Q 653. ACPT analysis is a common RCA tool used in contact centers. Explain its structure along with an example. Are there any use cases that it can be used outside of contact centers as well?

 

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ACPT stands for Agent, Customer, Process, and Technology, representing a systematic method for identifying the root causes of customer dissatisfaction. By employing this approach, one can assess whether dissatisfaction stems from the actions of an agent, the behavior of the customer, constraints in the process, or technological challenges.

Agent	Customer	Process	Technology
“Agent” refers to customer service representatives specifically, who handle cases and organize interactions between the client and the company. This is the source of dissatisfaction since the agent can be rude, unknowledgeable about the product range, provide wrong information, or promise things that can never be fulfilled. This issue is inherent but manageable, and there are measures in the form of coaching, training, and response procedures to take out uncertainty.	The "Customer" aspect recognizes that dissatisfaction cannot be fully assigned to the agent’s actions. The worst kinds of feedback are due to other reasons like prior bad experiences, vilification, low ratings due to unrealistic expectations, and inappropriate rudeness or erroneous low ratings.	The “Process” component highlights that dissatisfaction might be due to procedural limitations. Some processes routinely do not fulfil customer expectations, leading to lower satisfaction scores. It is essential to identify and improve such weaknesses. This should be applied to improve the process. .	The "Technology" component highlights the impact of technical issues on lowering satisfaction levels. Even if customers appreciate a brand's service, unforeseen technical problems can spoil their experience. Addressing and reducing frequent technology-related problems is key to enhancing overall customer satisfaction.

 

 

Here is an example of ACPT analysis for a contact center in which customers complain about the response time and quality of service provided. 

Agent (A):
Insufficient Training: Agents are not adequately prepared to handle complex queries, thus prolonging resolution time and providing unsatisfactory responses.
Turnaround Rates: Frequent changes in staff numbers lead to the recruitment of workers who are often unaware of processes, rules, negatively affecting service consistency as well as its value.

Customer (C):

Unrealistic Expectations: Some customers have expectations that are above what the contact center provides because they have been influenced by deceptive advertising or unclear product offerings.

Process (P):
Cumbersome Processes: The existing procedures set up to handle customer queries are quite complex, with lots of steps and approvals in them that cause the long time it takes to find solutions.
Feedback Channels Inadequacy: There are no effective ways through which complaints made by customers can be captured and utilized for continuous service delivery enhancement.

Technology (T):

Archaic Systems: The response rates have been slowed down by the technology platforms used while limiting the access that agents have to relevant information promptly.
Non-Interoperability: Agents have to go through a multitude of systems since there is no integration among them thus elongating the process of resolving a single query.

 

The ACPT analysis (Agent, Customer, Process, Technology) is versatile and it can be used outside contact center as well. It can be used in any industries such as Banking, Finance, Hospitals, Insurance, Airlines, Hospitality sectors, retail sectors etc.

Here is another example of ACPT analysis in the banking sector. In this case, customer has applied for an Easy Payment Plan to his credit card using the contact center channel, eventually dissatisfied with the whole journey and provided a rating of 3 out of 10 in the Customer Satisfaction survey.

 

 Agent issues (A):

The customer has received incorrect information because the agent was a new employee. The agent did not have a comprehensive training on this new Easy Payment Plan and this fact directly led to the incorrect details being provided to the customer.

Customer Limitations (C):

It should be noted that the bank’s policy regarding the application for the EPP directly states that the customer can apply only through the contact center. This policy is restrictive and has directly affected the customer’s choice.

Process Inefficiencies (P):

Incorrect applications were processed due to manual processing errors and unclear procedural guidelines. The process of applying for Easy Payment Plan was cumbersome and they were physically processed by backend team.

Technology gap (T):

The bank lacked self-service options for applying for the Easy Payment Plan through their mobile app. This absence of a digital self-service channel forced customers to rely on the contact center, further exacerbating the inconvenience and contributing to the dissatisfaction experienced during the application process.

 

ACPT analysis serves as a valuable tool for understanding and addressing the multifaceted nature of customer dissatisfaction in the industry. By acknowledging the different factors contributing to dissatisfaction, organizations can work towards creating a more realistic and achievable goal of delivering consistent, high-quality service to their customers.

ACPT (A – Agent, C – Customer, P – Process, T- Technology) analysis is a valuable tool for understanding root causes of customer dissatisfaction. This technique is most popular in contact centers environment. Here's how it offers valuable insights:

 

Beyond Surface-Level Issues:

Traditional methods might look at metrics like call duration or hold times, giving a limited picture. ACPT goes beyond these surface-level indicators and helps pinpoint the true root causes of customer frustration.

 

Holistic View of the Interaction: 

By analyzing Agent, Customer, Process, and Technology, ACPT provides a comprehensive understanding of the entire customer journey within the contact center. This holistic view allows you to identify weaknesses in any of these areas that might be contributing to dissatisfaction.

 

Targeted Improvements and Training:

ACPT analysis doesn't just identify problems; it helps target solutions. For instance, if the analysis reveals a knowledge gap in agents (Agent) regarding a specific product, you can implement targeted training programs. Similarly, process inefficiencies (Process) can be streamlined to improve efficiency and customer experience.

 

Increased Customer Retention:

Understanding and addressing the root causes of dissatisfaction leads to happier customers. By resolving their issues effectively, you foster loyalty and increase customer retention rates. This translates to long-term benefits for your business.

 

Proactive Problem-Solving:

ACPT analysis isn't just reactive. By identifying trends in dissatisfaction across different areas, you can proactively address potential problems before they escalate. For example, consistently high dissatisfaction scores related to technology (Technology) might indicate a need for upgrading call center software.

 

In conclusion, ACPT analysis goes beyond simply measuring customer dissatisfaction; it empowers you to understand the "why" behind it. By providing a clear picture of the contributing factors, it allows for targeted solutions, improved customer experience, and ultimately, a thriving contact center operation.

 

ACPT Structure:

 

ACPT stands for Agent, Customer, Process, and Technology. It's a framework that systematically examines these four areas to pinpoint the reason a customer interaction went south.

 

Agent: This considers the agent's knowledge, communication skills, and adherence to protocols. Did they lack training on the issue? Did they follow proper procedures?

 

Customer: Customer behavior and expectations also play a role. Were they unrealistic? Did they provide clear information from the start?

 

Process: The overall customer service process itself is evaluated. Are there unnecessary steps causing frustration? Is information flow smooth?

 

Technology: This examines any technological glitches that might have impacted the interaction. Did the system crash? Were there issues with call quality?

 

Contact center Example:

 

Imagine a customer calling about a late shipment. The agent (Agent) might be new and unfamiliar with the tracking system (Technology). The customer (Customer) gets frustrated by the long wait times due to complex processes (Process) to investigate. Analyzing each factor with ACPT helps identify the root cause and implement solutions.

 

Here's a detailed breakdown of the late shipment scenario using ACPT analysis:

 

Agent (A):

 

Issue: New agent unfamiliar with the tracking system.

Impact: Difficulty retrieving accurate information about the shipment, leading to longer call times and potentially inaccurate information given to the customer.

Signs: Agent hesitates while navigating the tracking system, asks for clarification on terminology, or struggles to explain tracking details to the customer.

 

Customer (C):

 

Issue: Frustration with long wait times due to complex processes.

Impact: Increased agitation and potential for a negative interaction.

Signs: Customer sighs, expresses impatience, asks repetitive questions due to lack of clear updates.

 

Process (P):

 

Issue: Complex procedures for investigating late shipments.

Impact: Lengthy hold times for the agent to complete necessary steps, frustrating the customer.

Signs: Multiple transfers, long periods of silence while the agent follows procedures, requirement for the customer to repeat information at different stages.

 

Technology (T):

 

Issue: No issue mentioned in this scenario, but technology malfunctions could also contribute.

Impact: Crashing tracking system, unclear visuals, or difficulty accessing customer data could further complicate the situation.

Signs: System freezes, error messages appear, agent mentions technical difficulties.

 

ACPT Analysis and Solutions:

 

By analyzing each factor, we can identify the root cause:

 

Root Cause: Lack of agent training on the tracking system (Agent) compounded by a complex process for investigating late shipments (Process).

 

Solutions:

 

Agent: Implement targeted training on using the tracking system effectively, including navigation, understanding status codes, and communicating clearly with customers.

Process: Review and streamline the process for investigating late shipments. This could involve simplifying steps, creating clear decision trees, or enabling faster access to relevant information.

Technology: While not an issue here, ensure the tracking system is user-friendly and reliable. Regularly update software and monitor performance.

 

Improved Customer Experience:

 

By addressing these issues, the customer experience improves significantly:

 

Agents can retrieve shipment information efficiently, reducing call times and frustration.

Customers receive clear updates and experience shorter hold times.

The overall interaction becomes smoother and more positive.

This scenario highlights how a seemingly small issue (new agent) can snowball into a negative experience due to underlying process complexities. ACPT analysis helps identify these domino effects and implement solutions that address all contributing factors.

 

 

 

Use Cases Beyond Contact Centers:

 

The beauty of ACPT is its versatility. While it shines in contact centers, the core principle applies anywhere you need to understand customer experience:

 

Retail: Analyze customer complaints about long checkout lines (Process) or poorly trained staff (Agent) who can't answer product questions.

 

Healthcare: Identify issues related to appointment scheduling (Process), unclear communication from doctors (Agent), or malfunctioning appointment software (Technology).

 

Hospitality: Investigate guest complaints about rude staff (Agent), limited amenities (Customer expectation vs. offering), or a slow check-in process (Process).

 

By systematically examining these four areas (Agent, Customer, Process, Technology), ACPT helps organizations identify root causes of dissatisfaction and implement effective solutions for improved customer experiences.

ACPT analysis is a tool used in contact centers for Root Cause Analysis (RCA).
ACPT stands for Affected Call Percentage and Time.
As tools like the Ishikawa Diagram use why-why analysis to identify causes and root causes, ACPT will help prioritize the latter. ACPT points out the most significant factors, in terms of contribution, related to a situation.
ABC and Pareto are other names of ACPT.
ACPT needs to be well structured.
The first step is data collection. Indeed, this early step is decisive as it guarantees the analysis quality. 
At this stage, it will be necessary to gather sufficient data on the operational factors of the contact center. When it comes to a contact center, by operational factors, it is necessary to understand indicators such as the number of calls, the duration of calls, the age of the callers, the geographical area of the callers, the categories of problems reported, the commercial performance of agents, problem resolution times, etc.
Once the data is collected, the percentages of units (calls) affected by each identified factor and the time spent treating problems for each previously identified factor are determined.
After this representativeness calculation, an analysis of the data will be carried out. There, it will be a question of seeing the weight of each factor on the situation as an effect. For example, we will look for the factors that most often contribute to a high percentage of affected calls and which consume a lot of time. This data analysis involves implementing the Pareto principle (the 80/20 rule, which holds that roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. In the context of ACPT analysis, this means focusing efforts on the 20% of factors which are the source of 80% of the problems. These 20% of factors deserve to be analyzed in more depth and it is in this context that we will call on the Gemba and Genchi Gembutsu. Search for real facts (Genchi), Go (and see (Gench Gembutsu) and think.
At the end of this in-depth analysis, a corrective action plan must be put in place with clear objectives, responsible people and reasonable deadlines. which triggers the quality wheel (PDCA) because it is necessary to execute the action plan, record the results and conclude with a new action plan. Thus, it is not excluded to review processes, revise skills, organize training, and use digitalization and Strategic Robotics Process Automation to mitigate or even eliminate the impacts and/or occurrence of these 20 % factors which represent 80% of abnormalities. In addition, we can thus confirm that the ACPT fits well into the continuous improvement dynamic.
ACPT can be used to level up customer satisfaction, but also to make strategic decisions regarding sales and innovation.

With a slight adaptation of the factors, ACPT could be used in all the sectors, data collection permitting.

ACPT (Agent, Customer, Process, Technology)

Agents:

These people interact with the customers and customer services. There are many reasons for customer dissatisfaction, a few among them are rudeness, not having product knowledge, customer associates not providing the correct information, not having the category-wise addressed concerns etc. But all these can be improved by providing training to the customer associates.

Customers: These are the people who avail the services. Customer dissatisfaction might not only be due to the above-listed examples but also might be due to bad experiences in the past.

Process:

Due to the process limitations, the customer service agents might not fulfill the customer's requirements. This may lead to customer dissatisfaction. One must identify and address these customer dissatisfactions.

Technology:

This is related to the technical issues that customers face during the usage of the product. This also would lead to customer dissatisfaction.

ACPT can also be used in US Healthcare Industry:

·       US healthcare is all about the 3Ps - Providers (Hospitals), Payers (Health Insurance Companies) and Patients.

·       The Patients avail hospital services from the Providers (Hospitals), and providers submit claims to Payers (Insurance companies), Insurance companies pay to the providers based on the plan agreement. The patients pay to the health insurance companies in the form of premiums.

 

 

ACPT analysis in US healthcare Industry:

·       Agents in US Healthcare: These are the people who interact with the patients to collect the balance bills, to help the patients in filing appeals/disputes with the providers.

·       Agents who collect balance bills are the providers (Hospitals). The billing departments in hospitals will call members and send emails to collect payments. Patients can request for the billing statements and Itemized Bill statements.

·       There are few Third Parties (TPs) who help patients in filing disputes with the providers on behalf of Members. TPs have their unique way of addressing patients and filing disputes.

·       The TPs maintain good relationships with the patients.

·       The TPs will contact patients in a timely manner.

·       TPs acknowledge every communication from patient and have predefined process in place.

·       The TPs will work to satisfy the patients by helping the patients not pay the additional balance bill.

·       The TPs measure the customer (Patient) satisfaction and implement special packages to satisfy customers (patient).

·       TPs have two-way communication with the patients. One way will be through the phone calls and the other way through emails.

·       Patients can call TPs to inquire about their claim’s status, about the dispute status.

Customers in US Healthcare:

Customers are the patients who avail the services from Hospitals. The common questions asked by customers to the billing departments of the hospitals include–

1.       What is this bill for?

2.       Does this balance apply to my deductible, coinsurance, or copayment?

3.       Did you apply this balance against my secondary insurance?

4.       Why didn’t my insurance carrier cover the charges?

5.       Can I enroll in a payment plan?

Process in US Healthcare:

·       Let us consider the process of Accounts Receivables (AR) calling centers work for both Out of Network (OON) and In-network (INN) providers (hospitals).

o   OON – Providers who have contractual agreements with the insurance company.

o   INN - Providers who Do not have contractual agreements with the insurance company.

·       There will be a process flow to reach out to insurance companies (Payers) as well as Patients.

·       Agents must follow as per the process and are not supposed to skip any of the steps.

·       For Example - Process steps for OON include 1^st call will be made to the insurance company by the providers to let them know that the provider is OON with the Insurance and demands for the complete payment of the services provided to their insured patients.

·       The providers ask the insurance companies to reprocess the claims and send in the additional payments.

·       If the insurance company denies the claim, the provider has a right to appeal and get the payment. If the insurance company does not pay the additional payment, the providers inform the insurance companies that they will be billing the patients who availed the services.

·       Here the patients will be billed for the rest of the amounts, and this might lead to the patient dissatisfaction. Patients get scared to pay the hospital bills apart  from their allowable amount (copay or co insurance).

·       If the providers improve their way of collecting payments from patients, then there will be a good relationship between them.

Minimizing Patients Dissatisfaction

·       The providers must follow the US healthcare guidelines to get the claim paid instead of getting denied.

·       The Providers should be transparent to patients and should disclose all the financial details at the time of registration. This way, one can refer to the agreed breakdown if issues arise.

1.       Offering Patients a Payment Plan:

·       If the payment takes too long it might lose value, so by offering a payment plan (weekly/monthly instalments) not only allows you to steadily recover your bill, but also enables the patient to reduce their debt. Additionally, refusing medical care due to expenses might prove unsuccessful to your patients. A payment plan option will therefore increase their access to care.

2.       Make Post-visitation Calls:

·       Making calls to the patients for bill collection will be easy but the patients should be addressed with courtesy and care.

·       Providers must ensure that the bill has the necessary details, such as the name of the provider, the location, the care provided, the amount paid by insurance and outstanding expenses, including the date you provided the service. These steps will help to reduce questions and create a better response to the debt.

3.       Providing Flexible Payment Options:

·       Providing multiple payment options like online payments, which include payment through phone calls, payment through emails and help in receiving faster payments. The providers can remind about the payments through text messages, phone calls and gentle email reminders.

4.       Training Front Office Staff:

·       The front office staff might feel difficult to request payments from patients. Train the staff in effective communication techniques. This will enable them to request payments in a manner that is less likely to damage the relationship. Be sure to provide adequate monitoring such that requests align with best practice standards.

5.       Using a Practice Management Software:

·       If the financial system is automated, then it will enable to keep a track of debt and alert patients on due dates.

Technology in US Healthcare:

The patients experience issues in the billing. The billing dashboards might not display the correct payments sometimes. Misallocation of payments will be made between 2 dates of services. The payments get reflected within 30 days from the payment date.

How to minimize Technological issues:

·       The providers must have a strong billing dashboard helping patients to access the information whenever required.

·       The providers should respond to the patients’ queries within 24 hours.

·       The providers should have a business analytics team to project the patient’s data effectively.

·       Providers should implement cyber security.

·       The providers should comply with the HIPAA rules.

Edited March 22, 20242 yr by Mayuri Kokkula
The reason for the edit is the image did not get pasted.

ACPT is a structured approach to analyze and derive the root cause behind customer dissatisfaction. This RCA tool with a customer-centric framework is usually used in contact centers where customer satisfaction is paramount.
There is an analytical methodology in this framework that helps to understand the root cause of customer dissatisfaction whether it stems from the action of an Agent, Customer behavior, Process constraints, or technological challenges.

Agent refers to Agent Analysis: associates responsible for handling and interacting with customers. Customer dissatisfaction can be traced back to agent-related issues such as agent bad behavior, inadequate knowledge, false claims against customer queries, etc., categorized under the “Agent” structure of the analysis.
Examples of Agent-related issues may include lack of training, low morale, and lack of motivation to resolve customer issues.
The positive part about this aspect is that it is controllable, and it can be improved through agent training, coaching, or counseling.
Customer analysis refers to examining customer behavior, feedback, responses, and reasons for dissatisfaction. It is sometimes, the customer behaves in a very rude way making unreasonable demands and despite the best effort put in by the agent, the customer still provides a negative rating.
It is important to accept the fact that 100% customer satisfaction is an unrealistic goal and pursuing it relentlessly can lead to agent fatigue.
Example: Customer reaches out to the contact center carrying a bias in his head for the brand and irrespective of the quality of solution provided by the agent, customer still provides the negative feedback.
Analysis of Process structure will indicate the limitation in the designed process itself resulting in the dissatisfaction of the agent or customer. Sometimes the designed process will have a misalignment with customer expectations and even though the operator follows the SOP the customer will not be satisfied which will lead to a low customer satisfaction score. 
For example, A company is marketing its product with a question-asked refund policy in case of a defect but when a customer calls the contact center to initiate the refund, the agent has to follow a very complicated process to initiate refund this can create dissatisfaction in both agent’s and customer’s mind.
Technology analysis would highlight the performance and reliability of the system and technological tools used for interaction between customer and agent.
This identifies the issues related to the complete IT infrastructure including software, hardware, etc. for its capabilities, responsiveness, uptime, and functionality with other integrated systems, the malfunction of which had led to lower customer satisfaction.
For example: During a call, there are some glitches due to which the customer is getting reassigned again & again to a different agent and where the customer has to repeatedly share the matter with various assigned agents. This could lead to customer frustration and can result in lower satisfaction scores.

ACPT analysis is usually used in contact centers, its principles can also be applied to other organizational contexts as well for eg:

1. In healthcare, Principles of ACPT analysis can be used to improve patient satisfaction and outcomes by analyzing patient interaction with clinical workers, clinical workflows, electronic health record systems, medical devices, etc.
2. ACPT analysis can also be utilized in the hospitality industry to provide an exceptional guest experience by analyzing the performance and service delivery of hotel staff to the customer, understanding guest behavior, feedback to personalize services, evaluating the ease of interactive processes such as check-in/check-out system and also by assessing the effectiveness of hotel IT infra to provide seamless guest experiences.
3. In the Retail industry customer experience can be improved by adopting ACPT principles. It can help in identifying improvement opportunities by assessing the performance and engagement levels of store employees with the customer. It can also provide some insights to the store owner to help him tailor product offerings, layout, store operations, and interactive processes based on customer's behavior, feedback, and shopping preferences.
Similar use cases are there in various other industries such as Financial institutions, education institutions, Transportation services, Non-profit organizations, etc. This illustrates the usefulness of the ACPT framework making it an effective tool across the industry to identify areas for improvement and optimize interactions between agents, customers, processes, and technology.

While my reference to ACPT was with respect to Agent, Customer, Process and Technology, there are a couple of respondents who have provided answers for a different ACPT. I have allowed the answers as it broadens the perspective and also gives me a feedback to be more specific while framing the questions
Great examples have been quoted on where ACPT can be used, hence I strongly recommend to read all the answers.

The best answer has been provided by Jayanth Sura. Well done!