Liberty and the Pursuit of Insurance Industry Call Center Best Practices with David Smith

David Smith, VP of the Contact Claims Center at Liberty Mutual and keynote speaker at the 5th Annual Call Center Summit, knows in order to drive results the call center needs to coach and train the management team on behaviors rather than call center metrics. Smith feels accountability is crucial in order to make sure any kind of change is driven seamlessly in the call center environment. We all know it's important for the call center representative to be engaged and there should be joint call center accountability. The call center is a fast-paced, high-stress environment where it can feel like there isn't time to focus on development.

In the KPI debate over average handle time, Smith still stands on the middle ground. While Liberty Mutual does track average handle time (AHT), and the call center has managed by average handle time in the past, Liberty Mutual is now trying to balance quality, handle time and customer satisfaction. Through embracing a call center coaching program Liberty has differentiated itself.

Smith individually engages with his call center management team and frontline staff. He makes sure to ask the call center representatives, "Does your coaching session feel different than it did two months ago?" Smith knows his call center is a fast-paced environment but drives a culture around joint accountability. He takes pride in taking the right approach around call center leadership. The main challenge and charge of the call center is to remove obstacles. Smith sees his organization as a feeder organization and wants his top performers to move up in the call center. Smith is confident that the Liberty Mutual call center representative who cares about the customer and quality will be recognized and rewarded.

At the end of the day Smith believes his team at the Liberty Mutual Contact Claims Center feels strongly about providing stellar customer service. Hear more about his ideas in this podcast recorded live at the 5th Annual Call Center Summit in Orlando, Florida, this year.