HD Supply

Issue Escalation Mitigation Matrix

CCC18CPQ8J © 2007 Corporate Executive Board. All Rights Reserved. 119

CCC18CPQ8J © 2007 Corporate Executive Board. All Rights Reserved. 120

Organizations often struggle to ensure that frontline staff escalate neither too many nor too few calls.

HD Supply handles this problem by creating a Frontline Escalation Decision Matrix to determine whether or
not frontline staff should handle an issue. Key stakeholders are included in the decision-making process.

As a result, HD Supply sees a reduction in both call escalations and number of staff.
 Case inMinibox
Point: RegHD
TitleSupply
To determine the right balance …key HD Supply stakeholders …which drive principled
of issues that the frontline should create escalation guidelines… decisions that lead to reduced
and should not escalate… escalations and staff
Escalation Risks Views Represented by Stakeholders Call Escalations
Illustrative Indexed
Second- and Voice-of-the-Customer
Third-Tier Agents Team Member 1.00x 51% decline
1.00
• Identifies drivers of escalation • Considers impact of in escalations
based on experience on proposed changes on
escalation team and as customer satisfaction. .70x
former frontline staff.
.49x
“Help!” 0.50
Trainer Six Sigma Leader
• Estimates feasibility • Determines feasibility
of upskilling frontline. of process changes.
• Estimates costs and
develops project plan. 0.00
Before One Month Three Months
Pilot into Pilot into Pilot

Frontline Escalation Decision Matrix Number of Staff

Too Many Escalations
Frontline Staff Should Own High-Number-Value Issues Indexed
1.00x
• Overwhelms call queues of 1.00 .94x
second- and third-tier agents. Impact on Call Center (0–5)
Low Driver High Should
• Relies too heavily on cost of of high impact
Ease of High cross-
frontline
initiating selling Total
expensive escalation agents. initiating call on
change opportunity
staff handle
change volume customer issue?
Agent Activity
Looking up
Too Few Escalations source codes 5 3 3 5 4 20 0.50 Additional staff are redeployed
Providing catalog-
• As frontline staff struggles based product 3 5 4 4 5 21 to value-added activities within
with calls, AHT increases and information customer service.
Offering complex
CSAT declines. technical assistance 1 2 3 1 2 9
• Agent confidence and morale
Offering concessions 4 4 5 3 4 20
lowers. 0.00
Before Pilot After Pilot

Source: HD Supply; Customer Contact Council research.

CCC18CPQ8J © 2007 Corporate Executive Board. All Rights Reserved. 121