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Needs Assessment: Gap Analysis Strategy

JMAT Consulting & Instructional Services


Johnine Ornelas, Project Manager
Terri Artemchik, Project Coordinator
Amy DeMage, Instructional Designer
Maria Mejia, Technical Writer

Project Description
PJ Enterprises develops, manufacturers, markets, and distributes high quality
gifts, apparel, and home accessories using a mail-order catalog and a retail store.
The catalog division currently employs 50 people, 40 of whom are full-time. Of
the 50 employees, 4 are customer-service supervisors and 25 are telephone
operators. A toll-free number is available to customers for inquiries, placing
orders, or sharing their complaints. Generated system reports reveal suboptimal
performance by the telephone operators. At present, the operators respond to
three calls per hour instead of the six call requirement. Two out of three
customers report negative feedback about their interactions with the operators.
Their dissatisfaction largely focuses on the operators lack of product knowledge,
poor telephone etiquette, and slow response. Customer grievances have increased
by 30% as compared to the same period last year. As a result, job dissatisfaction
amongst the operator team is prevalent; approximately 50% the telephone
operator team has expressed a desire to leave the company. The combined uptick
in customer and employee discontent comes at a time when company leadership
is implementing an aggressive growth strategy.

PJ Enterprises' business objectives are to:

grow profitability by maintaining or exceeding projected sales


targets
significantly improve customer-service scores by 10%; and
boost employee morale by enhancing the work environment,
improving staff development, and instituting a rewards recognition
program.

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A performance gap exists between the current state in which the telephone
operator team functions and company expectations, as evidenced by the
recurrence of missed sales goals. The services of JMAT Consulting have been
requested to design, develop, and deliver a training program for the telephone
operators and customer service supervisors. The proposed training program
would cover the features and benefits of the existing catalog of 500 rotating
products. At this time, a needs analysis has not been conducted to determine
whether such a solution is an appropriate match for PJ Enterprises.

JMAT Consulting will conduct a needs assessment to determine the root causes
of the suboptimal performance by telephone operator team and their customerservice supervisors. This study will also establish the basis for the increased
volume of customer complaints and the high attrition rate at the company. If it is
determined that an instructional solution is the best course of action, JMAT
Consulting will develop a course for the target group identified in the needs
assessment. Furthermore, JMAT Consulting will conduct all relevant activities
related to the design, development, delivery and assessment of a training course,
including:

a task or content/learning analysis;


preparation of a design document;
development of training materials;
pilot testing and revision of the training materials; and
evaluation of the effectiveness of the training.

Information Needed
In order to identify the source (or sources) of the performance issues mentioned
above, JMAT Consulting will gather and review a cross-section of operational
data from key departments at PJ Enterprises. We will closely examine the Sales,
Human Resources (HR), and Information Technology (IT) departments.
JMAT Consulting has established the following priorities for the needs
assessment:

Client Services: Standard Operating Procedures. Examine current customer


service standards for telephone operators and supervisors to:

Gain an understanding of the training telephone operators and


customer service supervisors receive regarding phone etiquette, how
to use the phone system and process orders.

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Determine what is expected of telephone operators and their


supervisors by looking at job descriptions for both roles.
Establish a picture of past work performance by reviewing
performance appraisal data, including total sales figures per
individual telephone operator.
Determine employee reactions to new performance evaluation
process.

Training and Development. Review current catalog products training strategy


for telephone operators and customer service supervisors to:

Determine what instruction occurs during on-boarding.


Evaluate assessment methods used during the catalog products
training, including results.
Determine if coaching occurs once an employee becomes
established, or if remediation is needed.
Analyze job aids developed for use after training.
Gain an understanding of why there is a history of missed call targets
and customer complaints.

Customer Experience: Call Center Analytics. Analyze automated call distributor


process data (and call routing strategy), standard customer service scripts, and the
process for how complaints are handled to:

Uncover staff behavior during customer interactions and whether


customer inquiries are being addressed by the appropriate party.
Pair against normative data to determine whether industry metrics
are available regarding call wait times, issue routing, and queue
length.

Employee Retention. Examine turnover rates and hiring data for telephone
operators and customer-service supervisors to:

Determine root causes for employee departures, especially telephone


operators.
Evaluate the challenges Human Resources faces in recruiting,
selecting, hiring, training and managing new employees.
Investigate reasons for high job dissatisfaction among telephone
operators.
Explore the impact of the incentive program on employee retention
and job satisfaction.

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Team Strategy
JMAT Consulting will use the following research methods to collect the needed
information:

Review existing training programs;


Evaluate data from automated call distribution system (ACD);
Examine company documents, including policies, procedures, and
processes;
Interview key stakeholders; and,
Review employee exit interviews.

Analysis Plan
JMAT Consulting's analysis plan is outlined in the table below.

Research Method

1.

Review performance
appraisal data for
customer service
supervisors and
telephone operators

2.

Survey employees to
determine reactions to
new HR policies and
procedures, including
new performance
evaluation process

Target
Audience

Human
Resources
(HR)

Information You Hope to Gain

Gain understanding of the skills, abilities,


and behaviors desired by the performance
appraisal process (desired state).

Team
Member
Responsible
Terri A.

Identify frequently seen performance


deficits and how these were addressed
(current state).
Telephone
operators and
customer
service
supervisors

Gain understanding of telephone operators


and customer service supervisors
opinions on the new performance
evaluation system

Terri A.

3.

Review total sales


figures per individual
TO or TO team

Sales

Identify top performers.

Terri A.

4.

Interview

Customer
service
supervisors

Determine what they consider to be the


problems in performance and reasons
beyond the increase in customer service
complaints.

Terri A.

Discern opinion on why there has been a


history of missed targets both in sales and
customer service.

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Research Method

5.

Review customer
service trainings and
job aids

Target
Audience

Judie
Thompson,
Catalog
Director,
Sheena Perez,
Merchandising
Manager

Information You Hope to Gain

Team
Member
Responsible

Identify the content, assessment methods,


and job aids currently used with customer
service trainings (e.g. product training,
onboarding support, phone etiquette, how
to use the phone system and process
orders).

Amy D.

6.

Review job
descriptions of
customer service
supervisors and
telephone operators

HR

Compare and contrast job descriptions


(desired state) with actual job
responsibilities (current state).

Amy D.

7.

Interview

Judie
Thompson

Identify coaching methods used once


training is complete.

Amy D.

Sheena Perez

Discuss any questions that arise following


review of all training materials.

8.

ACD data

Bruce Bennett
- VP of IT/IS

Spot patterns and trends in call behavior


by mining ACD data.

Maria M.

Ascertain the state of interactions on the


call both from the client experience and
operator perspectives.
9.

Run validation
process of existing
sales system against
existing sales cycle
workflow

Yun Tsien Manager,


Sales System
or Lucy
Feldman Manager,
Intranet

Confirm whether automated workflow


aligns with how the process is supposed to
in a normalized environment.

Maria M.

Uncover source of high turnover among


call center staff.

Johnine
O.

Sheena Perez
10. Review Exit
Interviews

HR

Discover common themes that emerge


from examination of this information.

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Research Method

Target
Audience

Information You Hope to Gain

Team
Member
Responsible

11. Group Interview

Telephone
Operators

After examining exit interviews for


common themes, interview TOs to gain
further insights into the root causes of
their dissatisfaction and high turnover
rates.

Johnine
O.

12. Examine hiring


policies and
procedures

HR Director

Determine how PJ Enterprises is currently


recruiting, selecting, hiring and onboarding
new employees.

Johnine
O.

13. Interview

HR Director

After examining the hiring policies and


procedures, interview the director to gain
additional insights into PJ Enterprises
difficulties in recruiting, selecting, hiring,
training and managing new people.

Johnine
O.

Uncover barriers and/or opportunities


being encountered in recruiting, selecting,
hiring, training and managing new people.
Explore the impact of the incentive
program for error free performance.

Activity #1 - Review performance appraisal data for customer


service supervisors and telephone operators with Human Resources
(HR) and Customer Service Supervisors
Details of Activity/Method
The purpose of reviewing the performance appraisal data for customer service
supervisors and telephone operators is to gain understanding of the skills,
abilities, and behaviors desired by the performance appraisal process (desired
state) as well as identify frequently seen performance deficits and how these were
addressed (current state).

Questions to Ask
Throughout the review, the following questions will guide the identification of
the common performance deficits and exemplary performance characteristics:

What common skills and behaviors do telephone operators currently


exhibit?

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What common skills and behaviors of telephone operators and


supervisors need improvement?
What skills and behaviors are deemed exemplary?
How are deficits (skills and behaviors that needed improvement)
addressed?
Were the recommendations for improvement implemented
What behaviors are found in each of the top performers and are they
repeatable?

Activity #2 - Survey employees (telephone operators and customer


service supervisors) to determine reactions to new HR policies and
procedures, including new performance evaluation process
Details of Activity/Method
JMAT Consulting will survey both telephone operators and customer service
supervisors to determine their thoughts on the new performance appraisal system
and evaluation process. The survey will be anonymous; although some
demographic data will be asked including if the participant is a telephone
operator or customer service supervisor.

Questions to Ask

How satisfied are you with the new performance appraisal system?
Very satisfied, Satisfied, Neutral, Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied
Do you think the new performance appraisal system is effective in
measuring employee effectiveness?
Suggestions for improvement?
Are there any challenges in completing the performance evaluation
process?

Activity #3 Review total sales figures per individual from HR


Details of Activity/Method
A review of the sales figures by telephone operators will be conducted. This
review will also determine if telephone operators are operating in teams or
individually. By determining the top performers and those not performing as
well, JMAT Consulting could facilitate focus groups to determine skills and
characteristics for success, as well as challenges. This review could also uncover
supervisors who are motivating telephone operators in a particularly successful
manner versus those who are not generating as many positive results.

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Questions to Ask

Who are the telephone operators performing at a high level?

For those performing at a high level, who is their supervisor?

Who are the telephone operators performing at a lower level?

For those performing at a low level, who is their supervisor?

What are the differences in sales figures for those performing at a


high level and those performing at a low level?

Are there any patterns evident between high performers and low
performers, including work area, supervisors and more?

Activity #4 Interview Customer Service Supervisors


Details of Activity/Method
By interviewing customer service supervisors, JMAT Consulting will ask
probing questions to reveal customer service supervisors opinions as to why
there have been recent problems in performance with the telephone operators and
the primary reasons as to the increase in customer service complaints. The
interviews will be held individually in order to promote honesty and openness.

Questions to Ask

What do you consider to be the primary reasons for the increase in


customer service complaints?

Please describe the type of complaints you handle regularly.

What is your process for handling these complaints?

What challenges or limitations are present in the customer service


process?

What suggestions for improvement would you suggest to the call


process both for telephone operators and your role as customer
service supervisors?

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Activity #5 - Review Customer Service Trainings and Job Aids with


Judie Thompson, Catalog Director and Sheena Perez,
Merchandising Director
Details of Activity/Method
A thorough review of the training curriculum designed for the Telephone
Operators and Customer service supervisors is needed. Other data that is required
for inspection includes:

a complete listing of trainings completed by the two groups is


needed,
materials provided as part of existing training sessions such as lesson
plans, assessment methods, and job aids

A review of these documents provides JMAT Consulting with an understanding


of the expectations (desired state) set for these roles. Additionally, we will have a
deeper understanding of the instruction received by the current employees in
order to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement with the existing
trainings.

Questions to Ask

Do I have your permission to review the training materials?

What type of training does the telephone operator team receive as


part of their onboarding and continuing education?

What training does the customer service management team receive


as part of their onboarding and continuing education?

Who are the individuals that lead the onboarding training sessions?
What is their contact information?

What type of support, if any, is provided post-instruction?

Where can we find the training materials used for each training?

Activity #6 - Review job descriptions for Telephone Operators and


Customer service supervisors with HR Director
Details of Activity/Method
Job descriptions for the Telephone Operator and Customer Service Supervisor
positions will be requested. The job descriptions will be reviewed to identify the
behaviors, skills, abilities, and knowledge desired in both of these positions. This
information can be used to compare/contrast observed behaviors, skills, abilities,
and knowledge of the individuals serving as Telephone Operators or Customer
service supervisors. Identifying the gap will help to further identify opportunities
for training and development.
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Questions to Ask

What are the behaviors, skills, abilities, and knowledge desired for
the Telephone Operators?

How do the observed behaviors, skills, abilities and knowledge of


Telephone Operators compare to the desired state? What are the
behaviors, skills, abilities, and knowledge desired for the Customer
Service Supervisors?

How do the observed behaviors, skills, abilities, and knowledge of


the Customer Service Supervisors compare to the desired state?

Where can we find the job descriptions for the Telephone Operators
and the Customer Service Supervisors?

Are Telephone Operators and Customer Service Supervisors given


the job description at any point during the hiring or onboarding
process?

How does the company ensure that staff understands the activities
and responsibilities outlined in their job description?

Activity #7 - Interview with Judie Thompson, Catalog Director and


Sheena Perez, Merchandising Manager
Details of Activity/Method
Interview will be conducted with Judie Thompson, Catalog Director and Sheena
Perez, Merchandising Manager, to discuss the follow-up that occurs with the
Telephone Operators and Customer service supervisors after the initial training.
Conversation will focus on whether or not any follow-up occurs and, if so, the
common performance issues seen, how the issues are handled, and who is
responsible for the coaching process.

Questions to Ask

What type of follow-up is done with the Telephone Operators and


Customer service supervisors after the initial catalog training to
evaluate if they have retained the information?

When is the follow-up performed with the Telephone Operators and


Customer Service Supervisors?

What are the most common performance issues seen after the
training that require an intervention?

How are these performance issues handled?

Who is responsible for coaching the individual having issues?

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Activity #8 - Interaction Mining of the Automatic Call Distributor


(ACD) with Bruce Bennett, VP of IT/IS
Details of Activity/Method
PJ Enterprises has access to an untapped resource in the form of customer
interaction and feedback data within its call center. The goal of this activity is to
gain useful insight into the call center experience both as a customer service
agent as well as a client on an inbound call. The ACD system logs every action
associated with activity associated with an inbound call such as call routing, time
and day the call was processed, call hold or wait times, rate of abandoned calls
(where a customer hung up the line before speaking with a representative), etc.
By mining the data accessible through PJ Enterprises, JMAT Consulting will
identify patterns and trends in caller and agent behavior. This will help JMAT
develop key performance indicators (KPIs) that are in alignment with industry
expectations to address the uptick in customer complaints into the call center.
Not only will this data asset shed light on the customer experience and
breakdowns in the sales cycle, it will also help PJ Enterprises cultivate
opportunities to expand its product support offerings.
The patterns uncovered could include:

customer-oriented conversations (which statistically lead to higher


ratings of customer satisfaction)

identifying incidents of controversial discussions as evidenced by


disconnected calls, increases in call volume, and escalations to
supervisor

identifying customers who are at risk of ending their business


relationship with PJ Enterprises based on negative call center
outcomes

What percentage of interactions ends with confrontational


conversation?

What is the ratio of negative interactions to completed calls against


calls in total?

Who is the average customer calling into the data center?

What are customers calling about and why?

How long must they wait before speaking with someone?

What is the rate of abandoned calls to completed calls?

What percentage of customer service agents provide an explanation


or suggestion to client problem?

What terms or conversation topics are most associated with


dissatisfaction from employees and clients alike?

Questions to Ask

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Are client support resources available elsewhere? Other channels?

Does PJ Enterprises performance meet industry standards?

Activity #9 - Automated Workflow Validation/Sales Process


Engineering with Yun Tsien, Manager of Sales System
Details of Activity/Method
Data validation is the process by which an organization verifies whether a
software program or database follows the established workflows of a business
process. We aim to uncover any discrepancies that may exist within automated
tasks against the actual procedure-based business rules by testing the most
common customer orders and sales requests. A post-check test will also be
performed to help ensure that transactional and client data remains error-free and
functional for the customer support/phone operator team. During this discovery
phase, JMAT consulting will interview Yun Tsien, who is now accountable for
the new ordering system, and Sheena Perez, Merchandising Manager, to help
uncover any data integrity issues.

Questions to Ask

Does the technological solution align with an existing workflow for


the organization?

Is the data that is being entered into the system an accurate reflection
of the client need and transaction?

Does the sales system provide both the sales and support teams with
practical information needed to perform their jobs and sustain client
relationships?

Activity #10 - Method: Review exit interviews done with employees


leaving PJ Enterprises over the past year from HR
Details of Activity/Method
By examining exit interviews done by Human Resources during the last year,
JMAT Consulting hopes to gain insights into the underlying causes of the high
turnover rate at the company, especially among customer-service supervisors,
telephone operators and warehouse staff. Common themes or patterns may
emerge among all staff, as well as specific differences among those groups with
the highest attrition rates. In aggregate, this information will help JMAT
Consulting develop a more complete picture of the staffing issues faced by the
company.

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Questions to Ask

Does JMAT Consulting have your permission to examine this


information in order to find common themes or patterns for why
employees leave PJ Enterprises?

Who is the best person to provide me with this information?

What are the primary reasons employees give for leaving PJ


Enterprises during their exit interview?

Activity #11 - Method: Group Interview of Telephone Operators


Details of Activity/Method
Two group interviews will be conducted with telephone operators. To encourage
participation, one group interview will be scheduled in the morning when the
night shift ends and the day shift begins. The second will be scheduled at the end
of the day shift and the beginning of the evening shift.
Management and customer service supervisors will be asked to allow the
maximum number of on duty telephone operators to participate while still
providing adequate call center coverage.
A request will be made to the Sponsor that all participants be paid their hourly
wage for their participation.
Two members of the JMAT Consulting team will facilitate the discussion and
record the participants responses
A question will be asked, and then participants will indicate their
agreement or disagreement with a show of hands.
Follow-up questions will be asked as needed to solicit additional
information from participants.

Questions to Ask

Are you aware of the high turnover rates at PJ Enterprises?

Why do you think people are leaving?


Have you thought about leaving PJ Enterprises? If yes,
why?

Do you feel that the customer service supervisors support the work
you do? If not, why not?

Are you aware of the incentive program?

If yes, do you find it motivates you to meet the 6 calls


per hour target? If not, why not?
What types of incentives would you find motivating?
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Have you attended the optional monthly meetings?

If you have, what were the meetings like?


If you have not, why haven't you attended the monthly
meetings?

One of your jobs is to administer the customer service survey at the


end of your call. Is it easy to administer the survey? If not, why not?

Is staffing at the call center adequate to meet customer needs? If not,


why not?

Are you aware that customer complaints have increased 30% since
this time last year?

What do you attribute the rise in complaints to?


Is there something you could be doing
differently that might help to decrease customer
complaints? If yes, what?

Is there something PJ Enterprises could be doing


differently to help decrease customer
complaints? If yes, what?

Activity #12 - Method: Review hiring policies and procedures with


HR Director
Details of Activity/Method
By reviewing PJ Enterprises policies and procedures for recruiting, selecting,
hiring, onboarding, and managing new employees we hope to identify specific
challenges they face and whether or not their current policies and procedures
conform to industry standards.

Questions to Ask

May JMAT Consulting examine your policies and procedures for


recruiting, selecting, hiring, onboarding, and managing new people?

Who is the best person to provide us with this information?

What strategies are currently used to recruit new employees?

What is the current application process?

Is there is a uniform selection process or does it vary by job title?

Who is responsible for conducting interviews?

Is there a standard set of interview questions for each job title?

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Is there a salary schedule for each job title?

Are there procedures in place for equitable placement on the salary


schedule?

Are there consistent procedures in place for onboarding new


employees?

What are the current policies and procedures for the management of
new employees including:

incentives for good performance,


consequences for poor performance,
protocol for disciplinary action,
a grievance procedure for employees, and/or
a process for resolution of disputes?

Activity #13 - Interview with the Human Resources Director


Details of Activity/Method
A key concern for the management team is the challenges faced by HR in
recruiting, selecting, hiring, training, and managing new people. As a key
stakeholder, the HR Director is accountable for the recruitment, selection, hiring,
and onboarding of new employees. Although not directly involved in the
management of all new employees, the director may still be able to provide some
valuable insights into the extent to which managers are adhering to company
policies and procedures. The interview questions would be forwarded to the HR
Director at least a week in advance to provide lead time for obtaining specific
pieces of data.

Questions to Ask

Do you authorize JMAT Consulting to ask some questions about


existing processes and procedures for recruiting, selecting, hiring,
onboarding and managing new employees at PJ Enterprises?

How long have you been the Director of Human Resources?

Of the current strategies used to recruit new employees, which have


been the most/ least effective?

Can you pinpoint when the problems with recruitment began, or has
this been an ongoing issue for PJ Enterprises? What about selection,
hiring, onboarding and management?

How easy/difficult is it to apply for a job at PJ Enterprises?

How would you describe the typical applicant for a job at PJ


Enterprises?

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In the last six months, how many people applied for the following
positions: customer-service supervisor, telephone operator,
warehouse staff?

Once you have a pool of applicants for a position, how are selections
made? Who regularly participates in the interview process?

Once an offer is made, what percentage of candidates accept or


decline? If a candidate declines an offer, what are the most common
reasons given?

Is the salary policy strictly adhered to, or have exceptions been


made? Under what conditions are exceptions made?

What are some of the difficulties you've observed in onboarding new


employees? What are some of the successes?

Are employees aware of the incentive program?

How frequently does PJ Enterprises reward telephone


operators for performance?
Do those who receive this benefit use it?
Can you suggest other types of incentives that would
encourage better performance?

What are the most common reasons employees are disciplined?

What are the most common complaints made by employees against


management?

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Roadblocks & Dependencies


Roadblocks / Dependencies

Mitigation Strategies

ACD Data Mining - Quality of speech


recognition software

Leverage text-based search queries to


mine transcripts from calls

Lack of cooperation from SMEs or


those individuals from which we are
requesting information

Escalate to project sponsors for guidance


and next steps in resolution

Inconsistency of employee
documentation / lack of data

Inform project sponsors

Policies or procedures are outdated or


incomplete

Inform project sponsors

Privacy issues regarding employee data


and identifiers

Remove individual employee


identification information

Existing employees may not be


forthcoming or completely open with
information during interactions with
JMAT Consulting

Cross-reference employee feedback with


company policies, procedures and
processes to gain a more complete
picture of the company and its
employees.

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