October 1999
Quality Monitoring Myths And Tips For Implementation
BY RODNEY KUHN, ENVISION TELEPHONY
Quality monitoring solutions are expensive, difficult to deploy and too complicated to
manage: truth or fiction?
The truth is that some of the most quality-conscious companies in the world are
investing in automated quality monitoring solutions to significantly improve productivity,
morale and customer service.
Yet analyst reports show there are still only about 1,000 call centers in the U.S. that
have implemented an automated quality monitoring system. In many cases, misconceptions
about resource investments technology, training and personnel are preventing
companies from taking a closer look at what could be a smart investment in improving
customer contact. Following is a list of myths about automated quality monitoring systems,
followed by a set of tips for implementing this technology.
Dispelling Common Myths About Quality Monitoring
Myth #1: I have to be technologically savvy. End users and
administrators of automated quality monitoring need only know how to interact within a
Windows environment. With the solutions available today, the only hardware required is a
server and a few voice cards (you can opt to add CTI boards, if you decide to integrate
computer-telephony features). Providers should work closely with your IS team to ensure a
smooth installation and effective training program. From there, applications can be as
easy to use as Microsoft Windows. Wizards and templates can make scheduling a 10 minute
task, and evaluation tools can be integrated to automatically track and tabulate results
and publish personalized results for access by agents, supervisors and key decision
makers.
Myth #2: Quality monitoring is going to be a huge investment.
Lets face it. There are thousands of call centers that staff less than 50 agents. In
this environment, technology of any kind is a big investment, automated quality monitoring
solutions included. Is improving agent performance, i.e., call center productivity, worth
an investment of $25,000 or more? We believe so. In fact, most of our customers have shown
a return on investment in less than 12 months.
For example, by using an automated quality monitoring program to train and provide
regular feedback to agents, call center management can reduce the time an average agent
spends on each telephone call. This presents an opportunity to reduce the number of agents
required on any single shift, assisting call center management with a reduction in budget
without a reduction in customer satisfaction.
Myth #3: Installation and training will be hugely disruptive.
Not at all. A good solution provider will stage your equipment with the quality monitoring
software in their own lab first, ensuring the system is stable and working properly before
it reaches your facility. In many cases, on-site installation is accomplished in two days
or less. Additionally, because the software is Windows-based, training is a simple
show-and-tell, as nonintrusive as a half-day session with your end users.
Following is an interesting case study: Immediately after we installed our quality
monitoring system at Optiva, manufacturer of the popular Sonicare electric toothbrush, the
company moved to a new office building. Even though disruptions were anticipated, the IT
department moved the monitoring server to the new location and the supervisor team was up
and evaluating calls quickly.
Optivas call center supports international sales with 20 inbound customer service
reps and 30 outbound sales agents handling more than 18,000 calls a month. The ability to
improve agent performance by monitoring both voice and screen activity, and sharing these
call files in training sessions, has allowed the management team to cut the learning curve
for new employees in half. Agent turnover is minimal and the center experiences less than
a five percent abandon rate on an annual basis.
Myth #4: It wont work with technology we already have
in place. Todays quality monitoring systems are designed to work in standard
environments with open platform hardware solutions. The best systems will run with any of
the leading switch solutions and will reflect your organizations hardware
preferences, requiring only that you purchase an NT server on which to run the software.
Voice cards, storage solutions and CTI options are recommended based on compatibility with
your existing and proposed environments.
Myth #5: I still wont be able to share call information
with employees outside of the call center. Sharing call data with the outside
world is quite easy. For supervisors who choose to monitor calls from a remote
location, they simply dial into the quality monitoring server to analyze recordings and
forward records with their own comments embedded in the call. Similarly, remote agents may
dial in to review recordings with supervisor comments.
Additionally, a complete snapshot of performance, from an agents call records and
online evaluations to overall activity to integrated survey results, can be posted to Web
pages. This allows call center managers to drive valuable feedback to agents on a
consistent basis, and customer comments to enterprise departments, enabling decision
makers to monitor satisfaction levels and make better business decisions about products,
services and initiatives.
For nonsystem users, digital call recordings may also be sent via e-mail as .WAV files,
so decision makers outside the call center can listen to call records or other quality
monitoring feedback. Finally, a key advantage of a quality monitoring systems
client-server architecture is the ability for training departments to be centralized and
still have access to call records from distributed call centers.
Myth #6: Automated quality monitoring will impact agent
morale. Some call centers worry that a system designed to automatically record agent calls
will create a Big Brother atmosphere for employees struggling to improve. The
truth is, quality monitoring often significantly enhances training and improves morale by
placing evaluation processes on a level playing field. More consistent, random monitoring
helps ensure that all employees are monitored equally, in similar environments.
The data and statistics collected by automated quality monitoring systems can motivate
personnel when used in conjunction with incentive programs for employees. Identifying star
performers and rewarding them through recognition, bonuses, prizes, schedule preferences,
etc., are key elements in retaining strong, loyal employees. The scores compiled in an
automated system can ensure employees are rewarded in a fair and objective way.
In addition, managers can use quality monitoring systems to identify the top producers
in their call center and promote them to higher-level positions. This not only benefits
the company, but agents may also be empowered by the obvious career opportunities that
result from positive evaluations.
If youre interested in taking a closer look at quality monitoring, one of the
first things to do is to evaluate your operation and the way you plan to measure success.
What will represent a strong return for your investment? Higher first-call resolution
rates? Lower training costs? Lower abandonment rates?
Your automated quality monitoring provider will be able to help you determine if a
system makes sense for your environment. A good partner will help you identify where your
cost savings will occur, identifying the places where a quality monitoring system can
actually give time back to you. The result of collaboration with this partner should be
the justification you need to make an automated quality monitoring system your next
investment.
Rodney Kuhn is president and found-er of Envision Telephony. The companys
SoundByte Enterprise call center suite is an integrated quality monitoring system to
support Windows NT, and to integrate CTI with quality monitoring. Before establishing
Envision Telephony in 1994, Kuhn was the principal developer of CTI-enabled applications
for Active Voice, a supplier of PC-based voice processing systems. |