Contact center managers must often find ways to drive efficiency improvements. With limited time and budget, it's often difficult to decide which changes to make, so it's always a good idea to find and use tools that can speed up the decision-making process. Force field analysis may sound like something from a science fiction movie, but it's actually a performance improvement tool that can help you focus on the right changes in your contact center. Find out how to effectively use this tool, and learn more about some of the things you need to consider when working with force field analysis.
Why you might use force field analysis
It's often difficult to foresee the consequences of a particular change. For example, if your company's finance department makes a change to the format of customers' invoices, you could suddenly see an increase in calls to the contact center. The finance manager almost certainly understood what the change to the invoice meant to cash flow, but he didn't appreciate the impact on the customer contact center.
Force field analysis is a simple way to focus on the forces for and against a change. With the right approach, you can visualize and understand the implications of a single change. In turn, you can then decide if the proposed change is a good idea.
The process of force field analysis
With force field analysis, you should always start with a blank sheet of paper or a blank flip chart. Describe the desired state you want to reach in as few words as possible in the middle of the sheet, and then draw a circle or a square around the words.
On the left-hand side of the words, brainstorm all the forces FOR change. Consider all the benefits the change will bring, and list the reasons why the change is a good idea. On the right-hand side of the words, brainstorm all the forces AGAINST the change.
Once complete, you should then assign a score to each force, from 1 to 5. These scores represent the force's strength or impact on the business. For example, you might decide that the change would lead to increased call handling time. If the AHT will double, the impact is high, so assign the force a score of 5. If the AHT will only increase by one or two seconds, you would probably say the impact is low and assign a score of 1.
When the analysis is complete, you can sum the scores on each side. At the end of this exercise, you will have a total score for and against the change. If one score is particularly high (or low), this process can influence you to go ahead with (or cancel) the change.
How to make the most of the process
Force field analysis is an effective way to support decision-making, but if you use the technique in the best way, the results are more likely to help you.
Best practices to consider include:
It's also often useful to use a force field analysis to shape an idea or proposed change. The scoring system is helpful, but it isn't always enough to make a go/no-go decision. Look at what the analysis tells you, and consider ways you can shape the change to lessen the impact of forces against the change.
Force field analysis is a popular, simple change management tool that contact center managers can use to help focus on the right efficiency improvements. If you need to focus on the areas where you can most easily improve performance, this tool is a good way to focus on all the possible benefits and risks. Contact companies like Steton Technology Group for more information.
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