ACCA Strategic Professional · Advanced Performance Management · Management reports
Kallis Telecom's call centre manager is rewarded on the average call handling time, which is reported monthly alongside customer complaints. Over six months, average handling time fell from 9 to 5 minutes, while complaints and repeat calls rose sharply. What does this pattern most strongly indicate about the reporting?
The pattern shows that reporting and rewarding handling time alone encourages dysfunctional behaviour, with staff rushing calls and creating complaints and repeat calls. The report should balance the efficiency measure with quality measures such as first-call resolution so that improvement in one area is not achieved at the expense of another.
- AThe handling time measure is working as intended and complaints are unrelated
- BReporting handling time in isolation encourages dysfunctional behaviour, so it should be balanced with quality measures such as first-call resolutionCorrect
- CComplaints should be removed from the report because they are non-financial
- DThe target for handling time should be reduced further to improve service
Explanation
Staff are likely cutting calls short to hit the time target, which harms resolution and raises complaints and repeat calls. Balancing efficiency with quality measures addresses the dysfunctional behaviour. Cutting the target further would worsen it, and removing complaint data would hide the problem.
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