Try this analogy: Compare quality monitoring in your center to differing approaches to health management. One model awaits the presence of symptoms before bringing specialists into action to treat the disease. The other promotes health proactively for the whole body as a means to ward off problems. I’m all for the latter when it comes to maintaining my own health, and the health of a contact center. A good process with appropriate resources for execution is essential, but technology is the enabler that gets the job done right.
Here are some proven remedies to optimize QM technology and its application in the center, ensuring objective use of data for individuals and the organization.
FIRST: Create well-defined processes end-to-end and execute them consistently. Include scoring, calibration, reporting, trending, and feeding QM data into scorecards in these processes. Provide individual feedback in coaching sessions with specific actions for improvement. Use representative “best practices” calls to reinforce training principles and recognize excellence in service.
SECOND: Extend your vision beyond individual scoring and feedback. Think of QM as a key mechanism for promoting operational efficiency and competitive differentiation. Use your results to identify organization-wide improvements, such as training additions/changes, system enhancements (e.g., user interface, screen layout), and process improvements. That’s where the big bang for your QM buck lies.
THIRD: Take a holistic view of quality assurance. Capture voice and data and monitor all forms of contact. Screen capture shows how your reps use your systems and what they’re really doing when they put people on hold. The growth in use of other media suggests a need to include them in the QA process.
FINALLY: Integrate QM scoring with other performance tools. Use your workforce management system to decide when to score calls and when to provide feedback. Leverage eLearning to trigger action based on QA scores. Link your QA assessments with your customer satisfaction surveys to bring an external perspective to balance with your internal views. And when you’re ready to take the next step, build in speech analytics capability to add further value to your recordings and depth to the learning you glean from them.