Most people measure the wrong things in the wrong timeframe. Sometimes, we measure tactical actions when we should be looking at results. How many actions do your agents take to produce the desired result? Wouldn’t it be easier to simply measure the result, and, if the result is not as expected, measure the actions?
Our indicator metrics need to keep us focused on the right things. If an indicator metric performance is weak, then we can dig deeper into what I call “diagnostic metrics.” These diagnostic metrics are usually a pitfall for most organizations (like the company measuring more than 100 metrics per agent per day). If you focus on diagnostic metrics, you never have time to change. You spend all your time looking at the numbers trying to figure out what they are telling you.
The concept of indicator and diagnostic metrics holds true for every aspect of the contact center – agents, operations, service level, etc. All contact centers I have worked with (no matter how unique or complex) have indicator metrics. Figuring out what these indicators takes time, but it is time well spent.
People look at micro-level (diagnostic) metrics when they don't need to. If you are examining a mountain of reports all day long, you'll never have time for strategic thinking nor will you have time to invest in your people. The answer lies in knowing when to look at certain data and when to ignore it.
