Transforming Reception Services
As we celebrate our second anniversary at one of our media client locations, we reflect on our journey of transforming the reception services through a curious approach. Our team's dedication and the client's support have been instrumental in achieving significant positive changes.
When we initially took over the contract, we quickly identified key challenges:
Low Engagement: Minimal personal development and a lack of growth opportunities led to poor morale, high absenteeism, and turnover.
Inconsistent Processes: High turnover and inadequate induction and training plans resulted in mistakes, frustration, and client complaints.
Limited Meeting Room Availability: Ineffective meeting room management caused frequent criticisms and missed opportunities.
Missed Business Calls: A lack of focus on switchboard operations resulted in missed new business calls.
To address these issues, we embarked on a collaborative partnership with the client. Through open communication, data analysis, and feedback sharing, we developed a tailored action plan. The client's positive feedback underscores the success of our approach:
We outsourced our reception team to Amplify in November 22. The transition was not without its challenges but Amplify did an excellent job of making the process as smooth as possible. A huge thank you to Jo and Amanda for selecting the perfect team members to bring our reception to where it is today. We’ve seen a real boost in efficiency and service quality, and I can honestly say we have no regrets—this move has been a fantastic decision for everyone involved.
One of our key strategies was to revitalise team engagement. By implementing a new management structure, providing coaching, and fostering development opportunities, we achieved a 67% improvement in retention and a substantial 70% reduction in sickness absence.
To optimise meeting room utilisation, we collaborated with the IT team to leverage technology:
We automated repetitive tasks to streamline workflows, eliminate human error and enhance the customer journey and experience
We collected and analysed detailed usage data to gain valuable insights into meeting room utilisation patterns and identify areas for improvement.
We actively sought feedback from our clients and internal stakeholders to understand their needs and preferences. This invaluable input informed our decision-making and led to targeted improvements.
While these changes had a positive impact, we recognised that they only provided a partial picture. Our observations revealed that ad-hoc usage, overbooking, and no-shows were still causing issues.
To address these challenges, we conducted a comprehensive manual data collection project to gather accurate information about meeting room utilisation. This data analysis led to the creation of a detailed Room Analysis report with five actionable solutions.
As a result of our findings and recommendations, the client invested in expanding meeting room capacity by building new rooms and modifying existing ones. This strategic decision has significantly improved meeting room availability and whilst demand has increased by 33%, the amount of meeting room availability has increased by 41% allowing us to accommodate more client meetings, including a 27% increase in new business opportunities.
In parallel with the rooms project we also focused on our attention on the switchboard.
We collaborated with the client's New Business Team to develop a specialised training program. While sales calls often constitute a significant portion of switchboard traffic, we recognised the risk of losing valuable new business calls amidst the volume. Our training program focused on equipping our team with specific skills and knowledge to effectively identify and handle new business calls. Our training ensured our team was well-prepared to maximise opportunities for new business and minimise the risk of lost leads.
We partnered with the in-house IT team to modernise our switchboard infrastructure. This involved updating the outdated directory to reflect changes in the organisation's structure and personnel, post pandemic. Additionally, we worked with IT to implement Teams calling as a more efficient and cost-effective communication solution.
These strategic actions resulted in significant cost savings of approximately £7,000 per month by eliminating the need for unnecessary telephone lines.
As we look ahead, our commitment to curiosity and continuous improvement remains strong. One recent area of focus has been enhancing our security protocols and emergency preparedness following a period of protests. We have strengthened our collaboration with the security team and provided our team with comprehensive training on security procedures and crisis management. In addition, we are actively exploring new technologies to address the limitations of our current meeting room reservation system. By staying curious and open to innovation, we continue to add value!