QNT 561 For AlgebraExpert Only

Variables

In an experiment, the independent variable is the variable that is varied or manipulated by the researcher, and the dependent variable is the response that is measured. An independent variable is the presumed cause, whereas the dependent variable is the presumed effect. For this research topic, the dependent variable will be the average talk/handle time of call center phone calls. The goal will be three minutes. The independent variable will be product training, measured by the ways individual customers are helped. In choosing these variables, Learning Team A seeks to determine why some call center staff have higher than average handle/talk times.

Scenario

Some of the call center team members at Bear, Inc. have higher than average talk/handle time. The standard that performance is measured on is an average of 3 minutes per call. Lately, however, the measurement of that number has been skewed higher than anticipated. Manage wants to determine what is going on to cause higher than expected numbers. Bear, Inc. strives for outstanding customer service and has a service guarantee to stand behind. Feedback indicates that customers are not receiving proper information to solve their issues, which is causing a huge problem for management. Learning Team A will be investigating the root of the problem by identifying both dependent and independent variables to test within the department and by developing a research question and hypothesis to test in regards to the current situation that Bear, Inc is facing.

Research Question

The research question is based on both the dependent and independent variables. The problem this study seeks to identify is, “Is there a difference talk/handle time based on the amount of training received?”

Hypothesis

According to dictionary.com, a hypothesis is a “proposition, or set of propositions, set forth as an explanation for the occurrence of some specified group of phenomena, either asserted merely as a provisional conjecture to guide investigation or accepted as highly probable in the light of established facts.” The hypothesis of the research by Learning Team A consists of two variables, the talk/handle time which is the dependent variable, and the training provided to the customer service representatives, which is the independent variable. The training hours per representative should be 40 hours minimum, which not all representatives have yet completed, though they are already trying to assist customers. These representatives take longer to resolve the customer's problems, which are affecting and extending the talk/handle time average variable of three minutes. Management should ensure that all representatives complete the training to resolve the issue and to maintain the three-minute talk/handle time average.

Literature Review Introduction

Currently, Bear Inc. is researching the idea that average handle time could be directly affected by the completion of 40 hours of product training by each customer service representative. The team will research the idea and decide if this is still the best route for Bear, Inc. to evaluate or if we want to change the question and evaluate a better idea or option. Utilizing previous research will help determine the best course of action. Below, each team member has summarized articles relating to Average Handle Time.

Article summaries

The article offers a brief summary on some of the written material dealing with the management of call center operations. It looks at the traditional research and management challenges often created by the introduction of new technology. The research focuses on things like the behavior of employees working as customer service representatives. One key point is the idea of “call forecasting,” which the article defines as “(a) the specific queue or call type associated with the forecast; (b) the time between the creation of the forecast and the actual time period for which the forecast was created (often referred to as the forecasting ‘lead time’); and (c) the duration of the time periods for which the forecasts are created, which can range from monthly (to support resource acquisition decisions) to short time frames, such as 15-, 30-, or 60-minute periods (to support resource deployment decisions)” (Aksin, Armony, & Mehrotra, 2007, p. 667). The article indicated this is a fairly new area that is not frequently used.

This article focused on employees at call centers and how the Call centers are often perceived to have a negative impact on employee wellbeing, mainly attributed to four factors: job design, performance monitoring, HR practices and team leader support. This article reports on a survey of 557 customer service representatives that examined the relationship of these factors to four measures of wellbeing: anxiety, depression, intrinsic job satisfaction, and extrinsic job satisfaction. Results demonstrated that the factors most highly associated with wellbeing were high control over work methods and procedures, a low level of monitoring and a supportive team leader. Evidence also indicates that the level of wellbeing in some call centers is similar to that in other comparable forms of work.

"The average handle time is a very important statistic that relates directly to staffing needs, employee performance, and average call cost" (Peterson, 2014). The average handling time AHT has three components—talk time, hold time, and after call work—which contribute to the total AHT divided by the total number of phone calls received. To improve AHT, it is important to emphasize product knowledge, multitasking, agent's training, technology used, and tools. A well created script which consolidates all types of problems a customer will call for with the answers of most common issues will be a helpful tool to improve AHT.

Research Conclusion

Training—and the subsequent product knowledge received from training—may not be the most significant variable affecting average handle time. As a result, it is important for Learning Team A to assess the various elements that can affect AHT. Depending on this assessment, the team can then revise the research question for this study.

References

Aksin, Z., Armony, M., & Mehrotra, Vijay. (2007, Fall). The Modern Call Center: A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective on Operations Management Research. Production and Operations Management, 16(6), 665-688.

Cooper, D., & Schindler, P. (2011). Business Research Methods (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hypothesis

Efficiency Indicators – Average Handle Time (AHT). (). Customer Reach, (), . Retrieved from http://www.pearladvisorygroup.com/resource-centre/articles/average-handle-time/

Grainger. (1994-2014). Retrieved from http://pressroom.grainger.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=194987&p=irol-overview