are handled over the years. Customers can now do much more online and feel empowered to manage accounts without waiting on hold for an advisor.
Businesses also have advanced bots that take care of simpler tasks before passing customers to an advisor. When done right, this works well for both the customer and the business.
But what does this mean for the advisor from the WEM perspective? They are still a valued employee, regularly handling customer contacts. The difference is that these queries are now far more complex - ones you wouldn’t want a bot to manage or to be self-served online. Many involve vulnerable customers, complaints, or niche issues, where the advisor works hard to resolve the query on first contact and shift customer sentiment before the call ends.
AHT KPIs Adapted
Understanding Average Handle Time (AHT) is important, but some flexibility is needed. As contact complexity has increased, forecasts have been adjusted to reflect this.
AHT remains key for staffing, but businesses are refining how Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are set. Instead of a rigid average, many now analyse contact types, volumes, and handling times. Some still use AHT, but tailor targets based on the mix of contacts an advisor handles, rather than a blanket figure like 500 seconds.
Others have moved away from AHT KPIs entirely, allowing advisors to focus on building rapport, understanding customers, and finding the best resolution. In these cases, success is measured by First Contact Resolution (FCR), Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), or sentiment, rather than handle time.
Comfort Breaks/Downtime
With more complex contacts, businesses have adapted to allow offline time, such as comfort breaks or downtime. Comfort breaks provide advisors with a moment to breathe, step away from their desk, grab a coffee, get some fresh air, and realign themselves before continuing to support customers. Everyone needs time to recentre, gather thoughts, destress, and get back to it.
Some companies in the EU have introduced a five-minute screen break every hour, which has worked well for advisor wellbeing. While it can be difficult to schedule, if delivered correctly, advisors understand its purpose. I'm not suggesting you schedule five minutes every hour for every advisor, but rather allow flexibility in schedules to accommodate this time.
Downtime can be approached differently. A debt management company I worked with handled this brilliantly because they understood that some areas of the business dealt with vulnerable customers. Advisors need to be well-trained to spot vulnerability in customers and ensure they are doing right by them.
For example, this debt management company had a team dedicated to vulnerable customers, trained to spot key mental health flags. If these flags were identified, the process involved buddying up with management, contacting a crisis line, and getting a medical professional onsite to support the customer. These advisors developed a niche skill set within the business, combining customer support with medical awareness.
To support these advisors, downtime was built into their schedules. After handling sensitive cases, they could step into a quiet room where a manager trained in mental health would provide support. The manager would assess the situation and recommend specific actions, like taking a walk, going home, or having an early lunch. This downtime, assessed by a professional, was crucial in supporting the advisors' wellbeing and ensuring they could continue providing quality support to the next customer.
New and Improved QM Forms
As contact types evolve, so do Quality Management (QM) forms. It's no longer just about basic questions like whether the advisor did Data Protection Act (DPA) or welcomed the customer. QM now requires more detailed evaluation. While customer focus remains crucial, QM can better support coaching approaches. For example, instead of simple yes/no answers to empathy, a form can detail specific actions, such as: Did the advisor listen and acknowledge the customer? Did they repeat back what the customer said to show understanding? Did they maintain the right tone? Open text summaries can also highlight key feedback, such as: You did well listening, but it would be helpful if you repeated this back to show full understanding. Let’s discuss this in coaching, and listen to advisor for an example of good practice.
Analytics
More complex calls require deeper analysis. I recommend having the right tools in place to help with this and am happy to discuss options if you're interested. Businesses need clear analytics to understand contact complexity, such as the types of calls received and whether agents are skilled and coached in these areas. If not, let's start working on it. It's also important to track key phrases in contacts and report on them. Sentiment analysis is crucial, especially since many contacts routed to your advisors don't begin with a positive sentiment. While we aim to shift sentiment during the call, it’s also essential to recognise cases where it doesn’t change by the end. For utility companies, this can be particularly challenging, as customers facing financial strain may struggle with feelings of anxiety and frustration, making it hard to shift their sentiment. Here, empathy and finding a resolution are key, even if the outcome isn’t always a positive one. Understanding this data and why some contacts don’t result in first-contact resolution is crucial. Imagine having all this data at your fingertips to guide important business decisions - the right WEM tool can provide that!
Do you use any of these tools and strategies to support agents in your contact centre? Let’s keep the conversation going! Feel free to email me at shaunna.wilson@route101.com. Also, be sure to check out next week’s blog, where we’ll explore how factors like voice of the employee, days on demand, hourly holiday usage, blended (handling multiple types of tasks or channels) vs. multitasking (switching between tasks within the same channel), and recognition can really make a difference for your agents.