Evaluating agent performance
Module 3 - Categories for evaluating agents The Call Center Learning Center is excited to announce its 2004 series on Quality Monitoring. This series will pull from our most recent benchmarking findings and the Quality Monitoring Toolkit to illustrate best practices in quality monitoring. Module 1 introduced the series and provided some highlights from the 2004 report. Module 2 examined the nuts-and-bolts of quality monitoring - who is doing it, how often and using what method. Module 3 discusses the categories participants used to evaluate their agents and how to design your quality monitoring scorecard. Module 4 looks at improvement initiatives and the biggest changes centers are making to their programs. Module 5 concludes the series with tips for implementing or improving your own quality monitoring program.
Categories used to evaluate CSRs when monitoring calls Benchmarking participants in the 2004 study listed the following categories as those used to evaluate CSRs when monitoring calls:
Other areas evaluated included:
Developing your measurement scorecard Developing scorecard content is a crucial part of quality monitoring. The actual criteria by which you will assess your agents will vary somewhat depending on your call center. The level of quality monitoring you are performing will also affect these criteria. Call center benchmarking has consistently identified important aspects for selecting, grouping and scoring monitoring content. To compile scorecard criteria based on best practice findings, we take general input from call centers, and then organize and refine that input. The process begins with research involving more than 400 organizations that have provided input on the most important areas for quality monitoring. Key content areas are then identified, and the content areas are categorized and refined. Based on benchmark data, weighting is added to each category area to produce a template scorecard for quality monitoring that you can tailor to your specific needs.
Basic scorecard categories The four basic scorecard categories shown below effectively represent the entirety of any contact. At the same time, they represent the most important performance standards. Within each category, you should develop the actual criteria you will be evaluating for each contact. The high-level categories are:
Because every call center is different, you may choose to place varying degrees of emphasis on each category. According to benchmarking studies, the majority of call centers weighted these categories in the following manner:
The Quality Monitoring Toolkit provides a complete sample scorecard based on best practices and guidelines for developing and customizing your own scorecard.
Measurement methods Once you have established the criteria you are going to evaluate, you will need to decide upon a scoring system. There are many different ways you can score an evaluation, but when you break them down, they most likely fit into two basic methods:
Forty-seven percent of those surveyed (See Figure A) used a scorecard with a "Yes/No" scale, while 53% of the participants used a point system scale (e.g., 1 - 5). Some participants indicated the use of weighted categories to place emphasis on qualities of greater importance.
Figure A - Method for measurement
Many call centers successfully combine scoring systems. Some assessment criteria simply lend themselves to a Yes / No answer, while some criteria fit better with a sliding scale. When possible, use Yes / No for your scoring criteria on specific skills and sliding scales to assess overall effectiveness and performance. You may find yourself making changes to the scoring system as you get a better feel for what works best in your call center.
Sliding scale Sliding scale scoring methods are commonly used to reflect degrees of success or failure. We are all familiar with the numbered sliding scale:
Or:
Benefits:
Disadvantages:
Yes / No Yes / No scoring is a very black and white method for determining performance compliance. Many people like it because it is very clear and leaves no question as to whether an agent is performing his or her job properly. The Yes / No system may be represented as:
Benefits:
Disadvantages:
Coming next: biggest changes being made to quality monitoring
Recommended Resources: Buy the complete 2004 Call Center Benchmarking report for $189 - the new 2004 edition of the report includes a special new section on outsourcing and highlights the biggest changes in call center management and most important changes planned in the future. Quality Monitoring Toolkit - The Quality Monitoring Toolkit is the most comprehensive guide available for quality monitoring. Whether you are just starting a new program for monitoring contacts or need to overhaul your current call monitoring process, this toolkit provides definitive guidelines and templates for both phone and multi-media contact monitoring. Using research data from more than 400 call centers, the toolkit includes benchmarking results that will make your quality monitoring program a success. The toolkit includes:
|
