To Multi-Skill or Not to Multi-Skill: That is the Question…
But what is the answer? Unfortunately, it’s not crystal clear what is best. It seems like the trend towards universal agents in a multi-channel contact center has swung back and forth over the past few years. For a while, it was all the rage – let’s teach everyone to answer every call, and then we’ll need less staff overall.
Well, that didn’t quite work – we found out that not every agent is good at every type of call. For example, agents that were fabulous with customer service calls were maybe not so fabulous at sales calls. And vice versa.
But today, with a huge emphasis on the multi-channel contact center, we are again trying to have our agents work many different types of contacts. Before we get back on this path, it might be helpful to look at some of the pros and cons of universal agents in your multi-channel contact center.
Pros:
- Optimal leverage of economies of scale
- Simpler forecasting and scheduling model
- Greater agent flexibility
- Improved First Call Resolution
- Reduced transfers
Cons:
- Agents may take longer on some calls
- ALL skills must be kept current
- Turnover can be higher
- Training time is longer for new hires
- Existing staff may not have aptitude for all calls
- No career path for agents
So as you look at this issue, weigh these pros and cons and look at your current agents – are you all ready to try it again?