One goal of every business is to achieve the highest possible quality at the lowest possible cost. It stands to reason, therefore, that cost and quality should be measured on an ongoing basis. In fact, many would argue that cost and quality are the only two things that really matter in a service desk. In past articles MetricNet has discussed the importance of using metrics as a diagnostic tool to improve performance. So we have to ask ourselves, if cost per contact is one of the foundation metrics for the service desk, how can we affect it? How can we improve it? What are the primary levers we have to manage cost?The service desk is a labor-intensive function. Agent salaries and benefits make up more than half of all costs for the average service desk. And when you consider the salaries and benefits for non-agents – e.g. supervisors, team leads, QA/QC, trainers, and workforce schedulers – approximately two thirds of all service desk costs are personnel related, as shown in Figure 1 below. Labor productivity then is the biggest lever we have to manage and control service desk costs.To continue reading, you must become a member. Membership is free and sign-up only takes a moment. Click the sign-up button below, complete the short form and checkout. No credit card is required and your membership never expires!Sign Up Already a member? Login
