Call centers have optimized their performance to meet ever-increasing customer demands over the years, and rightfully so. A loyal customer base is the linchpin of any business, and so are high-quality leads it might convert down the marketing funnel.
In order to reel new customers into your business and maintain the ones you already have, you must deliver quality customer experience through calls, messages, email, and other available channels. If your team is unable to rise up to the high standards of modern consumers, you’ll lag behind in the competition.
Your customers have likely received both terrible and excellent customer service during their lifetime, and call center agents must offer better service regardless of the option. According to top call center companies you should raise the bar by helping your agents keep track of their performance with thorough quality assurance metrics.
What is quality assurance?
Quality assurance (QA) benefits outbound call centers by measuring individual agent performance and the overall quality of service delivered according to business standards. Detailed analyses for each and every representative offer numbered insights regarding areas that need improvement, thus speeding up operations and optimizing the customer experience.
As an example, if several calls are abandoned due to long waits or a customer’s need to constantly repeat themselves to multiple representatives, agents will be conscious of this issue and work on improving that. By effectively managing key performance indicators (KPIs), representatives can reach daily metric goals as a group and contribute to a growing customer base.
What are some of the QA indicators?
The main call center KPIs include average handle time, first call resolution, and net promoter score. Quick calls aren’t proportional to resolved calls, and that’s why a low average handle time doesn’t always mean good service. There’s no point in being brief without solving the problem.
That’s a case where automation plays a major role: the deployment of artificial intelligence, such as interactive voice response (IVR) and chatbots, can really expedite the process. What would initially be a call full of questions and possible repetition becomes an easier, streamlined interaction.
Unfortunately, not all issues are resolved during the first call, although they should be. Whenever a customer calls, there’s either an issue or an inquiry, and they don’t have time to keep calling back. That’s one reason why over 30 percent of customers would rather chat with AI or via other channels than be on the phone with live agents: they’re hoping this one interaction solves their problem, and it often fails to do so. Not to mention that the more calls are answered, the more time you’ll have to help other customers with their requests.
Finally, the whole customer experience boils down to the possibility of a customer recommending your business to other people. In order to meet net promoter score goals, both average handle time and first call resolution must be considered as part of the experience. A satisfaction survey after each call will contribute to overall improvement, thanks to honest customer feedback about your interaction.
Productive agents lead to optimal performance
It’s easy to blame customer service representatives for poor service when you don’t see the big picture. Without contact center QA solutions, agents couldn’t possibly know which areas to work on, and the mediocre customer journeys would be stagnant.
The use of comprehensive dashboards, where agents can monitor their full performance for themselves, offers reciprocal advantages. As agents become empowered and productive, their customers reap the benefits of choosing a business that’s always looking to serve them well.
As a small or mid-size business owner, you can either offer what today’s customers expect and have a differentiator, or fall into the category of companies customers have dropped due to bad customer service experiences. Accurate QA metrics will give your employees the right tools for consistent and engaging touchpoints that keep getting better.