Profile: Isobel Davidson, RAC
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Isobel Davidson Number of years in role: 1 (11 years of call centre management) Number of staff: Approx 125 Industry: Insurance, Road service, Security, Finance, Travel |
What do you do?
RAC is a mutual organisation. This means we exist to service our members. We deliver products to our members that add value to being part of a membership organisation. We take around 3,000 calls a day for our core products and make every call count for our members. If we don’t make our members aware of our other products and the savings they can make by using our new products or by receiving discounts, then we haven’t done our job. It’s all about providing a complete service to our members and letting them know what we can offer. That also means we hit our financial targets.
My job is to create an environment where people want to come to work, believe in what they do, can display the values that they believe in as they are aligned to the organisation’s. We also make sure we have a great time at work.
What results are expected in your position?
My personal targets and the targets of the centre are based around a balanced scorecard model. Financial targets include sales of products and cross sell targets, budgeting and tracking to budget. Operational targets include service levels, scheduling for optimal occupancy, and FSRA compliance responsibility. We measure quality by Member satisfaction results, and other internal quality measures and, of course, the retention of our valued membership base.
What has been your career highlight to date?
I could just about give a career highlight per year per job. This year it would have to be taking one of our small business targets from behind target at -53% to + 47% in a very tight market. Last year it would have been moving a 24hr call centre 53km to the other side of town, never missing a call, never dropping service level, and still keeping our employee turn over below 10%.
In a past call centre manager’s role, the company I was working for introduced a furniture range. Unlike our branch network we could not physically show our callers the items and it was thought that selling from our catalogue over the phone would be difficult. Not the case, we sold more than all 6 branches together, we blitzed it. No wonder I love contact centres.
What is the best and worst thing about your job?
The best and the worst things are the same. Very often great people move to other areas of our business and I am always really pleased to see them progress through the organisation. On the other hand, I miss their contribution to the team.
Any tips on how to get and stay ahead?
The first rule of call centres management is “Look after your people.” If you do this then your people will look after the business. You have to sweat the small stuff: simple recognition, approving annual leave, flexible rosters, and a happy environment.
How do you encourage loyalty with your staff and clients?
The benefits of being a member are advertised and reinforced by our people. Discounts and special offers and reductions in insurance premium together with great travel offers, we just can’t go wrong. We go that extra mile for our members and many of them have a strong bond with our brand. We recruit people whose values align with the values of the organisation. We live those values and consequently have loyalty for the organisation. It is a proven fact that engaged employees will drive your business.
What do you think employees want from their employer?
Everything. Recognition, clear direction, to be listened to, challenge, career prospects, fun and reward. Study assistance, secondments, paternity leave, study leave and more. It’s a tight employment market and you have to compete to attract good people.
What does your company do for its staff that you feel is different from what other companies provide?
For our people we offer 50% off all our insurance products and free roadside assistance, reduced rate on loans and travel discounts, security discounts and $100 a year to “make yourself interesting”. Insurance discounts are also offered to extended family members. We have our Boost program that has many events per year to encourage healthy lifestyles. We have dress up days, fun days, barbecues, theme lunches, free weekly massages, fruit platters in our tea rooms and the list goes on. What does this cost? Less than the cost of perpetual recruitment.
What are the biggest human capital issues your industry is dealing with and what should be done about them?
One of my passions is to be part of changing the image of the contact centre industry. We all know that the opportunities and skill that we can provide for people is second to none. Yes the work can be repetitive but it can also be very fulfilling. Our image still seems to be one of a factory line of operators who call people while they are having their evening meal. Unless we find ways of promoting our industry to the young and to the over 45s we will be left in a dangerous situation.