ISO 18295-1 Human resources

ISO 18295-1 Clause 6Human resources

ISO 18295-1 Clause 6.1General

The CCC shall provide and schedule the right staff with the right competencies at the right time across interaction channels to fulfil the requirements defined with the client. It shall also provide a suitable work environment in order to deliver the desired customer experience.

ISO 18295-1 Clause 6.2Functions

The CCC shall specify the requirements for all role functions. It shall ensure that all employees understand the performance requirements of their role. The CCC shall be supported by the following functions and shall ensure that those who deliver these functions are competent to do so:

1. Leadership;
2. Human resource activities (recruitment, retention, employee satisfaction / engagement, wellbeing etc.);
3. Skills development;
4. Support systems – information, communication and technology management etc.;
5. Quality assurance;
6. CCC operations management;
7. Client relationship management;
8. Compliance – knowledge of relevant legislation and regulation, including customer rights and data protection;
9. Capacity management – workforce planning, scheduling and monitoring;
10. CCC management information systems and reporting;
11. Subject matter expertise related to the CCC service offering;
12. Product/service knowledge and content management.

ISO 18295-1 Clause 6.3Agent competencies

ISO 18295-1 Clause 6.3.1General

The CCC shall ensure that agents are only assigned to deal with interaction types for which they are suitably competent. The CCC shall ensure that agents have the following competencies and behaviour and have an understanding of the performance requirements of their role in order to handle customer interactions. After recruiting the agents, it is paramount that a structured training programme is offered relevant to the needs of the individual and not just the specifics of the product or business services being supported. Any training programme should also be combined with an appreciation of how to get the best out of an interaction with a customer. The aim of at least part of the training should be to give the staff member a sense of perspective as to their role in the customer support process. A full job specification shall be developed and communicated to all agents, and this should be reviewed annually as part of an individual’s annual performance review to ensure it reflects the activities being undertaken on the organisation’s behalf. A proper remuneration structure provides employers with the best opportunity to encourage the right sort of behaviour among staff to achieve performance matrices. If possible, try and set team goals and weight individual rewards to minimise poor conduct and maximise positive outcomes. Attention should also be paid to thinking about exactly what is incentivised within the scope of the role. For example, attention should be given to the quality of customer interaction rather than focusing exclusively on the outcome

ISO 18295-1 Clause 6.3.2Communication and customer service competencies

The CCC shall ensure that agents have the following communication and customer service competencies:

1. Customer-focused attitude;
2. Listening, communication and comprehension skills;
3. Adaptability in handling different situations and customers, including vulnerable customers;
4. Goal-orientated attitude;
5. Problem solving skills;
6. Business-writing skills, where applicable.

It’s important to ensure that contact centers develop measurable, customer centric objectives for effective, inclusive communication with all groups of people. Agents should be coached to respond to all customer types. Some customers will speak the region’s main language as a second language; others will have disabilities or learning difficulties that will make the call more challenging. Agents shall be given guidance in:

• People who speak the region’s main language as a second language
• People with learning or physical disabilities
• People with mental illness.

Provision should be made to ensure that the easy flow of two-way information is practicable for as many of those individuals contacted as possible. A sensitive communication strategy will be capable of engaging with disadvantaged groups via sensitive and responsive discussion in an appropriate way e.g. resisting the temptation to speak louder as a reaction to someone who does not speak the first language very well; instead choosing to eliminate the use of metaphors and phrases like ‘second to none’, speaking at a steady pace using standard non-embellished language. It’s also important that agents are trained to understand that sometimes the people they call will be using certain sensory assistance services if for example they are deaf. These will impact on the call but can very easily be accommodated by varying the speed and tone of speech. The use of Type Talk or similar transcription facilities for interactions regularly involving the deaf must be made available. Records for customers with special requirements within the call should be tagged appropriately to ensure that the agent is aware of any special requirements, and had taken appropriate action before the call begins.

ISO 18295-1 Clause 6.3.3Technical competencies

The CCC shall ensure that agents have the following technical competencies:

1. Systems and technical knowledge;
2. Data capture skills;
3. CCC-specific process knowledge and skills.

Agents shall be given trainings as and when necessary so that they develop the required technical competencies. Typical training programme shall cover the following aspects of work

Hard skills

• Product knowledge
• Objectives of project
• Demographics of business customers
• Briefing on previous data and information regarding the support services
• Escalations
• Industry guidelines including data protection

Soft skills

• Listening techniques
• Call structure
• Strategies for dealing with different customer types
• Handling complaints
• Updating customer records
• Effective communication skills
• Cultural and behavioural training

ISO 18295-1 Clause 6.3.4Client-specific competencies

The CCC shall ensure, together with the client, that agents are competent to fulfil the tasks incurred by the client’s mandate and to meet customer experience objectives related to it. This shall include at least the following:

1. Product/service and brand knowledge;
2. Knowledge of and skills to handle the customer related processes;
3. Appropriate language skills;
4. Relevant knowledge of the regulations and legal requirements.

ISO 18295-1 Clause 6.4Skills development

The CCC shall review the competencies of agents at least annually. It shall provide agents who are identified as being not fully competent with the appropriate skills development and learning interventions to address skill gaps. The CCC shall provide all agents with continuous development so they are well equipped to deliver the expected customer experience and to meet the required competencies.

ISO 18295-1 Clause 6.5Communication of information to employees

The CCC shall ensure that all relevant employees are informed of the information they need so they can deal with customers as required. It shall ensure employees understand this information. It shall ensure this information is:

1. Readily accessible;
2. Delivered in a timely and effective manner;
3. Consistent;
4. Communicated using appropriate methods across all CCC locations;
5. Up to date with only authorized information.

So that staff can confidently interact with customers, they need to be provided with knowledge that ensures they can have impactful conversations. It would be particularly helpful to agents if they know where the data has been obtained and can advise the customer why they are calling, for example if it is in response to a previous enquiry. A full briefing should be provided to the agents since it is clear that if a customer understands the intention of the call, then they are likely to be less suspicious and listen to what agents have to say. Agents should have a good understanding of the Manifesto so that they can answer any comments from customers effectively.