Quantitative Methods and Number

¶ … studied so that it could be determined what was being done differently that extended the hold times so much.

Anyone attempting to solve this problem through the use of data would need to look at the call records for the time period determined to see why individuals who were answering the phones were not getting to customers in a rapid and efficient manner.

Important data to look for would include the kinds of questions that customers were asking (are they involved questions that take a lot of time to answer); are there enough people working at the call center or should the staff be expanded; and are there issues within the call center that are causing the workers to work more slowly than they would normally do -- for example are the hours very long or the pay very low.

There are other issues that could be looked at, but the three mentioned above are the most serious and will provide the most insight into the problem.

All of this data can be found within the records that are kept at the call center, which will make getting access to the data and organizing relatively easy to do.

As for what kind of analysis should be performed, both quantitative and qualitative methods should be examined.

Quantitative methods should be used because numbers are important, such as the number of calls that are completed during a shift, the number of employees that are working during any given shift, and the number of minutes (on average) that a customer must hold to reach a representative.

Qualitative information is also very important as there may be larger issues and problems at work that are simply being reflected in the longer hold times.

For that, a manager must actually talk to the people and find out what kind of changes need to be made.