We monitor calls to ensure that minimum quality standards are achieved. However, call monitoring is not only for identifying problems and agent opportunities but also for detecting what is working and cascading it to the entire team.
Social media service is evolving and an increasing number of customers are reaching out through these channels, many more still turn to chat and inbound toll-free numbers for assistance. Omni-channel quality monitoring is an essential process to ensure that customers receive an exceptional customer experience no matter how they choose to interact with your business.
Here are a few tips that can help you improve quality monitoring:
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Ensure you get the small things correct
You already know the details of your operations and how your agents perform. To ensure consistent improvement — get the small things right. For example, verify that the agents have correct information about a product or service and responses to possible questions from customers. Also, ensure that agents are comfortable with and following prescribed interaction flow structure.
With the small things in place, you can use your time to work on the big issues.
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Don’t make the employees nervous
It’s natural for agents, especially newbies, to be apprehensive about having their interactions monitored. To get your employees engaged, you need to explain why you are carrying out monitoring. Emphasize your intention is to help them be successful and to ensure quality customer service is delivered. Your agents must clearly understand how monitoring benefits them or else you can expect challenges in adaptation. We have all used the acronym “WIIFM” and nothing will motivate people like knowing What’s In It For Me!
To help your employees buy into the idea of quality monitoring, make the exercise collaborative and inclusive. Allow the agent to own the solution. It will help your employees understand the process better and what is required of them as they interact with customers.
Remember to reprimand in private and praise in public. If you know there is a bad interaction, do not choose to play it in a calibration session that is attended by a large group. Take the agent into an individual coaching session to discuss the interaction whether it be a chat, call, or social media contact. The ideal coaching session takes no more than 15 minutes.
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Hire third party to monitor
When a professional third-party monitors your team, they will produce unbiased evaluations. If you run a large contact center, you will need to have an internal team of quality analysts as well. They should stay calibrated with your third-party quality team to ensure that both groups deliver consistent results. Make sure that your internal team members have the right skills to monitor and provide feedback to agents in order to maintain the company quality standards.
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Reward positive performance
Rewards are a great source of motivation. Come up with monthly awards like “quality agent of the month”. Non-monetary incentives oftentimes work as well as those with a cost to the company. The recognition of a “job well done” motivates employees to excel.
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Invest in coaching the agents
You must invest in training and coaching your agents. In addition to new hire training, ongoing product and soft skill training will enable your agents to continue to grow. The time and resources you invest in training your employees will bear fruits in quality customer service.
Also, use technology to guide your analysts and agents through the procedures. It might be costly at first, but in the long run, it will be worthwhile.
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Gather Feedback
It is not enough to set quality processes without a feedback gathering mechanism. Internal calibration meetings should include both agents and supervisors to allow for an open question and answer session.
Customer satisfaction surveys often tell the real picture. It can be surprising to learn that sometimes customers do not perceive the same quality of service that the internal team is assured they are providing.
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Monitor across multi-channels
Today’s customer interacts with contact centers via multiple channels. It is advisable to monitor all sales and service channels to make an informed assessment.
In conclusion, these seven tips will help you improve your quality monitoring. A quality interaction should provide an exceptional customer experience and showcase high performing teams.
Until next time!
This blog was published on LinkedIn.
