Performance Analysis Report

for Team 4
4/18/2016

Introduction and Background

Superior Solutions submits this report to PJ Enterprises to present our findings
and recommendations based on the performance analysis completed by Superior
Solutions with cooperation of PJ Enterprises staff.
In light of their aggressive revenue and growth goals for this year, PJ Enterprises
requested that Superior Solutions develop a training program for telephone
operators that will make them experts in catalog product offerings, with end goals
of increasing catalog sales, improving employee satisfaction, and reducing
customer complaints.
Prior to developing this training program, Superior Solutions recommended to PJ
Enterprises that Superior Solutions perform a comprehensive analysis to
determine the current state of operations at PJ Enterprises, articulate their desired
end state, and define the nature and causes of the gap between these states. PJ
Enterprises agreed to this analysis and assisted Superior Solution in collecting
data.

Purpose of the Report

Superior Solutions is providing this Performance Analysis Report to PJ
Enterprises to summarize the results of our analysis, including the causes and our
recommended solutions to the issues identified as hindering PJ Enterprises from
meetings its goals.

Analysis Methods
Superior Solutions used the following strategies to collect the information for the
needs analysis:

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Interview:
o

Spoke with HR regarding incentives and changes in HR policies

Met with warehouse employees to gauge problems in shipping

and handling

Discussed existing hardware issues, software issues, and plans

for system upgrades with an IT representative

Spoke with telephone operators to determine employee

experience and job satisfaction

Observation
o

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Met with Judie Thompson & Sheena Perez to learn more about
current training program and get their thoughts on customer
service issues
Observed telephone operators and customer service supervisors
to gather information on work procedures and employee
behavior

Surveys
o

Surveyed current telephone operators in order to identify gaps

between the current and desired states for PJ Enterprises

Surveyed current customer service supervisors for their input on

their job activities, the cause of employee dissatisfaction, and
the rise in customer complaints.

Document Review
o

Reviewed customer service records and surveys to determine

the customer experience

Reviewed previous employee surveys

Reviewed HR documents including recently implemented

policies, the employee handbook, and the agenda of the monthly
employee meetings

Reviewed current training methods and documents

Reviewed telephone operator job postings to study the baseline

qualifications of new hires

Data Summary: Customer Survey Results

The following chart illustrates the nature of call center complaints collected from
2013 to 2015. This data was obtained from the survey administered to customers
by the telephone operators at the end of the call.

Call Center Complaints 2013-2015

15%
Long wait in queue

33%

Poor phone etiquette

32%

Lack of product knowledge

No complaint
20%

One in every three customers had no complaint, and the remaining two-thirds of
customers complained about poor phone etiquette, lack of product knowledge,
and waiting in the queue to speak to an operator.

Data Summary: Call Times

Telephone operator call times were recorded during the observation session.

Number of calls

Observed Telephone Operator Call Times

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
5 minutes
or less

6 to 10
minutes

11 to 15
minutes

16 to 20
minutes

21 to 25
minutes

26 to 30
minutes

31 to 35
minutes

Length of call

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Most calls were much longer than the average time of ten minutes per call that is
required to reach the goal of six calls per hour, per operator. To reach the goal of
six calls per hour each call must be under ten minutes.

Data Summary: Reasons Calls Are Transferred to

Supervisors
The top seven reasons calls are transferred to supervisors were determined during
observation sessions.

Reasons Calls Transferred to Supervisors

Calls Transferred (%)

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Product
info not in
catalog

Sales
advice

Shipping
enquiry

Product
returns

Complaint

Billing
enquiry

Other

Reason for Transfer

The data shows that most of the calls are either transferred for more product
information or due to customer complaints.

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Findings, Needs, and Recommended Solutions

The following table summarizes the findings of the performance analysis carried out by Superior Solutions, along with the
identified needs of PJ Enterprises and the recommended solutions.
Finding
Customers frequently request
information that is neither in the
catalog nor in the product guide.
Products are not indexed or crossreferenced in the guide.
It takes telephone operators a long
time to locate items and
information in their product guide.
The waiting time is a major source
of frustration for customers.

Need

Recommended Solution

More detailed product information

available in a convenient, keywordsearchable electronic format.

Utilize the ability of the new order

system (targeted for Q3 2016) to
run as an electronic performance
support system (EPSS) which
includes fully searchable, detailed
product information
Expand product information to
include answers to common
customer enquiries.
Each product page will contain
consistent sections and bulletpoints to aid information retrieval.

Information in the product guide is

written in paragraph form, which
takes longer for telephone
operators to read. The product
guides are paper-based and are
used so frequently that they wear
out quickly, becoming more
difficult to use.

Add recommended cross-sell and

upsell items to each product page.
Train telephone operators and
supervisors on the new system in
the form of class-based tutorials.

The current design does not

facilitate product cross-selling or
upselling.

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Customer survey complaints about

telephone operators have increased
30 percent compared with the same
period last year.

Training on telephone etiquette and

telephone sales techniques for
telephone operators.

Provide instructor-led training for

telephone operators that introduces
principles of telephone customer
service, phone etiquette, and phone
sales. Provide authentic practice
through role-play scenarios with
peer, supervisor, and trainer
feedback. Provide periodic
refresher training at monthly
employee meetings.

Analysis of customer survey data

revealed that 48 percent of callers
with complaints about telephone
operator service cite telephone
etiquette as the cause of their
complaints.

Create scripts for telephone

operators to use for different types
of customer calls and concerns.
Make the scripts available in the
EPSS of the new order entry
software that is targeted for Q3
2016.

No formal training is provided in

telephone etiquette or sales
techniques. No scripts are provided
to assist telephone operators in
dealing with different types of
calls.

New products and old products are

combined in the same guide
making it difficult for telephone
operators to locate and differentiate
new items.

Easily accessible information on

new products and selling points for
featured hard-sell products.

Create a job-aid in the form of a

quarterly brochure that highlights
new and featured products to sell
with pictures and key product
details in bullet-point format.

There is no incentive or motivation

to push (hard-sell) new or featured
products.

Add a monetary-based incentive

program to sell the featured
products.

The product guide is difficult to

read and the absence of pictures
makes it hard to locate information.

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The new employee evaluation

process, which includes a selfevaluation component, was not
communicated effectively to staff.
Telephone operators surveyed were
unaware of the process.

Clearly outlined evaluation process

that provides feedback to
employees and also motivates them
to improve their performance.

Create evaluation process that ties

with compensation and incentives
to increase employee motivation.
Clearly outline the new procedures
to employees and in the handbook.
Train supervisors on the employee
evaluation process.

Employee review processes are

unclear and inconsistent. The criteria
for evaluation and impact of
evaluations on employee
compensation are unclear, and there
are no procedures in place for
unsatisfactory evaluations. Feedback
from employee evaluations is not
consistently delivered to employees.
Telephone operator turnover is high.
The majority of telephone operators
surveyed said they were unsatisfied
with their job to the point of leaving.
Many cited the poor compensation
and negative feedback from
management and customers as the
reason for their unhappiness.

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Current communication with

telephone operators is haphazard and
negative. Observations indicate that
communication between telephone
operators and supervisors is rare,
and most telephone operators
surveyed disagreed with the
statement that Management is easy
to approach and communicate with.

Improved communication process

between management and
telephone operators that provides
feedback in a constructive manner.

Structure monthly employee

meetings to improve
communication between
management and telephone
operators.
Telephone operators submit
questions or discussion ideas in
advance to their managers.
Telephone operators are paid to
attend the meetings. Management
provides an agenda to telephone
operators ahead of the meeting.

The majority of interaction takes

place at the monthly meetings that
are poorly attended by telephone
operators. Most telephone operators
surveyed had attended a meeting at
one time but felt berated by the
management at the meetings. As the
meetings are unpaid, most telephone
operators are unmotivated to attend.

Managers provide constructive

feedback and actionable
suggestions for performance
improvement and incremental
training at the monthly meetings.
Clearly outline this procedure in
the employee handbook.

The employee handbook was

recently updated, but the majority of
telephone operators are unfamiliar
with it and are unaware of the
majority of the new policies.

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Process to inform employees of the

content in the handbook.

Publish the handbook online and

require employees to complete a
brief assessment on its contents.
Review updated content at monthly
meetings using interactive
instructional strategies.

Supervisors are promoted from the

ranks of telephone operators based
primarily on length of service and
product knowledge. They do not
receive management training when
they begin their new roles.

Defined skills and abilities for

customer service supervisor
candidates; management and
leadership training for supervisors.

Create a set of hiring criteria for

candidates for the customer service
supervisor job, and make sure pay
rates are competitive.
Develop a training program for
new supervisors to learn both PJ
Enterprises-specific management
processes and procedures, such as
the employee review process, along
with leadership and employee
development skills.

There are no clear parameters of

performance to appraise the
telephone operators, which makes it
hard for supervisors to review
objectively.

Provide ongoing internal education

for supervisors and/or an employee
development fund to enable
supervisors to take external
leadership classes.
Define a career path for supervisors
to take on increasing levels of
responsibility with increasing pay
grades.

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New hire training consists of two

hours of demonstrations of the order
entry system with no practice before
starting the job.

Comprehensive training for new

hires to learn about the products
and practice using the order entry
and phone systems.

Develop a blended course

consisting of e-learning and oneon-one training.
Content will include:
Reusable e-learning modules
on how to use the phone and
ordering systems
An overview of current
products and how to find them
in the product catalog
A training checklist covering
all tasks telephone operators
are required to perform
Introductory telephone
etiquette and telephone sales
techniques
Role plays in which new hires
practice using the script to
answer calls
Job aid in the form of a
handout giving specific
instructions of how to use the
order entry and phone systems

Telephone operators express

frustration that they did not receive
adequate training on how to use the
order entry system. Most cite they
did not receive adequate training on
the phone system
New employees who start between
quarterly trainings receive a brief
introduction to products during
orientation but are otherwise
expected to learn about the products
using the paper product guides.

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Proposed Solutions for Superior Solutions to Carry Out

Superior Solutions proposes the following solutions, stated in order of priority.
Priority
1

Solution
Change product guide from
paper-based to electronic
performance support system
(EPSS).

Description
We will work with the IT
department to design a fully
integrated, detailed product
guide within the new order
system.
We will provide class-based
tutorial training to the telephone
operators and supervisors when
the new system is rolled out.

Conduct training on telephone

We will create an instructor-led
etiquette and sales techniques for training course for telephone
telephone operators.
operators that introduces
principles of telephone
customer service, phone
etiquette, and phone sales.
The course will provide
authentic practice through role
play scenarios with peer,
supervisor, and trainer feedback.
We will recommend topics for
periodic refresher training at
monthly employee meetings.
We will create scripts for
telephone operators to use for
different types of customer calls
and concerns. We recommend
that scripts be made available
first as paper copies and later
within the order entry EPSS
when it is implemented in Q3
2016.

Update employee handbook

We will revise the employee

handbook to address the
updated evaluation and
communication processes.
The handbook will be available
online and employees will be
required to complete a brief
assessment on its contents. The
updated contents will be

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reviewed at a monthly meeting

using interactive instructional
strategies.
4

New and featured product job

aid

We will create a job aid that

highlights top items to be sold.
This job aid will especially
focus on new products for each
quarter.
We propose adding a monetarybased incentive program to sell
the featured products.

Employee development for

supervisors

In conjunction with PJ
Enterprises HR staff, we will
develop hiring criteria for
candidates for the supervisor
job, ensure pay rates for
supervisors are competitive for
the industry and geographic
area, and define a career path
for supervisors to take on
increasing levels of
responsibility and
compensation.
We will develop a training
program for new supervisors to
learn both management
processes and procedures, such
as the employee review process,
and leadership and employee
development skills.

New hire training program

We will develop a blended

course including a reusable elearning for product and system
overview that can be reviewed
at any time. This will include
photos and descriptions of
product, a one-on-one training
checklist on proper use of the
order entry systems, and using
the call scripts and appropriate
telephone etiquette and sales
techniques.
We will create a job aid for
telephone operators. This
handout will explain the order
entry and phone systems in a

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clear, systematic manner and

allow employees to refer to it
when necessary.

Evaluation plan
Superior Solutions will work with PJ Enterprises to evaluate the proposed
solutions effectiveness each quarter after the initial implementation for one year.
Based on evaluation results, we will determine the effectiveness of implemented
solutions and make recommendations for program reinforcement or
improvements. The evaluation will measure:

Customer complaints about telephone orders compared to complaint

levels of the same period last year.

Customer wait times on calls.

Employee turnover in catalog sales division.

Results of employee satisfaction surveys.

Number of telephone operator employee evaluations completed within

acceptable time limits and average employee ratings.

Catalog sales revenue.

Request for Proposal

Due to their reputation of creating effective and innovative solutions, PJ
Enterprises asked Superior Solutions to help them meet the companys goals of
improving the customer experience and employee satisfaction. After conducting a
thorough needs analysis, Superior Solutions has created a number of solutions to
help PJ Enterprises meet these goals, outlined in the section Proposed Solutions
for Consulting Firm to Carry Out. Superior Solutions would be delighted to
submit a proposal to carry out the above solutions.

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