{"id":31431,"date":"2022-02-17T14:57:12","date_gmt":"2022-02-17T14:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/?p=31431"},"modified":"2022-10-05T14:16:46","modified_gmt":"2022-10-05T14:16:46","slug":"selecting-agent-management-solutions-are-you-asking-the-right-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/selecting-agent-management-solutions-are-you-asking-the-right-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Selecting Agent Management Solutions \u2013 Are You Asking the Right Questions?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ross Daniels at Calabrio looks at the recently published 2022 Agent Management Value Index Report<\/span> from analyst firm Ventana Research, for insights into how to structure software selection processes \u2013 to help organisations pose the right questions to get the right answers.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In its recent report, Ventana Research came to the conclusion that, \u201cThe pandemic created the circumstances for a complete reassessment of the tools and processes used in contact centres to manage agents\u201d.\u00a0Based on this insight, it is likely that many organisations will be considering business improvement projects and software selection processes to enable the changes driven by hybrid working, increased demand and employee churn.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unless you use the most relevant selection criteria and pose the right questions, you can easily choose solutions which aren\u2019t right for your operation, can\u2019t address the most pressing issues and won\u2019t prepare you for the future. Selection of the right platforms and technology is vital for the success of a modern business, however, it is not an activity that is undertaken regularly. Often the solution choices and technology options evolve so rapidly that the criteria used in previous selection processes become outdated and no longer fit for purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n

With this in mind, it is great to see analysts, with close to two decades of experience, providing independent advice on how to structure RFI\/RFPs and the selection processes for Agent Management solutions. The 2022 Agent Management Value Index Report\u00a0<\/i>\u201cprovides a baseline of knowledge that organisations can use to evaluate vendors and products, to manage and improve agent management processes.\u201d\u00a0Access the report reprint here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

A process for evaluating vendors<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Ventana Research believes that \u201cbusiness improvement efforts should be based on best practices that research indicates deliver value quickly\u201d. The analyst firm has developed what it calls the Value Index which can be used to evaluate agent management business systems and tools. It advocates using the index as part of a structured approach to ensure the right choices are made to provide the required results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In its Value Index for Agent Management, Ventana Research evaluates software against seven key categories, of which five are product experience related and two cover customer experience. The categories are:<\/span><\/p>\n