SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
01-oktober-2017
1DGRPHãþD
SIST EN 15838:2010
Klicni centri - 1. del: Zahteve za klicne centre (ISO 18295-1:2017)
Customer contact centres - Part 1: Requirements for customer contact centres (ISO
18295-1:2017)
Centres de contact avec les clients - Partie 1: Exigences relatives aux centres de contact
clients (ISO 18295-1:2017)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN ISO 18295-1:2017
ICS:
03.080.30 Storitve za potrošnike Services for consumers
SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017

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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017


EN ISO 18295-1
EUROPEAN STANDARD

NORME EUROPÉENNE

August 2017
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 03.080.30 Supersedes EN 15838:2009
English Version

Customer contact centres - Part 1: Requirements for
customer contact centres (ISO 18295-1:2017)
Centres de contact clients - Partie 1: Exigences Kundenkontaktzentren - Teil 1: Anforderungen an
relatives aux centres de contact clients (ISO 18295- Kundenkontaktzentren (ISO 18295-1:2017)
1:2017)
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 10 June 2017.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and United Kingdom.





EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels
© 2017 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO 18295-1:2017 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
EN ISO 18295-1:2017 (E)
Contents Page
European foreword . 3

2

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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
EN ISO 18295-1:2017 (E)
European foreword
This document (EN ISO 18295-1:2017) has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/PC 273
“Customer contact centres”.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by February 2018, and conflicting national standards
shall be withdrawn at the latest by February 2018.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document supersedes EN 15838:2009.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Endorsement notice
The text of ISO 18295-1:2017 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 18295-1:2017 without any
modification.
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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017

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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 18295-1
First edition
2017-07
Customer contact centres —
Part 1:
Requirements for customer contact
centres
Centres de contact clients —
Partie 1: Exigences relatives aux centres de contact clients
Reference number
ISO 18295-1:2017(E)
©
ISO 2017

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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
ISO 18295-1:2017(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2017, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
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Tel. +41 22 749 01 11
Fax +41 22 749 09 47
copyright@iso.org
www.iso.org
ii © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
ISO 18295-1:2017(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Customer relationship requirements . 2
4.1 General . 2
4.2 Communication of information to customers . 2
4.3 Measuring and monitoring of customer experience . 3
4.4 Complaints handling . 3
4.5 Customer protection . 3
5 Customer-focused leadership . 4
5.1 General . 4
5.2 Customer experience design and delivery . 4
5.3 Employee satisfaction/engagement . 4
6 Human resources . 5
6.1 General . 5
6.2 Functions . 5
6.3 Agent competencies. 5
6.3.1 General. 5
6.3.2 Communication and customer service competencies . 6
6.3.3 Technical competencies . 6
6.3.4 Client-specific competencies . 6
6.4 Skills development . 6
6.5 Communication of information to employees . 6
7 Operational processes . 7
7.1 General . 7
7.2 Customer-related processes . 7
7.3 Workforce planning . 7
7.4 Quality assurance related to customer interactions . 7
8 Service delivery infrastructure . 8
8.1 General . 8
8.2 Handling customer interactions . 8
8.3 Customer data . 8
8.4 Work environment . 8
8.5 Continuation of service . 8
9 Client relationship . 8
Annex A (informative) Metrics — Guidelines .10
Annex B (informative) Client/CCC relationship .15
Bibliography .16
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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
ISO 18295-1:2017(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following
URL: w w w . i s o .org/ iso/ foreword .html
This document was prepared by ISO/PC 273, Customer contact centres.
A list of all the parts of ISO 18295 can be found on the ISO website.
iv © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
ISO 18295-1:2017(E)

Introduction
The ongoing success and development of any organization relies on its understanding of the expectation
levels and perceptions of its customers. The results of specific consumer research by ISO’s Consumer
Policy Committee (COPOLCO) prompted an initial request to member bodies to assess the interest in a
customer-focused contact centres standard.
Service standards are an important element of service management excellence; they help clarify
expectations for clients and employees, enable performance management, and support client and
customer satisfaction. This document specifies requirements and gives guidance for in-house (captive)
contact centres and outsourced contact centres (third party providers). It is intended to be used for any
customer interaction with a customer contact centre (CCC).
Implementation of this document and ISO 18295-2 can create value for the customer, the client, the
employee and the CCC, improving the robustness and efficiency of the service and the client/CCC
relationship, therefore enabling the CCC to deliver a higher level of customer experience on behalf of
the client.
ISO 18295 comprises two parts (see Figure 1).
This document specifies requirements for customer contact centres (CCC) which are either in-house
or managed by an outsourcer. It deals with certain aspects of products and services which remain the
responsibility of the client organization, rather than the CCC.
ISO 18295-2 specifies requirements for the client organization that mandates the CCC (in-house CCC
and/or the outsourcer). A CCC is not responsible for certain aspects of products and services which
remain the responsibility of the client organization.
ISO 18295-2 aims to ensure that customer expectations are consistently met through the provision and
management of appropriate arrangements with CCCs meeting the requirements of this document.
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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
ISO 18295-1:2017(E)

Figure 1 — Relationship between ISO 18295-1 and ISO 18295-2
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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 18295-1:2017(E)
Customer contact centres —
Part 1:
Requirements for customer contact centres
1 Scope
This document specifies service requirements for customer contact centres (CCC). It specifies a
framework for any CCC that aims to assist in providing clients and customers with services that
continuously and proactively meet or exceed their needs.
This document is applicable to both in-house (captive) and outsourced (third party operator) CCCs of
all sizes, across all sectors and all interaction channels, including inbound and outbound. It specifies
performance metrics (KPIs) as and where required.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
agent
CCC staff member who handles customer contacts
3.2
accessibility
usability of a product, service, environment or facility by people with the widest range of capabilities
3.3
campaign
set of custom-designed initiatives (interactions and activities) that target prospective or existing
customers (or both) for desired outcomes
3.4
channel
means by which a customer is able to interact with a CCC
EXAMPLE Web-chat, e-mail, voice.
3.5
client
organization which commissions the CCC to deliver customer interactions on its behalf
Note 1 to entry: A client can be part of the same organization as the CCC as well as an organization that outsources
part or all of its CCC activities.
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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
ISO 18295-1:2017(E)

3.6
customer contact centre
CCC
in-house or outsourced organization which provides customer contact services, on behalf of a client
organization, to their customers
3.7
customer
organization or person that receives a product or service
Note 1 to entry: A customer can be internal or external to the organization, existing or potential, e.g. consumer,
end user, beneficiary or purchaser.
3.8
complaint
expression of dissatisfaction made to an organization, related to its products or service, or the
complaints-handling process itself, where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected
[SOURCE: ISO 10002:2014, 3.2, modified]
Note 1 to entry: In this document complaints are related to CCC interactions and client product(s)/service(s).
3.9
inbound
initiated by a customer
3.10
outbound
initiated by the CCC
4 Customer relationship requirements
4.1 General
Customers who interact with a CCC have a variety of needs. The CCC shall, on behalf of the client, deliver
positive customer experiences which meet their customers’ needs.
The CCC shall ensure that it is accessible, reliable and responsive to customer needs and that it handles
all customer interactions consistently across its available communication channels.
4.2 Communication of information to customers
The CCC shall ensure that all information it provides to customers is accurate, relevant and easily
understood. When communicating with customers, the CCC shall take into account and act appropriately
in response to customers’ communication needs, for example language, literacy and impairments. The
CCC should consider where and in what format it presents information.
When the CCC cannot immediately resolve a query it shall provide the customer with appropriate
information, for example:
a) the estimated time-frame for a response/resolution;
b) the department/role/function that will be responsible for response/resolution;
c) regular status updates;
d) an amended time-frame and action plan when delays are incurred.
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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
ISO 18295-1:2017(E)

4.3 Measuring and monitoring of customer experience
The CCC shall take action to understand the experience customers have when interacting with the CCC.
This should include overall customer satisfaction and satisfaction with how the agent handled their
interaction. The CCC should ensure it understands the key reasons for these results.
The CCC can use a variety of methods to understand and monitor this, including:
a) the CCC’s quality evaluation;
b) employee feedback;
c) customer feedback;
d) speech analytics;
e) complaints analysis;
f) social networks feedback;
g) customer recommendations.
The CCC shall agree with the client before undertaking any direct customer contact to gather their
feedback.
NOTE Guidance on monitoring and measuring can be found in ISO 10004.
4.4 Complaints handling
The CCC shall establish an effective and efficient process for handling complaints about the CCC and
about client-related product(s)/service(s).
The CCC and the client shall agree the conditions under which the complaints handling process is to be
applied.
The CCC shall provide customers with clear and readily available information about where and how to
complain, and about how complaints are handled.
The CCC shall acknowledge all complaints. The CCC shall ensure that all complaints, as defined by the
CCC and the client, are:
a) logged and categorized correctly;
b) investigated and acted on within the set resolution time-frames, which are communicated at
regular intervals;
c) escalated, when necessary, within the set time-frames;
d) closed with appropriate feedback provided to the customer on the resolution and outcome achieved.
The CCC shall use information from complaints to improve service delivery.
NOTE Guidance on complaints handling can be found in ISO 10002.
4.5 Customer protection
The CCC shall ensure that the identity of the client is made clear in each interaction (unless the identity
of the client could influence the purpose of the interaction e.g. market research).
The CCC shall ensure that agents only share confidential information with the correct customer.
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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
ISO 18295-1:2017(E)

The CCC shall proactively provide customers with clear information about any increased charges they
could incur when interacting with the CCC. The CCC shall not conceal any charges.
The CCC shall ensure it deals with all customers ethically. It shall provide clear information about any
financial, legal and contractual implications of decisions customers make related to interactions with
the CCC.
The CCC shall not use pressure selling tactics and shall not exploit customers. It shall not disguise
sales/marketing interactions as market research.
The CCC shall protect the privacy of customers, their information and data.
The CCC shall ensure that for outbound interactions:
a) it follows national or local ‘do not contact’ rules and legislation and any opt-out requests;
b) it advises the client to remove the customer details from the database when a customer requests to
be removed from the database;
c) it minimizes abandoned contacts by a dialler;
d) the correct customer has been contacted and gives them an option to continue the interaction;
e) it gives the purpose of the contact at the beginning of the interaction;
f) it terminates a contact the customer does not want, and does not contact the customer again;
g) it makes telephone contacts within nationally accepted time-frames, except where the customer
has requested a different contact time (within agreed operating hours).
Waiting times/queueing should be free of charge for the customer.
5 Customer-focused leadership
5.1 General
The CCC leadership shall take overall responsibility for implementing the requirements of this document
and the customer experience strategy of the client. It shall establish customer-focused strategies that
will result in positive experiences for customers when they interact with the CCC.
5.2 Customer experience design and delivery
The CCC leadership shall, in consultation with the client, determine the desired customer experience
to be delivered by the CCC. The CCC leadership is responsible for delivering the desired experience
through the CCC.
The CCC leadership and the client shall agree relevant performance measures for the CCC to monitor its
performance and support it in delivering the desired customer experience (see Annex A). It shall agree
with the client review frequencies for these measures.
5.3 Employee satisfaction/engagement
Employee satisfaction/engagement directly impacts customer satisfaction, therefore the CCC
leadership shall create a working environment which encourages high levels of employee engagement.
The CCC shall equip its employees with the skills and resources needed to deliver the desired customer
experience.
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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
ISO 18295-1:2017(E)

The CCC shall integrate employee engagement in relevant CCC activities. It shall periodically measure
employee satisfaction/engagement to understand employee needs and take action to improve as
necessary. This shall focus on:
a) overall employee satisfaction/engagement (see A.2, metric 9);
b) agent experience in handling customer interactions.
6 Human resources
6.1 General
The CCC shall provide and schedule the right staff with the right competencies at the right time across
interaction channels to fulfil the requirements defined with the client. It shall also provide a suitable
work environment (see 8.4) in order to deliver the desired customer experience.
6.2 Functions
The CCC shall specify the requirements for all role functions. It shall ensure that all employees
understand the performance requirements of their role.
The CCC shall be supported by the following functions and shall ensure that those who deliver these
functions are competent to do so:
a) leadership;
b) human resource activities (recruitment, retention, employee satisfaction / engagement, well-
being etc.);
c) skills development;
d) support systems - information, communication and technology management etc.;
e) quality assurance;
f) CCC operations management;
g) client relationship management;
h) compliance - knowledge of relevant legislation and regulation, including customer rights and data
protection;
i) capacity management - workforce planning, scheduling and monitoring;
j) CCC management information systems and reporting;
k) subject matter expertise related to the CCC service offering;
l) product/service knowledge and content management.
6.3 Agent competencies
6.3.1 General
The CCC shall ensure that agents are only assigned to deal with interaction types for which they are
suitably competent.
The CCC shall ensure that agents have the following competencies and behaviour and have an
understanding of the performance requirements of their role in order to handle customer interactions.
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SIST EN ISO 18295-1:2017
ISO 18295-1:2017(E)

6.3.2 Communication and customer service competencies
The CCC shall ensure that agents have the following communication and customer service competencies:
a) customer-focused attitude;
b) listening, communication and comprehension skills;
c) adaptability in handling different situations and customers, including vulnerable customers;
d) goal-orientated attitude;
e) problem solving skills;
f) business-writing skills, where applicable.
6.3.3 Technical competencies
The CCC shall ensure that agents have the following technical competencies:
a) systems a
...