You are managing a call center for the city water company. You have twelve full time customer service representatives who answer incoming phone calls from current, future and previous customers. These calls are in regards to their bill, to request changes to their accounts (the customer is moving, has a new post office box, etc) or has a general complaint (rates are too high, they saw a water company truck driving too fast, etc). The phones are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The CSRs take 30 or 60 minute lunch periods with two fifteen minute breaks. With vacations, doctors appointments, mandatory meetings, etc, it is not unusual to only have 5 or 6 CSRs on the phone at any given time. Your department is a cost center. The number of calls received by your staff varies widely by day or the week (Mondays > Tuesdays-Fridays), time of the day (8 a.m. surge, lunchtime surge), and time of the year (more people move out in late spring than in the dead of winter).

Your new manager has approached you with the following contract: 85% of the phone calls must be answered within 30 seconds every month. Additionally, no overtime will be permitted.

Historically, you have been able to accomplish this goal in January, February, March, October, November and December. In the other months, you have dipped as low as 70%. Your overtime costs have historically been about 5% of your total labor budget.

You believe your new managers proposal is unrealistic. Prepare a two or three paragraph counter proposal to meet her goal of 85% in 30. Consider more of a balanced scorecard approach to evaluation, recognizing that a goal of 85% in 30 cannot be dismissed.