product launch
Case study
Using an incentive scheme to support a new product launch
In the fast moving world of Digital Entertainment, the products offered to customers change very rapidly. Seasonal packages are offered at different times of the year, in addition to special promotions that are linked to popular events. The degree of change presents a considerable challenge for both Marketing, trying to introduce new products into the offering, and Contact Centre Operations needing to get teams skilled-up while continuing to meet demanding performance targets.
For over 5 years, Sky has used the Focus Staff Incentive Scheme as a tool to meet this challenge - to support new product launches ensuring that over 9,000 contact-centre staff, in multiple locations, have the necessary knowledge of new products and procedures.
A key aspect of a new product launch is ensuring that customer-facing contact centre staff are fully conversant with the product, and with the sales and customer-services procedures that are affected by its introduction. Sky utilise standard training and learning strategies but these are reinforced by targeted incentivisation of learning achievement as a method of reaching higher levels of agent knowledge and performance. Incentivisation is also used to change attitudes and alignment of thinking and to prepare staff for the product launch.
Incentive campaigns commence ahead of product launch to ensure that contact centre agents are fully trained before products or services go live to customers. The campaigns are launched with supporting online and offline materials to ensure that agents find them exciting, stimulating and dynamic. These might include offline materials, such as scratch-cards, games and branded merchandise, which are distributed to the contact centres.
A typical incentive campaign will consist of promotional material supporting a learning activity that the agent must complete in order to earn a reward. To ensure that the learning has been successful, the activity will frequently commence with a fun, quiz-style game, which provides baseline data of knowledge levels prior to learning.
The learning part of the activity is usually be followed by some form of testing, allowing the gathering of metrics for individual and group achievement. Rewards will be tied to the achievement of specific performance targets, which can be measured at both an individual and team level.
In summary, new products and offerings are introduced frequently and the Focus Staff Incentive Scheme allows Sky to be confident that customer-facing staff are fully trained and effective at exactly the right time of the introduction and launch of a new product.
About Focus
Focus is a web-based staff incentive system, created and managed by Sigmer Technologies, that allows Sky to manage the incentivisation of over 9,000 contact centre staff, rewarding them for achievements in learning and productivity. The system, which allows Campaign Managers to create custom incentive campaigns targeting all or specific segments of staff, includes fun and learning activities together with an integral e-shop and fulfilment.
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Sky is one of the world's leading digital entertainment providers, and is the U.K.'s largest digital television platform. Contact centre staff play a vital role in the business as they are at the frontline of the company's image.
