The Big Picture
In the previous article, we reviewed company mission statements. They are a high level strategic view of the company's goals. We also discussed the need to apply that mission statement to your group within the company in order to generate appropriate goals for your group. This article looks at how to do that.What Is Our Part?
Let's say your company's mission statement includes a corporate goal of expanding from North America into Asian markets. You are responsible for customer service (or help desk, call center, etc.). What does your group have to do to implement that overall goal? Are you going to set up a call center in Asia? Will you train customer service reps in the North American office to handle the Asian service calls? Would it be better to contract with an Asian company to handle your customer calls for you? You are the expert. Your company depends on you to analyze all the options and make (or recommend) the correct decisions.First, throw out all your preconceived ideas. Forget about company culture, previous failed attempts at expansion, what your last company did in Asia, etc. Instead, look at what is best for your company. Look at all the options. Then, when all the options are on the table, you can consider issues such as culture, finances, competition, etc. What best helps the company achieve its mission?
Here's What We're Going To Do
You decide the best solution is to handle the Asian calls through the North American center until traffic reaches the point that another center in Asia is cost effective. You set as your goal "to have a native speaker answer all Asian calls within 30 seconds". You discuss this with your boss and reach agreement. Now you have to make it happenHow The Heck Do We Do This?
You know what you have to do. You know when it has to be done. Now you just have to figure out how best to make it happen.As a starting point, I always recommend talking to the people involved. Since you already shared the company mission statement with them, they probably have already been thinking about it. Brainstorming solutions with them helps get their support for the final plan.
Next, discuss your options with the other organizations from which you will need support. Can HR find bilingual customer service reps with appropriate skills? Who will train the new hires in your company's product? Will your telephone switch handle the increased volume, or will you need the phone company to upgrade? Does your call management software support multiple languages, or do you need IT to find a new one?
When you have all the suggestions and options, and their associated costs, you can compare your plan to the budget and schedule. If it fits both, go ahead and implement. If it's too expensive, or will take too long to implement, you need to look at other options instead.
Consider The Trade-Offs
Maybe the "30 seconds to answer Asian calls" goal simply cannot be met within your budget. Acknowledge that and then move on to what can be accomplished. Can you hire a media company to produce an audio tape in several Asian languages that thanks them for calling and directs them through a calling tree? What about only taking overseas calls during off peak hour, for instance, taking the Asian calls late night US time allows you to add another shift rather than increasing floorspace. Can you meet a 90 second goal instead?When the reachable goal has been set, share it with everyone involved. Then provide feedback as they reach toward the goal. Something as simple as a chart, posted in your break room, showing the percentage of calls handled in the time frame agreed upon can be a great motivator. (Remember, you get the performance you critique for, so post only the metrics that you want your people to focus on.)
Next Article
Do you have the right people to get this job done? What about the other resources you'll need?If you have any questions or comments about this article, or if there is an issue you would like us to address, please post them on our Management Forum to share with the entire group.
