The Problem
Everyone knows business is bad right now. It's tougher than ever to get cases and make a decent profit, even if you sit online all day, with the schedule, and the phone2service. What's wrong? It's a combination of factors, here are the significant ones I'm aware of:
1) Recent downturn of traffic due to summer vacations, etc.
2) Huge volume of new experts being certified, with no end in sight.
3) Subcontracted companies such as Infolink sucking up cases.
Number one is probably the biggest reason, but we can't really do much about that. I'm going to try and address problem number two instead; basically, the fact that we're drowning in a sea of noobs, and there isn't enough work to go around.
The Current System
Here's what SupportSpace is currently doing, as far as I can tell:
1) If you aren't on the schedule, you get shoved below EVERYONE who is on the schedule.
2) If you aren't on P2S, it's terribly unlikely you'll get any dispatches, because practically all the GS dispatchers are using that "search for only phone experts" checkbox they have now.
3) SupportSpace has some kind of out-of-wack way of deciding who is a "good" expert and who isn't. "Good" experts get a boost over others.
4) New experts (< 10cases) get some kind of free boost that pretty much always puts them on the very top.
5) Total # of cases completed basically has no effect these days. (I've got nearly 4,400 cases now and I'm hardly ever on page 1.)
So, some issues I have with the current system:
--Schedule slots are limited. If you miss scheduling, you might as well not come to work for the next month.
--You need to get on P2S even if you only want to work chats. Even if chats are available, they'll tend to go to P2S experts before they go to chat-only experts.
--The code that determines who is a "good" expert is heavily biased towards new experts who have not been here long enough to get any bad reviews. (Anybody with less than 100 cases and a 5-star rating, I am looking at YOU.)
My Proposed Solution
Divide the expert community up into "levels". These specific numbers may need to be tweaked, but just for the time being let's keep this simple:
Level 0 = Less than 100 cases.
Level 1 = Between 100 and 200 cases.
Level 2 = Between 200 and 400 cases.
Level 3 = Between 400 and 600 cases.
Level 4 = Between 600 and 800 cases.
Level 5 = Greater than 1000 cases.
For chats only, implement a new 2-step sorting methodology:
1) Experts of a higher level are always sorted above experts of a lower level.
2) Within each level, experts that SupportSpace determines to be "good" (using resolution rate, customer satisfaction, etc) will rank above others.
Phone service, unlike chats, would still sort only by whether an expert is considered "good", ignoring expert level sorting.
The schedule should have unlimited slots. Scheduled experts should still be placed above non-scheduled experts. S2 only even has the schedule because they need to be able to show partners that people are committing to work at certain times. There is no reason they should limit how many people are allowed to commit, and I think we're all sick of fighting over shifts.
That's it! That's the whole solution!
Why This is Good for Us
So, what's in it for you and me, the experts?
1) Seniority is rewarded again: If you work hard, you'll rise in level and have an easier time getting chats. You just need 100 cases to get out of the big "Level 0" pool, where most of this huge hiring wave is sitting. (There are currently over 1,000 certified experts with less than 10 cases.)
2) Even if you're totally new, you can still get business on phone2support. If you do good work, you'll get higher ranking within your own level pool. This gives you a way to get ahead of the game even before you level up.
3) This kind of goes with point 2, but the swarms of new experts being hired on now will be encouraged to move to phone2support, which means people who've been here a few months already can finally start getting chats again.
4) Having a vastly larger number of phone experts means SupportSpace will have less need of subcontracting companies such as Infolink as a crutch for low availability.
5) No more fighting over shifts! Shifts for everybody! Shiftapalooza!
Why This is Good for SupportSpace
Namely, what are our selling points to help convince them to do this?
1) There would be a much larger number of phone experts available.
2) Rewarding experts for being loyal and hard-working means experts are more likely to be loyal and hard-working. Competent, experienced experts are less likely to get frustrated and leave entirely.
3) The level system is a form of goal setting, which a large number of studies have shown helps improve employee productivity:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goal_setting
How to Show Your Support
So, if you're interested in this system, and think it would be better than what SupportSpace is doing currently, here's how you can help out:
1) Leave a comment on this blog post stating that you're interested in helping with this initiative.
2) Send me an email at shwankymunky@gmail.com so I can get in touch with you when we're ready to start petitioning.
3) Bookmark the page. Occasionally re-link this on the IRC. Show this to other experts you think may not have seen this.
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