Customer Support Review: Third Quarter (extract)
Summary. In the third quarter the support team handled 14,200 requests, an increase of nine per cent on the previous quarter. Average first-response time fell from six hours to four and a half, and the proportion of enquiries resolved at the first contact rose from fifty-eight to sixty-four per cent. These improvements, however, were achieved largely in the first eight weeks. In September, response times lengthened again as two experienced agents left the team and their replacements had not yet completed training.
Customer satisfaction. Survey scores averaged 4.1 out of 5, unchanged from the second quarter. Satisfaction among customers whose queries were resolved at first contact was considerably higher (4.5) than among those who contacted us twice or more (3.2). Comments suggest that the main source of dissatisfaction is not the quality of individual answers but the need to repeat information to different agents. Several customers also mentioned that the online help pages did not match the advice they were given by telephone.
Cost. Spending on temporary staff exceeded budget by eleven per cent, mostly because of the September departures. The new ticketing software, introduced in July, has not yet produced the savings projected in the original business case, although it has made it easier to track repeat contacts. The finance team advises that a fair assessment of the software should wait until at least two full quarters of data are available.
Recommendations. First, offer retention incentives to experienced agents before the busy winter period. Second, reorganise the help pages so that they reflect current procedures. Third, postpone any decision on extending the software licence until the second quarter of next year.