PSL White Paper

People are the Key to Success
Call centres are all about people. Advances in technology, new CRM systems and contact channels can all improve the efficiency of your centre, but it is people that ultimately make the difference between its potential success or failure.

In todayís climate of outsourcing and offshoring, the focus for UK call centres is on delivering quality of service - the way in which your people interact with your customers is now the most important competitive differentiator.

Set against this, identifying the best people for your call centre is critically important. We look at the steps you can take to build a world-class selection process that will not only help you find the best people, but also give you the means to develop them to their full potential.

1. Define Your Objectives
What, why, where, how and when? What do you want to achieve from this process?

Better staff performance?
A reduction on personnel costs ñ particularly when these can amount to 5,000 per person recruited?
A faster, more efficient and more competitive process?

Whatever your objectives, it is a good practise to build monitoring procedures into your plan so that you can measure the effectiveness of the process. This gives you the data needed to calculate a return on investment (ROI).

2. What Kind of People Are You Looking For? ñ Job Analysis
Different roles require different people. It sounds simple, but it means that there is no such thing as a ëgoodí candidate. Instead, what you need to do is to find candidates who suit your particular role and your organisation.

You may have an up-to-date competency framework or job description for your call centre roles. If you havenít, or if you are recruiting for a new role, then you need to carry out some sort of job analysis.

Job analysis is the foundation for the entire selection process. The more work you do at this early stage, the better the results are likely to be.


3. The Role Profile - The Three Components of Performance
Successful job performance is made up of three components. To do a job well, a candidate needs to have all three. If any component is missing, then the candidate is unlikely to be as effective as he or she might be.


Skills and Abilities ñ the technical skills and knowledge required to do the job.

Behaviours ñ these are the behaviours that are required for effective performance (including such things as communicating, dealing with customers and teamwork).

Personality ñ this is the candidateís preferred style of working ñ their attitudes, motivations and values.

Once you have identified your ideal candidateís main characteristics you can start to look at the different selection methods that are available to you.


4. Choose Your Selection Tools
The most commonly used selection method is the simple face-to-face interview. Unfortunately, it is also one of the least effective ways of identifying suitable candidates as it tends to be subjective and suffers from all sorts of conscious and unconscious biases.

A better approach is to use a combination of more objective assessments, as these provide a much more accurate picture of a candidateís true abilities.

Some examples of objective assessments for each component are as follows:

Skills and Abilities

Aptitude Tests for abilities such as verbal and numerical reasoning. These can be very effective, providing they are relevant to your role.

Software Skills Tests ñ these are an excellent way of highlighting a candidateís ability to use computer packages such as Outlook or Excel. The best ones are fully-simulated tests that replicate the functions of the software.

Computerised Simulation Tests provide the candidate with a realistic preview of the role of a call centre operator.

Behaviours

Competency Based Interviews are more effective for selection than unstructured interviews. The candidate is asked structured questions on examples of their past behaviour.

Telephone Simulation Exercises are role-plays carried out on the telephone. A candidate is given instructions on answering calls, and the assessor plays the role of a customer.

Call Centre Scenario Tests are computerised versions of telephone simulations. They are administered and scored by computer, making them simple and inexpensive.

Assessment Centre Exercises are a very good method of selection, but can be time-consuming. Typical assessments include group exercises, role-plays and problem solving exercises.


Personality

Personality Questionnaires are the most accurate and objective way of identifying a candidateís preferred work style. They produce a profile for the candidate that highlights areas of strength and weakness and the results can then be used to support an interview.

It goes without saying that the assessments you use should be fit for purpose, of high quality and fair for all candidates. Try and choose assessments from reputable suppliers and ask for supporting evidence and documentation whenever possible.

A further factor to consider is the cost of using a particular method of assessment, in terms of the money, time and resources required. Always try and balance the benefits of a selection method with the costs involved.

5. Create a Standardised Process
Once you have selected the best assessments for your role profile, you should aim to create a selection process that is as consistent and standardised across the whole organisation. This allows you to evaluate candidates not just against each other but also against the requirements of your role and your organisation.

The best way of achieving this is to create a clear structure for selection. This does not need to be a rigid straitjacket but rather a set of guidelines and procedures for all recruiters to follow.

The structure gives you confidence that all new recruits will meet your standards. It should not matter who has recruited them, or in which call centre they are located. Every one should be capable of succeeding in their role.

6. After The Assessment ñ Feedback for Candidates
Your process shouldnít stop as soon as youíve selected successful candidates. You will have gained a lot of information about each candidate and this can be very useful for both parties.

The first thing you should do is offer feedback to all candidates, whether they have been successful or not

For successful candidates the feedback is imperative when considering each candidateís strengths and development needs. A good selection process can save you time and money by targeting training only where it is needed.

7. Monitoring and Analysis for Continuous Improvement
Unfortunately, the work doesnít stop once you have implemented your selection process. It is best practise to monitor the success of your process, partly so it can be refined and improved and partly so that any issues can be identified quickly and easily and any appropriate actions taken.

The types of analysis that you should consider include:

Validation ñ benchmarking the results of your selection process against your candidatesí subsequent job performance. This confirms that your assessments are effective and can suggest further refinements.

Equal Opportunities Monitoring ñ this is a good practise to ensure that your selection process is demonstrably fair to all candidates.

Return On Investment Analysis ñ if you monitor factors like training costs, staff turnover and job performance, you can measure the success of your selection process against costs and so create a powerful business case for the benefits of your strategy. Think back to the objectives you defined at the start of the process and add measurements to show how successfully you have achieved them.


Competitive Advantage
Building a world-class selection process can give your call centre a significant competitive advantage. Identifying the qualities you need in your candidates, putting in place objective assessments and standardising your approach, all help you to accurately and consistently select the most suitable people to work for your organisation.

Next Steps
To find out more about PSLís call centre assessments, please call 020 8585 2345, e-mail: INFO@PSL.COM or visit our website at