Management Practices for Successful Call Centres in Kenya

Abstract

Kenya is poised to become the preferred destination for business processing outsourcing (BPO) services in Africa. With the opening up of the Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Sector in Kenya, new opportunities have emerged in the area of establishment of call centres. Traditionally, call centres have been viewed as ‘high-tech sweat shop’ that have been riddled with management problems ranging from poor staff morale, absenteeism, high staff turnover, escalating operational costs, low service quality and service levels, high levels of conflict from cultural and communication differences among others. With this background of the opportunities arising, this thesis examined the various management practices employed in existing Kenyan call centres and their relative importance in the success of the call centre. Data was collected with the use of questionnaires and personal interviews. The analysis of the results reveals that the most common practices in call centres include the use of technology, a focus on training, performance management via both qualitative and quantitative approaches and the design of work and environment to maximize productivity. Also noted as necessary for success is effective employee reward and recognition. This study recommends that for the call centres to be successful, the use of technology must always enhance how the people do their work and automate mundane tasks that do not necessarily require the intervention of an agent such as the use of interactive voice recording systems. With the knowledge of what makes for a successful call centre, entrepreneurs venturing into the establishment of such an organization can operate within these parameters to make them competitive and successful.