Contact center leaders thrive on their call center metrics. Everything we do must be measured and tied to a key performance indicator (KPI) and service level agreement (SLA).  Whether it’s Average Handle Time (AHT), Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) or First Call Resolution (FCR), we love our acronyms! And now, we suggest yet another measurable to add to the list: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Overall, CSR is becoming more of a strategic advantage as organizations look to align themselves with partners that embrace good corporate citizenship. A rising social consciousness is inspiring the best companies to be premier corporate citizens, not only to provide exceptional value to customers but also to do “good” in the communities in which they work, live and serve. 

CSR has many benefits for all stakeholders involvedthat extend beyond assisting those in need:

• For the CEO, CSR strengthens brand and reputation.
• For employees, CSRincreases engagement and employer respect.
• For customers, CSR enhances trust and willingness to do more business.

As a result, TELUS International has opted for a comprehensive global CSR philosophy, with the goal to continue the work of its parent company, TELUS—recently recognized as the most philanthropic corporation in the world by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. 

Last year, HR consulting firm Hewitt Associates surveyed approximately 5,000 organizations across all industries and found that TELUS International had some of the highest contact center employee engagement scores. The company’s scores placed well above global, North American and Asia-Pacific averages.

We believe one of the reasons for TELUS International’s high level of engagement stems from ourdeep commitment to local communities. By making CSR a corporate pillar, and truly embracing the “we give where we live” TELUS philosophy, we provide an opportunity for our team members toplay a positive role in poverty reduction and nation building in a number of neighborhoods across the globe.

Building communities home by home

As examples, in the Philippines, since 2007,more than 3,900 team members have volunteered 24,000 hours of service to build the first TELUS GK Village, with 70 homes and a three-story multi-purpose hall. At a cost ranging from $1,600 to $3,000 per home, TELUS International and its team membersare making a significant difference to hundreds of families across the Philippines – and that’s just the beginning.

The second TELUS GK Village is now under construction for another 130 homes. Beyond the provision of well-constructed homes, TELUS International team members regularly volunteer throughout the year at the villages, including running livelihood programs, teaching lifestyle skills like sewing and weaving, teaching English,and hosting children’s recreational activities.

Likewise, in Latin America, with a focus on children and education, thousands of TELUS International team members donated 10,000 hours of service constructing schools benefiting more than 4,000 children in 2009. As a result, TELUS International was awarded the Heroes Award for largest volunteer activity in Guatemala by the United Way.

The ROI of CSR

Although it’s tricky to measure CSR, we strongly believe our efforts have a strong ROI for every dollar invested, directly impacting our clients who trust us to provide exceptional contact center experiences to their customers.  Results of our programs include:

• Attrition in all of our contact center programs have dropped;
• More tenured agents provide more experience and program stability;
• More knowledgeable and experienced staff means improved team member performance;
• Lower hiring and training costs for clients;
• Our employee satisfaction indexes have increased;
• Our employee engagement scores have increased;
• We are now considered a Top Employer in both Latin America and the Philippines;
• We have won several industry awards that can be attributed to our CSR efforts, further enhancing our brand and attracting talent to our centers.

By opting to make CSR an important component of the contact center, we believe there are huge dividends for all involved. And although our daily focus needs to remain on the key metrics of our business like AHT, CSAT and FCR, there are many ways to inspire great performance. CSR efforts are truly a positive path to success.

About the Author

Jeffrey Puritt is President of TELUS International – a top provider of BPO and contact center solutions to global clients.TELUS International is the global arm of TELUS, a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $9.7 billion of annual revenue and 12.1 million customer connections. For more information visit:  www.telusinternational.com

Photo and caption 1:  Painting and refurbishing schools, Guatemala

Photo and caption 2:  Building the TELUS GK Village, Manila