During a call center interaction between a representative and customer, a third participant sometimes monitors the call to ensure quality. This is called call calibration, and it is a very effective way to ensure that the quality of your customer service remains high. Businesses score the quality of the call using the call quality guidelines and quality monitoring form to provide representatives with feedback. If there is a problem with your call calibration, it will inevitably lead to customer service issues. Read the information below to determine if your call calibration is properly integrated with your coaching and scoring technique.
The Benefits of a Uniform Approach
Your calibration sessions will only be helpful if everyone has agreed to adhere to a single set of standards and objectives. If all participants have not agreed, there will be no uniform scoring method. It can take a while for your workers to adjust to a uniform set of guidelines, but once they do, your calibration sessions will allow you to enjoy the following benefits.
- Calls are measure consistently, regardless of which calibration professional scores it.
- Call monitors understand how to properly evaluate calls and adhere to performance standards and objectives.
- Representatives or agents receive fast, consistent feedback regardless of which QA monitor issues it.
- Calls are evaluated uniformly by all supervisors and QA monitors.
- Coaching improves because everyone is on the same page and uses the same approach.
Tips for Successful Calibration Sessions
There are numerous ways to ensure that your call calibration sessions are successful, including the following.
- Classify the nature of your calls, and select them according to your own QA needs.
- Devote at least one hour to each calibration session.
- If you need to determine which participants need coaching, send a copy of the recorded call to a QA monitor, and have them score it prior to the session independently. Record these independent scores for your own records.
- Have a single person give a summary of the call.
- Discuss variations in scores and review objectives with participants. Once a call is scored, ask the scorer for an explanation.
- Summarize lessons learned at the end of each session.
- Help each member understand whether or not they met the standards, and review the standards after each discussion.
- Take notes for future reference and for your own records.
- Prior to each session, go over the Call Quality Guide.
- Scores may vary, but you should always set an acceptable variance standard. Once the participants get used to the new guide, you can lower the window of variance to five points or less.
- If you are utilizing recorded calls, you may want to post the scores so that any variance will stand out. If you prefer to utilize live calls, you can have the participants score them one at a time. Just be sure that you go over the results with each scorer.
- Review the guide with participants before the start of each calibration session.
Following the tips above will help you make the most of your calibration sessions. It will also ensure that the participants have a non-confrontational and supportive environment to voice their opinions and concerns in.
This blog was first published on LinkedIn.
