Rude, ill informed or in certain cases, excessively persistent call center agents, can put off any customer purchase or chances of referral/repurchase. Even badly maintained databases wherein customer details are not captured adequately stunt the effectiveness of the most carefully designed marketing program. Most importantly, how does one ensure that the call center staff (internal or outsourced) are actually adhering to the process and service guidelines as visualized and laid down by you? For most, the answer lies in implementing a quality assurance program.

What Is A Call Center Quality Assurance Program And What Can It Do For Your Business?

All research shows that customer loyalty is directly related to their evaluation of their purchase (or post purchase) experience. Some of the ways in which these programs improve this experience is as below:

Call Monitoring: Not only does this help in detecting and avoiding points of failure through feedback, the very act of monitoring improves staff interactions since they know that they are being recorded. With a large enough sample, the company can also study response trends and leverage that knowledge to improve sales.

Rewards And Recognition: Also known as the ‘carrot and stick’ policy, it can be administered in various ways including a variable pay which acts as a monetary incentive for agents to improve their call performance. The lack of such a program is sometimes a negative since harder working people don’t see the benefits and soon become average performers.

Clarity Of Goals And Shared Business Vision: Introducing metrics on response time, desk time vs. call time gives the agent and the management improved clarity on the job objectives. It also helps bring all the employees on the same page as regards business expectations, thus making them a stronger team.

Training: These programs address knowledge and language gaps and equip the agents with the sales tools that would enable them to be more efficient while doing their job. Sales trainings can be as extensive as required and can use course material, role play and soft skills.

Certifications: Available for both the staff and the company, it helps hire and retain the right talent at the optimal price. For the company, it helps attract the best employees, and conversely for the staffer, the best employers. There are levels along which individuals and companies can proceed as the individuals upgrade their skills.

Benchmarking – These programs help the business owner bridge gaps and compare his customer service quality with the best. In case the service is outsourced, benchmarking is a powerful tool to negotiate with vendors and employ the best services available giving that necessary edge to your business.

Whichever program you choose, it is important to communicate the objectives to your team in the most effective manner. Without their cooperation and active interest, the program would not yield the desired results. There is often large scale apprehension amongst employees about management intentions at the introduction of these programs. Care must be taken to manage employee sensitivities by sharing the advantages that these programs can bring to the business.