Employee satisfaction was low and turnover was high because analysts became frustrated with their lack of knowledge. Customer complaints were plentiful, including: the length of time to resolve a case, initial response times, and overall poor service. These issues mirrored concerns faced in the support center, such as staff scheduling, time allocation for case resolution, and knowledge availability.

In the beginning, training classes began by addressing the most pressing needs. However, because training objectives weren’t measurable, the training classes created mixed feedback from both instructors and students. Then we began to build our new training program by organizing an employee-led and employee-driven Knowledge Committee with support from management to ensure employee buy-in.

A measurable training program
The Knowledge Committee defined the goals for creating a measurable training program. The first objective was to make sure all of the support analysts had a basic knowledge in all the areas they support, which were defined in a matrix. Support analysts provided their managers with a plan on how they would accomplish their learning objectives. The learning objectives were included in their development plan, and the analysts were rated accordingly in the review for completion of their plan. Then each support analyst was given six months to get within the designated knowledge range for his or her job title.

Next, new hire training plans were created. Training plans and common questions were documented on an internal Web site. A soft skills and product-skills matrix was created to track progress. Analysts completed an individual self-assessment which was later validated with written skills assessments. The average skills rating was incorporated into all support job descriptions.

A standard training agenda was also created for internal and external training, which included a class quiz to validate what was learned to ensure it met the stated objective. Individual and team skills matrices were maintained documenting the changes to show the overall increase in skill level. From this point we incorporated the knowledge base for support and customer use.

Now for the money part! The support training coordinator has a time allocation of about 40 percent, which is part of the training expense. This expense is based on a support analyst’s average salary per FTE. Another expense is the salary for the students and instructors. In three years, 293 training classes were conducted, which equates to approximately 3,715 days of training. With 25 analysts in support, this averaged to 50 days per year per analyst. Combining these two factors equates to an annual implementation cost.

Having a measurable training program expedited cross-training, enabling three support groups to merge operationally. This was essential to reducing headcount as we consolidated the support for three products into one support center. With the planned headcount reduction of 18 FTEs over three years in the support center, we projected a cost savings based on the average salary per FTE. However, we actually attained a headcount reduction in support of 38 FTEs over the three years, resulting in an overall saving in salary expense of almost 2 million dollars over the three-year period.

98 Percent Customer Satisfaction Rating
Through the cross-training efforts, we were able to provide a high level of support without replacing headcount while maintaining a 98 percent customer satisfaction rating. We also increased employee satisfaction ratings by 20 percent and improved support metrics for addressing customer issues. Support was able to staff off-hours shifts with one FTE per shift who covered two products. Day-shift personnel headcount was reduced as well – due to the cross-training, analysts were able to support three products. With the rise in employee satisfaction each year, the average tenure of support analysts increased – currently the average is 18 years. This particular support center has been SCP-certified and has achieved annual recertification three times. Sixteen McKesson Support Centers are now certified under the prestigious SCP Certification program, and handle more than 82 percent of its healthcare information technology support calls.

The new processes empowered our employees, who realized they could control their development plan and career growth. They now have the ability to see where their skill deficits are and can act on that without having a review or meeting with their manager. And, overall the training program saved the company money. Having a measurable training program enabled each employee to better establish their personal goals and alleviated “surprises” at review time, while at the same time, making management happy with the cost savings. As this ongoing training program continues to thrive, it is a win-win situation that continues to benefit our employees and our customers.