Before getting started, let’s take a look at what Call Center Quality Assurance is all about.
What Does Call Center Quality Assurance mean?
Simply speaking, Call Center Quality Assurance (QA) is a procedure used in ensuring that customer’s interactions and business goals are in alignment with each other. It can also be said the QA with the combination of different essential methodical processes becomes a high-valued application used to achieve operational and organizational effectiveness.
Conducting QA assurance and optimizing your QA practices should be the main priority. It should be a part of any management effort that is to be made in any call center. The reason for this is that by doing so, the company tends to provide exceptional quality services to its customers. The result of all this is to achieve maximum customer satisfaction (CSAT) and, at the same time, minimize too many expenses.
Top 15 QA Practices
According to the Product-Market Portfolio Manager of NICE, Lauren Maschio enumerates the 15 best practices for call center quality assurance to be as follows;
Agents Should Take Part in the QA Progam’s Development Process
Whether there already is an existing QA or one is about to start, consider involving the agent in all of the QA processes. Such as in calibration sessions and feedback sessions. This should be conducted at least every six months.
The act of involving the agents and making their input an essential part of the QA process will motivate their actions. It will go towards effectiveness and trigger their sense of purpose.
Give Call Center agentS an extensive sensitization of the QA program.
Let there be detailed modules of the QA training program available to the new agent trainees. Also, consider appointing a team leader to lead the new trainee team.
Before choosing THE QA Team Leaders, Make Sure, they Possess the Necessary Basic Knowledge
Before making anyone the team leader, ensure that they possess the basic knowledge needed to give effective leadership. Verify to know if other evaluators and the Head of QA are conversant with all QA practices.
Proritize Sending Feedback
Add a scheme too that will ensure the coaches also receive quality training. This will develop the coaches’ output results and, in return, provide them an avenue. It will make sure supervisors and QA specialists can comfortably provide agents with feedback.
Know the Right Sample Size of Interaction to Analyze
When sample sizes are too much, vital information and performance details could be lost. When sample sizes are too small, it may not show a realistic or detailed picture at all.
It is crucial that only the accurate size of interactions from each channel is chosen. Which will give the needed performance details.
Fully document The Standard for THE Call Center QA
Transparency will go a long way in helping your agent know what is expected of them at each point or for each call type. Therefore, it is necessary to provide clear and detailed documentation explaining what is expected of each call type.
Allow Constructive Criticism
Although positive feedback plays a vital role in each agent’s development, allowing constructive criticism will also significantly improve the agents.
Use a supportive and encouraging approach. Especially when notifying them of the areas they need improvement on.
Be Principled with THE QA Schedule
Have a schedule to conduct QA throughout the month consistently and close to the completion of each interaction. This will enable the interactions to be fresh in the agent’s mind. When creating this schedule, always make sure to stick to the schedule.
By conducting a consistent QA, make sure agents get constructive criticism. Moreover, agents can take effective actions after that.
Take advantage of Self-Evaluation
To make the agent active in the evaluation process, it is necessary to also allow them to analyze their own interactions. They tend to push themselves harder than the evaluator would.
Share QA Scores and Data with the Agents
Let the agents have access to their own QA scores. In order to them analyze and correct themselves appropriately.
It can also act as a yardstick of measurement when the call center leaders use these scores to analyze their agents’ performance.
Give Agents the Opportunity to Challenge an Evaluation Feedback
Always allow agents to air their opinion on each of the evaluation feedback given to them. This will enable them to showcase their interest in how they value their role in the company. Also, as their interest in the company’s success.
Allow the Agents To Be Inspired by Utilizing the Act of Gamification
Use gamification tactics as a way to reward agents who perform better. This will add more color, motivation, and fun to the activities of the agents.
The act of utilizing these gamification tactics will also provide a pleasurable atmosphere to achieve the company’s goals.
Include QA Scores as part of the Call Center agent’s Review Process
During the semi-annual and annual evaluations of each agent, include the QA score as this will make the whole QA program seem valuable. The agents will also see and appreciate the transparency of the program.
Also, concerning the point made in number 10. As they can monitor their own QA progress, they will be able to access the necessary metrics required in boosting their performance.
Use all the Channels of THE Call Center in THE QA Program
Any channel used by agents for interactions such as chats, emails, back-office work, or social media should be inclusive of the QA process.
Doing this will engage agents more when they know that all interactions used for evaluation are the actual performance representation.
Request for Agents’ Feedback
It would help to prioritize listening to the feedback of the agents about the Call Center Quality Assurance program. This is because they are in the frontline of the action. Also, they can bring a unique perspective to ways of improving customer operations and satisfaction.
Give a critical listening ear, and if and if their feedback brings any changes, they should know about it as well.
Conclusion
These are the tips to consider for any call center Quality Assurance practices, and they will lead to effective quality changes in your customer operations and satisfaction. Be sure to check out some of our other blog posts and visit our contact center page.