This is Part 2 in a 3-part blog series about how to assess call center employee performance gaps. The first post dealt with how to create a form to monitor performance Standards and Objectives.
Your monitoring form is the cornerstone of a program to identify and correct employee performance gaps. But to help you in your quest for consistency and fairness, you also need to have a Call Quality Guide. This is a one or two page document that provides a brief explanation of each Standard and Objective.
What if you’ve consistently scored an employee a 2 in professionalism and the employee wants to know what, specifically, he or she needs to do differently in order to score a 3? As noted in the first post in this series, the ideal situation is that all agents as well as those monitoring calls agree on what “professional” sounds like. That’s where your Call Quality Guide comes in handy.
Here’s a sample of how two Standards noted on a monitoring form might be reflected on the corresponding Call Quality Guide:
Standard |
Yes |
No |
Gathers/verifies caller data | Follows system branching and verifies data verbally; uses appropriate script if caller refuses to give information | Does not use system; does not verbally verify data; does not use appropriate script if caller refuses to give information |
Gives accurate and complete information | Gives information which accurately and completely answers caller’s question; confirms caller’s understanding; follows instructions given in CSR notes. | Gives inaccurate or incomplete information, and/or does not confirm caller’s understanding; does not follow instructions given in CSR notes. |
Defining employee performance Standards in this manner makes it easy for any trained observer to identify performance gaps.
When measuring Standards, you determine gaps in performance in terms of whether or not the Standard was met. When measuring Objectives, however, you assess how well the Objectives were met.
Use a range to score Objectives. Here’s an example:
Objective |
1 |
2 |
Excellent or N/A |
Uses script well | Does not follow script or instructions | Reads script, follows instructions, sounds natural, not rote | Follows script & instructions but personalizes for caller; sounds natural |
Identifies a specific question to answer | Attempts to answer a general question | Uses script to change general question to a specific one | Personalizes script to caller to elicit a specific question |
Uses professional tone of voice | Tone is impatient or condescending | Tone is neutral or pleasant but lacks confidence | Patiently and confidently deals with all issues |
Developing a Call Quality Guide may take some time, but it is well worth it. You’ll be able to clearly communicate Standards and Objectives to your agents, and with ongoing calibration (stay tuned to post 3 in this series), you’ll be able to monitor them in a consistent manner.