• Solution Methodologies

    We use proven methodologies to develop and implement processes and solutions to support your operational and informational needs.When it comes to assuming operational responsibility for your business process outsourcing projects, we partner with you using a proven five-step process that ensures a smooth transition and improved results.

    1. Study and understand the existing process
    2. Identify key objectives/concepts
    3. Construct an operational process using the existing process and key objectives/concepts defined in step two
    4. Identify and report key performance metrics to support process evaluation
    5. Operate the process and tune to the real characteristics and metrics observed

    However, as in the case of new initiatives, it's not always possible to start with an existing process. Part of our “DNA” has been to rapidly develop solutions and processes to support new business where many of the requirements are simply unknown. When this is the case, we use the following iterative five-step agile development methodology:

    1. Identify what the stakeholders think the project should look like. What are we trying to accomplish with the project?
    2. Define the goal(s). 
    3. Distill a vision for the project and seek solutions that meet the objectives.
    4. Conduct a validation phase whereby the solution(s) are created and implemented. Initiate testing to ascertain if the solution(s) are valid and can be reproduced in the real world in a controlled setting.
    5. Implement the program, rolling it out and scaling it up within a predetermined timeframe. A cycling takes place where a return is made to the first listing and the process continues to be defined, distilled, validated, tested and implemented. Steps are repeated with focus on defined scope and repeated over time to adapt to operational learning.
  • The Art of Measurement

    To support the pursuit of excellence in managing our business processes, we adhere to a rigorous measurement process containing significant operational drivers designed to improve efficiency and effectiveness. The resulting continuous improvement in operational performance provides significant cost savings for our clients. These measurements are defined as KPIs (Key Performance Indicators - typically internal measurements) and SLAs (Service Level Agreements - typically contracted requirements with clients).

    Key Performance Indicators

    KPIs highlight activities associated with handling a transaction on behalf of our clients. The measurements range from conducting specific phone calls or email interactions to handling client cases over a specific number of days. Measurable elements include average talk time, average after-contact work, average handle time, abandonment rate, occupancy or utilization measurements, quality measurements, customer satisfaction scores and adherence to assigned schedules. All are designed to drive performance within the contact centers.

    When handling phone calls, we apply a workforce management team to ensure that the contact center is managed efficiently. This group typically monitors agent activity and helps to deliver skilled resources to incoming contacts as soon as possible.

    We also use several measurements aligned with outbound calling efforts in conjunction with sophisticated dialing technologies. Elements such as dials per hour, contacts per hour and other sample management contact measurements are handled in this way.

    Online customers are served through carefully calibrated interaction systems that enable Morley personnel to provide information during webchats or social media engagements. Individual knowledge agents are measured on the number of interactions conducted and the session quality with regard to content. Associates manage multiple interactions simultaneously as our contact management system tracks the productivity of our resources. Interactions with new customers are of special interest as we provide a positive interaction in this type of information-sharing environment.

    In addition, specific qualitative measurements are in place to measure the sentiment of online customers through a thorough analysis of the written interactions. Through this effort, we can provide attractive customer care experiences as well as significant market share from customers who are less likely to use traditional, phone-based customer care solutions.

    From a case management perspective, we track cases through a workflow management system that provides queue-based cycle time measurements and aging statistics, with alerts produced when cases exceed desired timing thresholds within the process.

    Service Level Agreements

    This set of objectives is generally tied to specific client-contracted engagements and can include items such as average speed of answer performance targets and abandonment rate attainment. Other SLAs generally include IT system up time and general performance levels in terms of handling phone calls or email messages.

    Service Level Agreements are also broader in scope than Key Performance Indicators. As a result, it is not uncommon for KPIs to be established to drive performance based upon contracted SLAs.

  • Workforce Management

    To properly allocate resources to run the many interactive programs that we support, an extensive workforce management process is applied to ensure that we effectively staff our teams to meet business demands. This effort includes a continuous analysis of inbound and outbound multimedia contact activity to identify trends that are the basis for staffing decisions throughout the enterprise. Forecasts are established based on historical contact arrival patterns (for inbound activity) and on contact success rates for outbound activity. Specific measurements involved in these forecasts include an estimate of the anticipated number of contacts for the time frame as well as the expected "handle time" per transaction associated with each contact type. A third element that is included in the forecasting process is the service level objective, defined as a percentage of contacts expected to be addressed within a given time frame. These three elements - forecasted contact volumes, forecasted handle times and forecasted service levels - are all instrumental in building the plan to staff each program accurately.

    Once the forecasted measurements are established, the next step is to provide associate schedules to meet the demands of each program. Associate skill sets are taken into account as associates are placed into each program. Other elements, such as planned vacation time, planned training classes, associate coaching sessions and team meetings are also taken into account to be sure that the proper number of associates is available at the proper time in order to assist clients and customers throughout the day.

    Once the schedules are set, the workforce management team monitors actual performance to be sure that our resources are effectively placed in active calling queues in order to meet the demands of each application. This real-time management process is critical to attaining service delivery objectives while carefully controlling the application of resources, resulting in cost savings for our clients.

    Morley's workforce management team works closely with our internal operations teams to carefully plan staffing resources to achieve strategic key performance indicators and achieve outstanding service levels. The result is exceptional performance in managing customer contacts on behalf of our clients.