A standard which verifies Contact Center activities

Is it possible to verify Contact Center activities? What is the optimal waiting time, and what should you do to make customers happy? Finally, is there such a thing as CC services standardization?

Every project is different, each industry has its specific requirements. A bank has its own requirements demanding e.g. maximum data security, where as a taxi network has others like speed counts, and so does a product hotline. The basis for verification of CC activities is the EN 15838 industry standard. The EN 15838 standard is an initiative of the European Commission and is an attempt to standardize the control of both the standards of research and direct contact on the customer-agent level. When providing service, waiting time is very important, as is the ability to obtain information without switching to other agents (and particularly without re-contact), or the quality of information provided.

The EN 15838 standard consists of several segments: management strategy and policy management, a number of employees (consultants, telecoms), infrastructure, processes, customer satisfaction and social responsibility. The use of the standard can improve the quality of customer contact, and allows you to improve the service process, and consequently - to improve cost-effectiveness. The standard also applies to the working conditions of agents, which can reduce staff turnover.

The standard was developed by Austrian Standards Plus (AS +) on behalf of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). It was approved in October 2009 by 27 countries which are members of the European Union, and on December 2nd 2009, the standard was adopted by the ECCCO (European Confederation of Contact Centre Organizations), which means that the norm was also accepted in Russia, the Ukraine, Serbia and Turkey.

As with ISO 9000 standards, implementation is not obligatory, but it is a collection of good practices concerning the organization of management processes. It should be noted that the standard does not define in detail elements such as reporting technology, methods of call recording, or sequence of actions when dealing with a complaint, leaving the possibility of reaching the defined objectives in various ways. This standard represents a "quality label", guaranteeing that service maintenance is at its highest level.

The result of the implementation of the standard is to improve the quality of customer service and increase business efficiency.

Comarch SA, a leading integrator on the Polish market, and actively supports the implementation of the EN 15838 standard. Since Poland signed the call center certificate of compliance with the EN 15838 quality standard according to ECCCO certification scheme, all projects conducted by Comarch SA are prepared to certify compliance with the standard.