Workforce Management Featured Article
Contact Center Performance Reviews: All At Once, or Throughout the Year?
Let’s face it: no one likes a job review. They’re awkward, nerve-wracking and generally uncomfortable affairs, largely because they happen only once a year. Because raises and bonuses are often tied to a worker’s performance, that once-a-year review – which may be based on your performance on a really bad day you had recently – there is a lot at stake.
Taking the stress out of reviews is a good thing. Frequent worker-manager sessions that are constructively organized and tied to employee goals of personal growth are infinitely more valuable to employees than the once-a-year “on the carpet” session. In fact, there is evidence that frequent reviewing that encourages more open communications is a key driver of employee engagement. Contact centers, which rely on agent performance to drive the customer experience, should be on the frontlines of building a positive review process, according to a recent blog post by Monet Software (News - Alert) CEO Chuck Ciarlo.
“Most contact centers rely on one of two options: a company-wide review in which every agent receives their feedback at the same time (a focal review), or individual annual review sessions, dated from the day that each agent joined the company,” wrote Ciarlo, who notes that traditional reviews are often a matter of, “It’s your anniversary! Now, here’s what you’re doing wrong.”
Ciarlo notes that for all but the newest of agents, the method of using annual written or verbal reviews has several advantages. It’s a logical approach that also makes it easier for managers to prepare, as they may only have one or two reviews in a week, as opposed to a focal approach, where the entire team is reviewed at the same time. Managers who review regularly can keep a closer eye on employee performance, and can help nudge workers toward a more positive path of career development. When agents feel like they’re being encouraged by managers rather than given a laundry list of what they’re doing wrong, they’ll feel better about their jobs, and will be more likely to self-correct any problems in order to be a better agent.
Performance management solutions can go a long way toward automating the reviewing process for managers. Scorecards and calibration tools can ensure managers are being fair, and call recordings can be grabbed more frequently (nobody should be judged on a single phone call once a year), evaluated more carefully, and that feedback on the call can easily be shared with the worker so he/she better understands how to improve performance.
Ciarlo notes that scheduling all workers’ reviews at the same time does have the advantage of managers of “getting it all over with.” It may, however, burn out managers and mean that performance evaluations are rushed and not customized for workers. Whichever option you choose, however, the most important thing is to make sure the reviews get done says Ciarlo.
“When management neglects the review aspect of performance management, it makes it easier for agents to neglect the responsibilities of their position,” he wrote.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi