Manpower - Employers - Case Studies

How a major bank cut their contact centre costs and increased customer satisfaction

A major high street bank has reduced the cost of its helpdesk operation by over 25%, increased customer satisfaction and exceeded performance targets by appointing Manpower to recruit staff and manage the operation.

As a result:

• Operating costs are down by 27%

• Almost 90% of customers rate service 'good' or 'very good'

• The client has the staffing flexibility to make additional savings

The Challenge

The bank wanted to improve performance in the operation of its Mortgage Processing Centre helpdesk.

The bank had a long-standing business relationship with Manpower and, after jointly discussing its aims, the two companies agreed on a major review of the helpdesk's resourcing strategy.

Three specific objectives came out of this review:

• To reduce the cost base

• To increase quality performance

• To raise productivity

The Solution

Manpower's first step was to ensure that the helpdesk staff had the best skills and attitude for the work. They benchmarked all helpdesk operatives against specific skill levels. Manpower is a specialist in contact centre staffing. The company supplies more than 12,000 call handling staff and uses a range of assessment tools to measure all the critical skills and attributes, including: active listening skills, accuracy in taking and inputting data, telephone manner, decision-making ability, and sensitivity to customer needs. Most importantly, Manpower also improves retention levels by identifying people best suited to the unique call handling environment.

But Manpower's contribution didn't stop at identifying and recruiting the right skills. The company also managed the helpdesk's performance to service levels agreed with the bank.

The two organisations decided that, in order to increase productivity, the helpdesk needed greater call centre expertise. An experienced contact centre manager was recruited and a filter process was introduced. This ensured that only the most highly skilled staff would receive the most complex inquiries. This change made the most efficient use of all resources, reduced call-handling time overall, and increased customer satisfaction.

The Benefits

By restructuring the helpdesk and using filtration unit, the bank achieved a 27% reduction in cost per call. It is estimated that this saving would rise to 45% when the filtration unit received the maximum daily call volumes possible.

Customers are also pleased. The service they receive from the helpdesk is improved and, in a customer service questionnaire, 88% of people rated the filtration unit 'very good' or 'good'.

The centre's Senior Operations Manager, said: "Manpower demonstrated that by taking on responsibility for the call output, they could improve productivity and reduce costs - which was a winning ticket for our business. By using their expertise in skill assessment and call centre management, they have achieved this - and even exceeded all of our performance targets.

"In addition to the monetary savings, our customers are more than satisfied and we have the benefit of a flexible workforce, which allows us to manage headcount in line with the fluctuations in our business."

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