How to Improve Contact Centre Performance With Quality Tools

Dick Bourke of Scorebuddy discusses how quality assurance (QA) performance can be aided with the use of software tools. 

Call centres play such a pivotal role these days in customer engagement and marketing initiatives. As a critical touchpoint for customers and prospects, the performance of the call centre can make or break a sale and be the cause of large customer churn.

That’s why it’s so important for call centre QA solutions to work efficiently to support not only the centre and its agents but also the business as a whole.

Call Centre QA Is No Longer Merely an Option – It’s a Necessity

In our digital world today, there is one simple fact that all companies must face: the customer is in total control of business relationships. When they engage with a company, they will decide the nature and timing of communications with that brand. This includes interactions with call centres.

The quality of the interaction between a company’s call centre agent and a customer can make or break a relationship. Negative experiences can create the possibility of customer abandonment which may not be reversible. Call centre agents on the front line with customers bear a large part of the burden of customer retention. So, it just makes sense that agents are not only trained properly but also checked via call centre QA scoring initiatives.

Effective call centre QA performance hinges on identifying the agent activities that have the most impact on the company’s bottom line. QA guideposts, such as monitoring calls and using scorecard software, can then be established and used to measure agent activity.

Call centre QA scoring can boost overall performance in three important ways:

1. QA scoring helps measure what’s important to the business
2. QA scoring gives better and more immediate feedback on agent performance
3. QA scoring ensures regulatory compliance

In short, most call centre managers and business execs will agree that call centre QA is no longer an option but a critical component of overall business operations.

Get Real-Time Call Centre QA Control

Measuring agent performance can be a hit-or-miss proposition when relying on manual monitoring procedures. The human element can make supervisors less objective when it comes to reviewing agent performance. In addition, fatigue and being overworked can lead to inaccurate ratings that don’t benefit anyone in the centre.

When monitoring is part of a software solution, supervisors and QA team members can get real-time input so that course corrections can be made appropriately. Sometimes potential problems can be identified before they occur, providing real-time QA control.

Monitoring this way will give managers the opportunity to identify problem areas for certain agents so that they can create quality interactions. The appropriate measures can be taken for corrections as well as further education. Empowered agents are critical to the success of the call centre and the business, so recordings are invaluable tools for ongoing improved performance. A blend of software and human observations is beneficial for agents and supervisors alike when it comes to ongoing improvements in  performance.

Finding the Balance Between Software and Human Observations

The right QA software tools can help supervisors blend human input with technology-driven monitoring. Call centre software can also provide call data, analytics and reports as well as random selection and pre-screened calls for review.

Using agent scorecards leads to a better result for call centres, not only because they work well in improving agent skills but because they dramatically improve satisfaction in customer engagements. Scorecards can also deliver a better outcome for call centres because they give a quick view of agent performance in one place. Supervisors can use scorecard analytics to make changes appropriately to increase customer satisfaction and boost revenue for the business.

Scorecards eliminate the use of manual spreadsheets and facilitate better outcomes for the call centre, including more satisfied customers and confident call centre agents.

Get Better Call Centre Outcomes

Scorecards are your call centre QA manager’s best tools because they provide measurement and tracking solutions that empower your call centre agents to amaze your clients and customers.

Quality tools, like Scorebuddy, provide a turnkey dashboard overview combined with insightful analytics that will change how call centres are managed.

With the use of Scorebuddy’s scorecard technology, you’ll see benefits such as:

• High-quality performance data management delivered consistently
• More engaged and confident call centre agents
• Highly positive customer experiences

Scorebuddy developers have created dedicated technology applications so that supervisors can utilise a smart scorecard system. Better insight into agent performance and call centre productivity is readily available for all stakeholders involved in the call centre QA performance process.

Making the best software decision may be challenging. Here are a few questions you should ask before choosing call centre QA software:

1. Is it easy to edit forms in the software?
2. Can I add new users to the software?
3. What training is required for agents?
4. Can multiple users in the business use the software?
5. What time is required for IT set-up?
6. Can the software be tested in-house?
7. What type of support will be provided?
8. How safe is call centre information?
9. What other companies use the software?

Scorebuddy has been field-tested for QA in call centres all over the world and has improved QA initiatives on many levels. In 2018, Scorebuddy was voted “Best Contact Centre Technology” for the second time in the Call Centre Helper “Top Ten Contact Centre Software and Technology” awards.

Winning awards is great, but we find it most gratifying to learn from our customers so that we can continue to provide more effective QA performance solutions that exceed customer expectations.

This blog post has been re-published by kind permission of Scorebuddy – View the Original Article

For more information about Scorebuddy - visit the Scorebuddy Website

Call Centre Helper is not responsible for the content of these guest blog posts. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of Call Centre Helper.