Call Center Success - Setting Up Your Agent Screen

Digital signage has become an impactful improvement in call center efficiency. Utilizing digital signage wallboards, employee desktop and mobile devices to present information needed by agents in a productive, understandable, and easy navigation, helps operators to provide better service.

With this guide and the tips given, learn how to optimize the agent screen for improved call center operations.

Trying to have everything on the screen may not be a good strategy. Having too much information is confusing and not useful.

Here are the basic categories of information that need to be on agent dashboards:

Customer Data: Basic information from your CRM system such as the customer's name, address, and contact telephone number. This screen area also shows customer-journey analytics with insights about the customer's satisfaction and previous customer touchpoints.

Active Supervisors: This area shows the active supervisors who are present and working in the call center that an agent can access for help.

Agent Metrics: The agent metrics include agent performance data and customer survey responses. Common metrics include the agent's call history, net promoter score (NPS), and customer satisfaction score (CSAT).

Group Metrics: The results from tracking systems and leaderboards show how an agent compares to the rest of the team.

Notifications: This area provides real-time information about the company, products or services, and important issues agents need to know.

Other information categories may also apply depending on an organization's and its employees' needs.

Besides having too much information on the display screen, behavioral research shows that if agent performance data features too prominently on digital wallboards, this can be demotivating. Agents experience stress when constantly reminded of poor performance metrics. Instead of being motivational, the reverse effect occurs, and performance declines from bad to worse.

Most companies prefer that human resources (HR) communications are available by default but do not have a constant presence on the agent dashboards. Instead, alerts display only when a priority effort is needed.

Consider the frequency of the need to know. Everything does not have to show at the same time. For example, call center agents may track their average call times regularly but only need to review their NPS score occasionally.

Color coding gives a fast way to indicate information status. The classic example is using red, yellow, and green. These colors are effective in showing critical (red), alarm (yellow), and satisfactory (green) status. Visual cues include using icons and symbols to convey a concept quickly.

Personalization of employee desktops allows agents to turn features on and off and manage screen layouts. For example, a remote worker can turn off traffic alerts, which only impact other workers who commute to the office.

Less useful information may be hidden or moved by an agent to a separate screen area to reduce information overload. The personalization of agent desktops can be limited to ensure all call center staff view the critical information needed. Certain essential information can be locked to the screen area on all agent dashboards and not be customizable.

System integration gives the agent the information needed from disparate data systems. The goal is to create a comprehensive strategy that provides the agent access to the required data on any other part of the company network.

A typical integration includes the accounting system with order delivery logistics so that an agent can answer customer questions about invoice payments and delivery status.

Innovative integrations include using artificial intelligence (AI) systems that predict customer behavior and give agents pertinent information for increasing re-orders and making potential up-sales.

Every automated step improves efficiency. One way to discover automation opportunities is to track agents' screen use for repetitive patterns. If an agent must click through multiple screens regularly to perform a task, such a process is a terrific candidate for automation.

Reviewing the efficiency of the agent dashboards includes discovering improvements for efficiency and increased productivity. Moreover, this process can create better employee experiences, which helps reduce employee turnover.

Do not be afraid to ask agents' opinions about the digital wallboards and agent dashboards they use. Using the simple A/B testing method with test subjects who get to choose A or B can help identify better layouts and improve dashboard design.

Here are the tips that can be used to improve digital wallboards.

Understand the Users

You need to understand how the agent dashboards will be used, including what types of displays the digital wallboards will be viewed on and the data requirements of the user groups. Mitigate any problems with connectivity and security issues.

For example, individual agents need to see personal metrics. Supervisors need to see group productivity numbers. In-office workers may have a large viewing screen. Workers in the field may need to view the information on mobile devices. Mobile communications need two-way encryption for secure data transmissions.

Create a Distinct Visual Guide

Organize content according to user needs. Make logical groupings of data. Use white space to separate data groups. Use colorful graphics and icons to reduce text. Your digital wallboards represent an internal company brand. Your target audience is the agents who will use them.

Offer Pre-Made Digital Wallboards and Also Allow Customization

You may offer company-wide digital wallboards available to everyone and allow individuals to create customized versions of their agent dashboards.

Communication in contemporary times entails what is said and how you say it. Bright, cheery, easy-to-navigate digital wallboards and agent dashboards, which provide information making it easier to do a good job, have a positive impact on employee morale.

Digital wallboards convey the company message. This communication is a form of internal marketing that must be done well.

Improving agent dashboards is worth the effort because these improvements can up-level the customer experience and increase the agents' job satisfaction.