What happens to managers when a new technology system arrives? My doctoral research looked at that question inside a working call center.
The Study at a Glance
- Title: A Qualitative Study of the Effects of Using a New Reporting System in a University Call Center
- Degree: Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Abraham S. Fischler College of Education, Nova Southeastern University, 2016
- Setting: the call center of a not-for-profit university in the Southeastern United States
- Method: in-depth, one-on-one interviews with the five managers responsible for planning, launching, and using a new call-center reporting system
Why This Question Matters
Organizations spend heavily on technology for their customer operations, and most of the attention goes to the system itself. Much less attention goes to the managers who have to make it work every day. If those managers find a new system useful and easy to use, they invest in its success. If they don’t, the investment rarely delivers what was promised. I wanted to understand what actually changed for the managers once the new system was in place.
What I Found
1. Faster, better decisions
Before the new system, managers often waited until the next day for performance reports. With real-time reporting, they could spot and address problems while they were happening instead of after the fact.
2. Feedback became more objective
Managers could review recorded calls and specific performance data with each employee. Feedback shifted from “my impression of how you’re doing” to “here is what the call shows,” which employees saw as fairer.
3. Recognition, not just correction
With better data, managers noticed what employees were doing right, not only what went wrong. That made it easier to recognize strong performers and supported better morale.
4. Training aimed at real gaps
Managers could compare performance across individuals and teams, find the root causes behind missed standards, and design training for those specific gaps.
5. Time back for leadership
Ready-made report templates cut the hours managers spent pulling data together before meetings and reviews, freeing time for coaching and other neglected work.
6. The weak spot was training on the system itself
The vendor’s training was highly technical and didn’t show managers how to build the reports they needed for daily operations. There was also no clear way to train newly hired managers. The system delivered results, but the rollout made the learning curve longer than it needed to be.
What This Means for Leaders
- Plan for the people, not just the system. Ask early how each manager’s job will change, and involve those managers in the rollout.
- Make training job-specific. Teach people how to do their actual daily tasks with the new tool, not just how the software works.
- Build a path for new hires. Decide how people who join after launch will learn the system.
- Listen to the users. The managers who use a system every day are the best source of ideas for improving it.
- Budget for customization. Reports that fit the organization’s needs may require skills or resources beyond the initial purchase.
Limits of the Study
This was a small qualitative study of one call center, so its findings describe that setting and may not apply everywhere. All participants held at least a bachelor’s degree, and their experience with the technology varied. I also worked at the study site as a manager, which gave me an insider’s understanding but could introduce bias. I used a technique called bracketing, setting aside my own assumptions during interviews, to reduce that risk.
Where the Research Goes Next
The study pointed to two open questions: how new reporting and monitoring tools affect an organization’s long-term strategy, and how closer performance monitoring affects frontline employees. That second question has grown more urgent with the arrival of AI tools in customer operations, and it is one I continue to explore in my writing, including how service quality can scale as organizations grow and how AI affects employees in different roles.
How to Cite This Work
Garcia, E. J. (2016). A qualitative study of the effects of using a new reporting system in a university call center [Applied dissertation, Nova Southeastern University].
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