Call Center Continuity Planning

Cover......Page 1
Call Center Continuity Planning......Page 2
ISBN 0849399823......Page 3
Contents......Page 4
Introduction......Page 17
A Thank You Note......Page 18
Part 1
Principles of Voice
Recovery......Page 19
What Is a Call Center?......Page 20
What Is a Disaster?......Page 21
What Is a Business Continuity Plan?......Page 23
Why Voice Recovery?......Page 24
HOW TO BUILD “A FIRE ENGINE”......Page 25
NOTES......Page 26
PRINCIPLE 1......Page 27
PRINCIPLE 3......Page 28
PRINCIPLE 5......Page 29
PRINCIPLE 6......Page 30
NOTES......Page 31
Recovery from one fully functioning call center to another......Page 32
Example......Page 33
Recovery to a Cold Site (Dark Site)......Page 34
Problem......Page 35
Example......Page 36
Problem......Page 37
Example......Page 38
NOTES......Page 39
THE EXECUTIVE WON’T SUPPORT THE IDEA......Page 40
“WE DON’T HAVE THE BUDGET FOR IT”......Page 42
“WHERE WOULD WE BEGIN?”......Page 44
“IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE”......Page 45
Part 2
Planning......Page 49
Management Buy-In......Page 50
One Disaster Survived Justifies All Expense......Page 51
Planning......Page 52
Dangers of Doing a Short-Form Sketch......Page 53
The Disaster Recovery “Common Body of Knowledge.”......Page 56
Team Responsibilities......Page 57
Inventories of Files, Forms, Documents, Contracts......Page 58
Information Lines and Situation Reports (IVR)......Page 59
Offices and Normal Business Activities......Page 60
Don’t Let Test Schedule Slip......Page 61
Changes in Departmental Procedure and Form Invento.........Page 62
SENIOR MANAGEMENT BUY-IN......Page 63
Starting Out......Page 66
Survey of Business Basics......Page 67
Data......Page 69
Communications......Page 70
Utilities......Page 71
Loss of Business......Page 73
Occupational Safety......Page 74
Loss of Employee Productivity......Page 75
Loss of Shareholders......Page 76
Recovery Window......Page 77
How Much Speed to Be Cost-Effective?......Page 78
How Much Delay Is Deadly?......Page 79
Executive Summary......Page 81
Departmental Update Schedule (Not to Be Locked Awa.........Page 82
Regional, Economic, Seasonal, Political......Page 83
Statistics and Their Sources......Page 84
RISK ASSESSMENT MATRIX......Page 85
EXAMPLES OF LEVELS......Page 89
Degree of Predictability......Page 90
Philosophy......Page 92
Ice Age, Alien Conquest, and other Distractions......Page 93
Plan to Update Your Continuity Plan......Page 94
Interim Call-Handling Facility Team......Page 95
Accounting Department Representative......Page 96
Representatives from Security and Maintenance......Page 97
Emergency Communications Plan......Page 98
Emergency Operations Center......Page 100
Saving the World......Page 101
Keep Subordinates Informed......Page 102
NOTES......Page 103
Not a Career......Page 104
“All Events Are Potential Disasters”......Page 105
Checklists......Page 106
Active......Page 107
Levels of Response......Page 108
Files (Letters of Agreement, Contracts) and Databa.........Page 109
Equipment and Software Manuals......Page 110
OTHER CRICTICAL TASKS......Page 111
Sales......Page 112
Accounts Receivable, Credit Card Payments......Page 113
Accounting Software......Page 114
BACKUP/RECOVERY PROCESS......Page 115
Assessment and Declaration of an Emergency......Page 116
COMMAND CENTER......Page 117
External Contact List......Page 118
IBM Business Recovery Services......Page 121
Acquisition Services*......Page 127
Consultation Services*......Page 128
Recovery Management Services*......Page 129
Every Department Representative or Alternate, Ever.........Page 130
Training Sessions......Page 131
DISASTER RESPONSIBILITIES......Page 132
Checklist Tasks and Notes......Page 133
Diffusing Panic......Page 134
Shelters......Page 135
Constant Updates......Page 136
Data Center......Page 137
Checklists and Objectives......Page 138
Damage......Page 139
Data Storage......Page 140
IS Recovery and the Call Center......Page 141
Minor Disruptions with Major Consequences......Page 143
The Smell of Tar......Page 144
DECLARATION OF DISASTER, DISASTER TYPE......Page 146
When There Is No Warning......Page 147
Slow-Motion Disaster......Page 148
You Acclimatize......Page 149
Assisting Call Center Should Be Outside Local Area.........Page 150
Ripple Effect......Page 151
DISASTER CHECKLISTS......Page 156
Assessment......Page 157
Following the Plan......Page 158
Training Takes Over......Page 159
All Personnel Know How to Contact the Assisting Ca.........Page 160
Battered but Not Beaten......Page 161
Too Slow for Emergency Use......Page 162
Assisting Call Center Maintains Company Cash Flow......Page 163
Information Systems......Page 166
Server......Page 167
Call Management Software Is Operational......Page 168
Alerting Assisting Call Center......Page 169
Switching Call Flow......Page 170
OPERATIONAL CHANGES......Page 172
We Do It Differently This Week......Page 174
Departments Responsible to Announce......Page 175
Contact List......Page 176
If Not Replaced Yet (Listing Interim Substitute)......Page 177
Documenting New Installation......Page 178
Boot-Up and Maintenance Procedures......Page 179
The Essential Person......Page 180
Part 3
Call Volume Management......Page 181
EXTERNAL CVM SOLUTIONS......Page 182
Hot Site......Page 185
Outside Local Area......Page 186
High-Volume Call Answer......Page 187
Direct CSR Link......Page 188
Data Shadowing......Page 189
Other Call Center(s) within Company......Page 190
Expert Calls (HQ as Call Center)......Page 191
Telco Prearranged Routing......Page 192
Noncompeting Company......Page 194
Joint Recovery Teams......Page 195
Spin-Off Benefits of Reciprocity......Page 196
What Should You Look for in an Interim Call-Handli.........Page 197
Aid in Answering Your Calls during a Disaster......Page 198
Prearranged Routing of Calls......Page 199
Familiarizing External CSRs with Your Products, Se.........Page 203
Building Skill......Page 205
Aid in Answering Calls during a Disaster......Page 206
Caller Response to Being on Hold......Page 207
Option to Receive Callback......Page 208
Student School Supply Rush (Season)......Page 209
Irritable Caller......Page 210
Cellular Rush Hour Calls (Time)......Page 211
Utility Outages (Event)......Page 212
Dealing with Too Much E-Mail......Page 213
SUPPLEMENTING THE EXISTING CALL CENTER......Page 214
How to Know If Your CSRs Are Losing Ground......Page 215
COMPONENTS OF A CHECKLIST......Page 217
EXAMPLE CHECKLISTS......Page 218
Part 4
Testing......Page 228
Whole Call Center......Page 229
Interim Call Handling......Page 230
Virtual Call Centers......Page 231
End of Peak or Off-Peak Volume Period......Page 232
Non-Vacation Time......Page 233
Midnight Shift, CSR Off Shift, One Hour before Shi.........Page 236
Notice or No Notice......Page 237
Evacuation Exercise (Backup, Hand Over, and Walk O.........Page 238
Recovery Teams......Page 239
Prove Plan Current (Vendor and Other Contact Lists.........Page 240
Instill Confidence (Team!)......Page 241
Planned Inputs......Page 242
Walk-Through with Checklists......Page 244
EVACUATION EXERCISES......Page 245
AT&T WinCAPS......Page 246
IQ Services......Page 247
Yes, It Is a Big Deal......Page 248
Obtaining Cooperation of Your Critical Vendors......Page 249
Media Relations: Will You Be Inviting or Simulatin.........Page 250
Control of Access to the Facility (Gates, Doors, F.........Page 251
Time Sensitive......Page 252
Finding the Leak in the Fire Engine Tire......Page 255
HANDING OVER CALLS TO AN ALTERNATE SITE......Page 256
If You Plan for the Alternate Site to Provide Fulf.........Page 257
If You Plan for the Alternate Site to Process Paya.........Page 258
If You Plan for the Alternate Site to Handle Busin.........Page 259
Testing Function and Timeliness......Page 260
Peaks and Lows; Orders and Customer Service; Intui.........Page 261
Delivering Calls to Alternate Site(s)......Page 262
Receiving Electrical Generators......Page 263
Testing Use of the Continuity Fund......Page 264
Testing Vendor Response......Page 265
Testing Insurance Arrangements......Page 266
Data Reconciliation......Page 267
Restoration of Critical Business Functions......Page 268
PROVE NETWORK CONNECTIVITY......Page 269
Explaining Plan Updates......Page 270
Use Responses Laid Out in Checklists and Manuals......Page 271
Use Monitoring Staff from Departments Not Being Te.........Page 272
Time of Week and Day......Page 273
Distant Participants Attend by Telephone or Videoc.........Page 274
Update All Plan Books and Checklists......Page 275
Part 5
Crisis Management......Page 276
DISCUSSION OF CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS......Page 277
Public Relations Coordination......Page 278
Designated Meeting Place......Page 279
ALARM......Page 281
NOTIFICATION......Page 282
PHASES OF A CRISIS......Page 283
Cost......Page 288
Coordination of Transportation......Page 289
Willingness to Return to Work......Page 290
Family Care Issues......Page 291
REPLACEMENT WORKERS......Page 292
Part 6
Conclusion......Page 293
Discussion: Continuity Might Be of Essentials Only.........Page 294
Planning for Continuity in Banking......Page 295
Planning for Continuity for Utilities......Page 296
Cost of outsourcer vs. in-house expansion......Page 297
Contact Us......Page 298
Part 7
Appendices......Page 299
Appendix A - Tables......Page 300
MAJOR SOURCES......Page 398
MINOR SOURCES......Page 400
THE STORM......Page 392
Returning to Work: Anecdotes......Page 394
Why Planning Is Essential: The Costs Associated wi.........Page 396
“Wake-Up”......Page 397
Appendix D - Glossary......Page 402