June 1999
Using Quality Monitoring To Enhance Performance And
Improve Morale
BY RODNEY KUHN, ENVISION TELEPHONY
You train, you coach, you try to create a positive working environment
but you
simply can't spare the time or resources to make sure every individual is getting the
attention needed to feel motivated and rewarded. You're not alone!
While you can't be all things to all people, your team's effectiveness and morale can
get a huge boost with one simple solution: automated quality monitoring software.
As companies everywhere evaluate their processes and search for new ways to improve
performance and satisfaction, retaining smart, loyal and service-oriented employees is a
top priority. And no wonder in the call center alone, 26 out of every 100 full-time
agents are likely to leave each year.(1)
In other words, if the statistics prove true, more than 25 percent of your call center
staff could seek employment elsewhere this year, significantly taxing your budget and your
ability to effectively service your customers. Experts say the average cost for recruiting
and training a call center representative lies anywhere between $5,000 and $18,000
(2). The cost and the time commitment add up fast.
What's the key to maintaining a team of satisfied employees?
Many quality assurance teams are turning to technologies that make it easy to randomly
record calls, combine voice recordings with screen capture and evaluate calls online to
ensure measurement quotas are being met. Automating this process, however, is just the
start.
Call recording software is designed to allow supervisors, quality control teams and
training managers to gather performance data more efficiently. But it is the frequent
sharing of these data in a one-to-one environment that may have the most impact on
employee satisfaction and growth. Above all, employees stand to benefit from enhanced
feedback, better training tools, more consistent monitoring and new performance-based
incentive programs. Here's how:
No More "He Said, She Said"
Jerry wrapped up the call, pleased with the way he had handled the situation. Despite the
customer's anger over the mix-up, Jerry had remained calm and empathetic. He was sure the
customer was satisfied. So when his supervisor called him into a meeting to discuss how he
could have better handled the call, Jerry was surprised. He was certain his supervisor was
going out of her way to find something negative about his performance.
Perception or reality?
On one hand, it can be very difficult for a supervisor to accurately capture feedback when
trying to simultaneously listen to an agent, monitor the script and company guidelines and
hastily scribble notes. How can a manager ensure he or she has monitored employees
completely and equally, when trying to balance the physical act of monitoring with the
more qualitative process of guiding and responding to the individual's performance?
On the other hand, it can be difficult for employees to realize how they sound. Often
it's only when they hear their own calls that they understand the feedback they're
receiving and value a supervisor's suggestions for improvement. Add a screen recording and
the resulting visual, audible and written evaluation can be both educational and
motivating for an employee. Go one step further to combine sample calls with sample screen
recordings and evaluations, and you have proactively instructed an employee in how to
change and improve performance.
With automated quality monitoring, managers are able to capture objective samples of
calls recorded over consistent periods of time for each employee. Today's software will
allow a supervisor to send agents those recordings, along with feedback, as frequently as
needed. Agents are able to evaluate responses for themselves and can more objectively
assess call content, tone, customer reactions, etc. Not only can these employees review
supervisor feedback more knowledgeably, with personality differences in check, they can
come to training and review meetings with a better understanding of their overall
performance. You may even find they come with more proactive requests and/or suggestions
for improvement.
Thoughtful Feedback, Effective Training
Despite several training meetings and script revisions, Tina's agents were struggling
to communicate the details of the new sales promotion. Then Tina heard a recording of
Pat's customer call; she knew this employee had nailed it. With a click of her mouse, Tina
sent an audio file of Pat's message to the whole staff so they could hear a great example
of how to handle the pitch. Within days, sales were up by 40 percent.
Digital recording can open a new realm of training possibilities. With automated
quality monitoring software, it becomes extremely simple to share calls with others either
on an individual basis or with an entire group. It's as simple as sending an e-mail
message.
Supervisors can send an agent's call along with detailed feedback, either written notes
corresponding with the call or actual verbal comments embedded into the recorded call. The
agents can then play the recording on their desktops at their convenience. In some cases,
agents can even record and forward a response to their supervisors, actively participating
in problem resolution. Plus, agents can also record calls on demand for
self-evaluation or sharing simply by clicking an icon on their PCs.
What's more, key calls can be saved for demonstration in staff training environments.
By bringing agents into a classroom or manager's office and demonstrating call resolution,
even going so far as to illustrate screen navigation and the effective use of an agent's
desktop, managers can more efficiently address issues, resolve problems and create new
solutions that result in greater productivity. Imagine training your support staff on a
new product feature or how to handle a difficult call simply by demonstrating an actual
customer interaction.
Performance Reporting Made Simple
One of the country's premier retailers has discovered that by offering an incentive
program that lets star performers choose their own work schedule, quality and productivity
figures have improved significantly. Best of all, the figures are tracked automatically,
requiring no additional time or energy on the part of management or staff.
Why monitor quality if you can't use the results to enhance performance?
Automated call monitoring tools allow you to determine performance criteria and
then publish the results on an individual, team and group basis.
Supervisors who use customized online evaluation forms, and standardize them for their
operations, can identify and respond to problems before they escalate. With automation,
supervisors can run a variety of reports on performance and productivity to quickly and
easily identify areas of possible improvement, as well as those agents deserving of
praise. Reports compare individual and group activity so managers may develop timely
quality improvement programs that make sense for the department and/or individual.
New software capabilities give managers the ability to publish this information to
browser-enabled screens, automatically customized for each employee based on log-in or
other specified access. With some products, employees get personalized browser views of
call evaluations and performance ratings and can individually assess their contribution to
the rest of the department. Proactive managers and HR personnel may use this publishing
application to sponsor rewards, drive training programs, congratulate top achievers and
communicate news and updates.
Even groups outside of the call center, such as marketing and product development, can
access performance data and other critical department information, customized to meet
their needs. These new tools provide valuable feedback for enhancing the customer
experience and company performance.
Taking The Plunge
Employees answer hundreds of calls a day in an environment where there is often little
time for evaluation, coaching or praise. If you are seeking a way to enhance satisfaction
and performance, there are great solutions available that increase performance by
improving training and evaluating processes and eliminating inefficient resources. With
simple installation, easy-to-use interfaces and return on investment incentives, it's
worth the time to evaluate an automated quality monitoring suite. Talk with your
colleagues to see what they are using. Invite companies to evaluate your situation and
provide a return on investment analysis. Then, take the plunge. You only have satisfied
employees to gain.
(1)Call Center Benchmark Report, Purdue University Center for
Customer Driven Quality, 1999.
(2)Dr. Jon Anton, Benchmarking Study, 1998.
Rodney Kuhn is president and founder of Envision
Telephony . Under Kuhn's leadership, Envision Telephony recently launched a product to
publish call center quality monitoring results to browser-enabled screens, giving
employees personalized, easily accessible browser views of call evaluations and
performance ratings. Envision Telephony's integrated call center suite supports Windows NT
and integrates CTI with quality monitoring. |