Master agency TBI has rolled out new systems within its back office, including new tools, metrics and tracking to ensure SLA milestones set with partners are consistently hit.
Altogether, this provides the 50+-person sales support staff with greater visibility into the status of requests, prompting proactive escalation to assure clearly defined SLAs are adhered to.
All requests are automatically logged into NetSuite CRM and ERP, and monitored under carrier-agreed-upon and internal SLAs by team managers. Working with NetSuite, TBI’s support teams can perform ticket-level management of quotes, contracts and orders, and proactively communicate contract end dates for superior base management. Additionally, the software equips staff to better communicate deployment of service schedules and escalation turnaround time-frames, helping improve efficiencies and reinforce the culture of accountability within the department.
To create more urgency around requests, key performance indicators like response times for quotes and contract generation are pulled from NetSuite and displayed in real time on dashboards throughout the office. These metrics help triage opportunities that have gone beyond SLAs, and hold both employees and carriers accountable for turning around partner requests within agreed SLAs. Overall, internal KPIs and employee dashboards ensure TBI stays on top of partner requests, and moves with more speed and accuracy to fulfill them.
“We are very focused on creating the best experience for our partners and their customers,” said Adam Knudsen, TBI’s senior director of operations. “We’re utilizing best-of-breed software, documenting best practices and setting high, but achievable, metrics to track all opportunities from start to finish. This is allowing us to develop a better culture and attitude throughout the department, and is one of many examples of how we constantly aim to add more value to our already stellar support department. We’ve also established 10 standards for our dedicated telco and cableco teams to follow, and have rolled out carrier-specific certification programs to better train them.”
By methodically deploying new systems and tools within its back office, TBI has strengthened its position as the safest place for partners to send their business. These initiatives have helped fortify the white-glove service approach that differentiates TBI in the marketplace. Providing a culture of urgency, accountability and communication gives partners confidence and lends further credibility to their businesses.
TBI plans to announce more back-office metrics in summer 2017.
