Research the organization via media searches, annual reports, and the organization’s website. Look for a problem/opportunity that you can analyze through data. Your problem/opportunity must fit into the focus area identified in your Week 1 DQ post. This could be a new product or service, an operational change that would result in significant cost reductions and/or quality or margin improvements, or a major branding or marketing initiative.
In your post:
What is the critical problem/opportunity you will focus on?
The problem that I would like to focus on is how to effectively recruit and retain call center workers? I started working at Arise as a call center contractor, and then my spouse came aboard as an Independent Business Owner (IBO) on the Arise platform. As an Independent Business Owner (IBO) there is a lack of support from Arise. There are not many resources to help one to establish a successful call center. Arise does not supply support like a franchise. As an IBO, one has to not only pay a fee to use their platform but do our own recruiting. In recruiting there are issues such as potential contractors having to buy a computer that is compatible with the Arise system, then they must pay for the training, and the pay is no higher than $15 an hour. All of which makes it hard for an IBO to build up a successful call center. Also, there are variables such as no benefits, and the workers are 1099 contractors. They get to keep all their paycheck besides the 10% they must pay their call center’s IBO and file taxes at the end of the year. Spending time consciously defining a problem is vital for successful change (Cantero-Gomez, 2019).
Why have you identified this particular problem/opportunity?
This issue affects the revenue of the call center, meaning the IBO must pay the fees for the contractors to use the Arise platform, they must build their own website, buy business cards, and pay for a payroll system. Arise does not pay the IBOs, so they must figure out a percentage and create/pay for their own payroll system for contractors to get paid. The IBO also must do their own recruiting. They are not offered any help or resources in this area. Therefore it is so important to build up your contractors and to retain them. When framing a problem, we need to ask ourselves what do we know to be true and what and how much have we assumed to be true (Cantero-Gomez, 2019. This is the only way an IBO can be successful at running their own call center.
What sort of data should you gather and analyze to accurately assess the problem or opportunity?
We must pull data from successful call centers that do not outsource to see how they go about recruiting staff and retaining staff. I will also look at Arise and see what has kept them successful for so many years, even back before they changed their name. Then I will send out questionnaires to the call center workers to see what keeps them at the call center. What they like and do not like about the call centers. As well as what they would like to see change? I would also ask them if they would recommend this place of employment to friends and family members?
Is it sales data, demographic data, product performance data, or another type of data?
I will gather both internal and external data about the companies and questionnaires
Explain why this type of data is needed for this particular problem or opportunity.
This type of data will give me a better understanding about how the companies were able to recruit and retain call center workers. The questionnaires will give me a good understanding of how the contractors feel about working at a call center. According to Davenport & Kim (2013), focusing on the decision to be made will help to identify a key stakeholder: the person or the group that will make a decision based on the analysis. I would also ask a very important question which is do they find overseeing coming to work on time and being responsible for their own work schedules work for him/her or do they find it difficult being self-govern?
How will you obtain the necessary data?
I will look up data about the companies. I will create a questionnaire that will focus on identifying what the contractor likes or does not like about the call center. I will focus some variables such as pay, the hours of work, the IBO leadership, or the job of doing customer service. I will also ask if they liked having to purchase a computer to work, pay for the training, etc. I will want to know if they feel that the job was worth it or not. Then I would want them to tell me why they have stayed or why they are thinking of leaving the job?
References
Cantero-Gomez, P. (2019) How to Frame a Problem to Find the Right Solution. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/palomacanterogomez/2019/04/10/how-to-frame-a-problem-to-find-the-right-solution/?sh=1f3ebff35993
Davenport, T. H. & Kim, J. Framing the Problem. Retrieved from https://blackboard.strayer.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/JWMI/599/1218%20HBP%20PDFs/7694BC-PDF-ENG.pdf
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