Callcopy qa-guide

Contact Center QA Guide: Building a World-Class Quality Assurance Program

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About DMG Consulting LLC

DMG Consulting LLC is the leading analyst firm in the contact center and analytics markets. We are a strategic advisor to companies large and small. Our mission is to help companies build effective contact center and service environments that provide an outstanding customer experience. We achieve this goal by helping our clients leverage technology, process and people to optimize operational efficiency, sales and profits. Our actionable strategies and tactics effect change that enable companies to make strategic and tactical improvements with a rapid return on investment. Our customers include Global 2000 companies, government agencies, non‐profit organizations, and more than 150 contact center and analytics vendors. DMG Consulting LLC’s business strategists have an average of 20 years experience in customer experience management (CEM), customer relationship management (CRM), contact centers, building customer‐focused businesses and financial analysis. We understand the power of customer data and the contributions that quality management, recording, speech analytics, performance management, surveying, eLearning, coaching and workforce management systems make to the contact center and the entire enterprise. Our consulting experience with more than 2000 end‐user organizations and our hands‐on operational, technology and financial expertise give us deep insight into what customers want and need from enterprises and vendors. All rights reserved. This report is protected by United States copyright law and may not be copied, reproduced, displayed, published, transmitted or distributed in whole or in part in any form or medium without the express written permission of DMG Consulting LLC. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from this report. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of DMG Consulting LLC is prohibited. Substantial effort went into verifying and validating the accuracy of the information contained within this Report, however, DMG Consulting LLC makes no warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. DMG Consulting LLC is not liable for any damages, consequential or otherwise, arising from use of this information. Copyright © 2009 DMG Consulting LLC

© 2009 DMG Consulting LLC - i - May 2009 All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary .....................................................................................................1 1. Introduction .....................................................................................................2 2. What is Contact Center Quality Assurance? ......................................................3 3. Quality Assurance Program Benefits ................................................................6 4. Components of a QA Program..........................................................................7 5. Getting Started ..............................................................................................10 5.1 Creating a Quality Assurance Leadership Team.............................................. 15 5.2 Staffing QA Positions .....................................................................................16 5.3 Implementation Roadmap..............................................................................18

6. Developing a QA Evaluation Form ..................................................................21 6.1 Form Categories.............................................................................................24 6.2 QA Evaluation Form Questions.......................................................................25 6.3 Assigning Weights to QA Evaluation Forms ....................................................26 6.4 Validation....................................................................................................... 27 6.5 Example QA Evaluation Forms .......................................................................29

7. Quality Assurance Monitoring Criteria and Guidelines ....................................49 7.1 Quality Monitoring Criteria and Guidelines .....................................................49 7.2 Why are Quality Monitoring Criteria and Guidelines Necessary? .....................50

8. Calibration...................................................................................................... 51 8.1 What is Calibration?........................................................................................ 51 8.2 Benefits of Calibration.....................................................................................52 8.3 The Calibration Process .................................................................................. 53

9. Quality Assurance Program Mechanics and Processes ....................................55 9.1 Transaction Selection Criteria.........................................................................55 9.2 Determining the Number and Frequency of Evaluations .................................56 9.3 Coaching ........................................................................................................ 57 9.4 Evaluation Feedback and Escalation Process ..................................................59 9.5 Ongoing Training ...........................................................................................60 9.6 Addressing Agent Performance Issues............................................................61 9.7 Rewards and Recognition ...............................................................................64 9.8 Updating Procedures/Training........................................................................65 9.9 Monitoring Quality Assurance Reviewers.......................................................66 9.10 Reporting .......................................................................................................68 9.11 QA Database .................................................................................................. 75

10. Kicking Off the QA Program........................................................................... 76 10.1 Agent Training ............................................................................................... 77 10.2 QA Program Pilot ........................................................................................... 79

© 2009 DMG Consulting LLC - ii - May 2009 All rights reserved.

© 2009 DMG Consulting LLC - iii - May 2009 All rights reserved.

11. Advanced Quality Assurance Initiatives ..........................................................80 11.1 Surveying .......................................................................................................80 11.2 Customer Experience Monitoring ...................................................................80 11.3 First Call Resolution (FCR)...............................................................................81

12. Quality Management/Liability Recording Suites .............................................82 Appendix A: Procedure Format Sample .....................................................................86 Appendix B: Policy Format Sample ............................................................................89 About CallCopy..........................................................................................................90

© 2009 DMG Consulting LLC - iv - May 2009 All rights reserved.

Table of Figures

Figure 1: Quality Assurance Process............................................................................5 Figure 2: Quality Assurance Program Development Roadmap ..................................10 Figure 3: QA Implementation Roadmap....................................................................19 Figure 4: Common Quality Evaluation Form Sections/Categories ..............................24 Figure 5: Healthcare Customer Service QA Evaluation Form .....................................30 Figure 6: Technical Support QA Evaluation Form.......................................................34 Figure 7: Retail Contact Center QA Evaluation Form .................................................38 Figure 8: Sales Contact Center QA Evaluation Form..................................................42 Figure 9: Financial Services Customer Service QA Evaluation Form...........................45 Figure 10: The Calibration Process..............................................................................54 Figure 11: Coaching Methods ..................................................................................... 57 Figure 12: Average Contact Center QA Score: December 2008 ...................................68 Figure 13: Contact Center Average Scores by Evaluation Section: December 2008 .....69 Figure 14: Average Scores by Evaluation Question: December 2008........................... 71 Figure 15: Average QA Scores by Agent: December 2008 ........................................... 73 Figure 16: QA Scores by Agent by Evaluation: December 2008................................... 73 Figure 17: Average QA Scores by Agent by Category: December 2008........................ 74 Figure 18: QA Agent Training Outline......................................................................... 77 Figure 19: Workforce Optimization Suites ..................................................................83

© 2009 DMG Consulting LLC - 1 - May 2009 All rights reserved.

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Executive Summary

Contact center quality assurance (QA) is an ongoing business activity that provides

valuable insights into agent, customer and contact center service delivery performance and

opportunities. The primary goal of any QA program is to verify and ensure that a company’s

contact center services are being performed in a manner that meets or exceeds internal

requirements and customer expectations. At a fundamental level, QA programs measure

how well agents comply with internal policies and procedures and interact with customers in

phone, email and chat sessions. The more advanced QA programs go well beyond these

basics. They combine the results of customer satisfaction surveys with internal

measurements to provide a 360‐degree view of the customer experience. Well‐designed and

effective QA programs demonstrate a company’s commitment to its customers and agents,

and are essential for building world‐class contact centers. This Guide is a “cookbook” for

building a strong, effective and well‐received QA program. It is ideal for managers and

supervisors in contact centers of any size who are either building their first quality assurance

program or want to enhance an existing program.


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1. Introduction

Quality assurance isn’t an option for contact centers; it’s essential for the success of the

contact center, customer and agent satisfaction, improving agent and supervisor productivity and

effectiveness, and keeping management in touch with their staff’s performance. To achieve the best

results and foster confidence in the program, managers must ensure that they are evaluating the

right components of agent performance during customer interactions and using appropriate

measurements and weights. Building an effective QA program is an iterative, multi‐step process

that requires senior management support, planning and input, and buy‐in from all levels of contact

center staff. Automation is helpful for formalizing, standardizing and institutionalizing the initiative,

but QA a program will succeed only if the staff is on board and believes in its value.


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2. What is Contact Center Quality Assurance?

Contact center quality assurance, also known as Quality Management (QM), is a process

where managers, supervisors and QA specialists monitor and evaluate how well agents handle

customer transactions. The monitoring process includes a simultaneous review of a call and the

system screens used to handle the interaction. (If QA is being done on an email or a chat session, it

will review just the servicing screens and the content of the agent’s response.) QA can be done in a

real‐time mode where the supervisor or QA specialist “live monitors” calls. For live monitoring QA,

reviewers can either access calls through their automatic call distributor (ACD) technology, or can sit

next to agents and watch and evaluate them as they handle calls. QA is often performed on

recorded transactions.

There are pros and cons to both live monitoring and using recorded transactions. When live

monitoring, the QA specialist/supervisor can provide immediate feedback to the agent. This can

become an effective coaching opportunity, as the feedback is provided in real‐time when the call is

still fresh in the agent’s mind. On the other hand, doing QA from recorded transactions allows an

organization to schedule calls, making the process more efficient for the reviewer. It allows QA

specialists/supervisors to find interactions that require their attention, either because they are really

good or really bad, instead of wasting time on satisfactory calls. It allows the reviewer to be able to

carefully review the interaction/screens, including the ability to go back and re‐review a portion of

the interaction. And, lastly, it is an anonymous process, so agents are not aware that they are being

evaluated and will not necessarily be on their best behavior.

When doing QA, the reviewer completes an evaluation form that measures how the agent handled

each component of the call or online transaction. The form can be on paper or part of a QA system.

The fundamental purpose of QA programs is to measure how well agents adhere to contact center

departmental policies and procedures. Contact/call center managers have traditionally live

monitored or listened to recorded interactions in order to gauge agent performance and internally

evaluate the customer experience. To be effective, the program should be a formalized ongoing

process designed to:


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1. Measure agent adherence to internal policies and procedures

2. Improve consistency and quality of customer interactions across all

channels (telephone, email, chat/IM, etc.)

3. Assess business execution – detect and fix broken or inefficient

policies, processes or operational issues throughout the company

4. Improve agent performance

5. Identify agent training needs

6. Identify policies or processes that frustrate and alienate customers

7. Maximize every customer interaction

8. Identify business trends

9. Improve the customer experience

The underpinnings of a good QA program are consistency, accurate measurement, and a cycle of

continuous feedback resulting in improvements. An effective QA program provides the contact

center with a vehicle for measuring the quality and consistency of service delivery, capturing

customer insights, and identifying trends, service issues and training/coaching opportunities to

improve agent performance and productivity. Quality assurance is a dynamic and iterative process

that must be adapted as a business changes. See Figure 1.


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Figure 1: Quality Assurance Process

Source: DMG Consulting LLC, May 2009

Action Item: Identify the company’s reasons for performing contact center quality assurance. Build a program that delivers continuous feedback to the contact center and other operating departments.


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3. Quality Assurance Program Benefits

When quality assurance programs are well designed and used consistently, they yield great

benefits for customers, enterprises, contact centers and agents. The benefits include:

• Improved agent productivity, by reducing the average handle time of transactions

• Reduced operating expenses

• Better transaction quality

• Increased customer satisfaction

• Enhanced customer experience

• Identification of business opportunities, cross‐sell, up‐sell, new products and services

• Enhanced operating policies and procedures

• Reduced enterprise risk

• Improved agent satisfaction and reduced attrition

• Automated reporting for tracking and trending

Action Item: Set up a process for capturing, quantifying and reporting the benefits from your QA program. Be sure to share successes with agents, supervisors, managers and senior executives on an ongoing basis, so that everyone appreciates the program’s contributions.


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4. Components of a QA Program

While every company should customize their QA program to reflect their corporate culture

and values, the fundamental building blocks for contact center QA are standard across all

companies. Effective QA programs should include the following components:

• Procedures and policies: Document all existing transaction procedures and policies so that the

contact center staff knows the appropriate steps for handling all types of inquiries. QA

specialists/supervisors can also use the procedures and policies as a standard to make sure that

they are evaluating different transactions properly. It’s important to set up a process that keeps

the policies and procedures up‐to‐date.

• Quality monitoring criteria and guidelines: Specify the criteria to apply when evaluating

transactions and performing evaluations. The criteria should define what QA

specialists/supervisors are looking for in each type of contact center transaction. The easiest way

to create criteria is to use the contact center’s documented procedures and policies and note on

each the most important aspects for each type of transaction. It’s also a good idea to identify

agent actions that would cause them to lose points in a quality evaluation.

• Program mechanics: Define the mechanics of the QA program, including who (manager,

supervisor, team leader, QA specialist, trainer) is responsible for conducting evaluations, the

number and frequency of evaluations, how many coaching sessions per agent per month, and

how to select calls, emails and chat sessions for evaluation. (If a QA application is being used,

most of the mechanics will be automated, including the transaction selection process.)

• Training: Establish a closed‐loop training process that addresses new content, system issues,

updates and agent performance issues. The trainers and QA staff must work closely together to

ensure that the staff is fully trained. (In many small/mid‐sized contact centers, the same people

do both QA and training.) Prior to kicking off a QA program, all contact center staff – agents,

supervisors, QA specialists, trainers, managers – must be fully trained so that they know how to


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handle all types of customer interactions. If new or enhanced procedures and policies are

drafted to support the QA program, they should be reviewed with the staff before starting the

QA program. In addition to agent procedural training, it’s important to build a training program

that introduces the new or enhanced QA program to the staff. The more informed the staff is

about the program, the more effective the initiative.

• Coaching: Provide frequent feedback to agents about their performance. Feedback should

address where agents are performing well and areas where they have opportunities to improve.

Coaching is one of the critical success factors in QA programs and plays a very important role in

agent satisfaction and retention. However, as it can be very challenging to provide negative

feedback to agents, it’s important to train the QA staff to produce effective coaching sessions

and to make sure that management delivers coaching sessions consistently.

• Calibration: Build consistency into the QA program through calibration. Calibration is the

process of teaching all people involved in performing QA evaluations how to score transactions

on a consistent and equitable basis. To make a QA program fair for agents, it’s essential for all

QA reviewers to agree on the meaning and value of each question in a monitoring form. To

achieve consistency, it’s important to run calibration sessions where all reviewers listen to the

same call, score it, identify variance in scoring approaches, reconcile their differences, and set a

standard measurement that all will use going forward. The only way to reach consensus is to run

calibration sessions. Calibration is an ongoing process and should be run on a monthly basis. It’s

also a good idea to involve agents in the calibration process so that they can appreciate the

challenges associated with consistently evaluating transactions.

• Evaluation feedback: Provide a process to facilitate two‐way communication between agents

and reviewers. Agents need to have a mechanism for responding to their quality evaluations so

that they feel empowered and not “put upon.” They also need a formal process for filing

complaints when they believe that a QA reviewer is not being fair or is not listening to their

input. QA reviewers should welcome discourse, as it will ultimately yield a better and more

effective program.


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• Rewards and recognition: Recognizing and rewarding top performers is essential for the

success of a QA program. While agents should deliver outstanding performance because it’s

their job, recognizing when they do encourages them to keep up the good work and motivates

others to strive for recognition, as well. Rewards do not have to be large; they could include a

plaque, a parking spot, lunch with the CEO, a gift card, movie tickets, etc.

Action Item: Implement an “Executive QA” program, where senior managers from sales, marketing, operations and all other supporting areas sit with contact center agents as they handle calls. This has proven to create customer‐focused awareness and foster collaboration between departments. (Rapid process change is facilitated when senior executives hear first‐hand the impact of their processes and programs on customers.) When senior managers take this program seriously, it has a very positive impact on agent morale and satisfaction because it underscores the importance of their job.

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5. Getting Started

Figure 2 depicts a high‐level project plan for building a QA program. This figure provides the

high‐level steps that each organization should customize to meet the needs of their company. The

first step in the process is identifying and assigning resources to oversee and manage the program

on an ongoing basis. This step is critical because every company needs a champion to push the

program through, or it is unlikely to happen. (The project champion often becomes the manager or

supervisor responsible for the program.) It takes a significant amount of work to build a contact

center QA program and there must be an individual responsible for making sure that everyone

involved in the program is motivated and the project stays on track and on time.

Figure 2: Quality Assurance Program Development Roadmap


Pilot the program for 2 months and review results

Identify QA manager and reviewer staff

Communicate to all staff that a formal Quality Assurance program is under development

Develop the evaluation forms; determine section and question weights

Test the form using real calls, conduct calibration and refine the form as needed

Develop quality monitoring criteria and guidelines

Define the coaching and feedback process

Build Quality Assurance training program

Train all staff members on the Quality Assurance program

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

.

Adjust program and repeat pilot as needed

9

10

Implement the formal QA program11

Pilot the program for 2 months and review results

Identify QA manager and reviewer staff

Communicate to all staff that a formal Quality Assurance program is under development

Develop the evaluation forms; determine section and question weights

Test the form using real calls, conduct calibration and refine the form as needed

Develop quality monitoring criteria and guidelines

Define the coaching and feedback process

Build Quality Assurance training program

Train all staff members on the Quality Assurance program

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

.

Adjust program and repeat pilot as needed

9

10

Implement the formal QA program11 Implement the formal QA program11



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The 11 high‐level steps for building a QA program are explained below. It’s important to note that

departmental procedures for handling all types of customer transactions and inquiries should be

drafted or enhanced prior to developing the QA process.

Step 1: Identify resources from the contact center to serve as the QA manager and quality

review staff. (The QA manager will also play a major role in building or enhancing the program.)

Ideally the manager should have prior experience in setting up and running a QA program and

conducting contact center QA evaluations. Minimally, the QA reviewer(s) must demonstrate

complete and accurate knowledge of all contact center policies, procedures and systems, as well

as having excellent interpersonal and coaching skills. The number of resources dedicated to the

process varies based on the size of the contact center.

Step 2: The institution of a formal QA program should be communicated to all staff members as

early as possible. The success of the program depends upon agent cooperation, which will be

enhanced if agents are invited to participate in program development and all changes are clearly

communicated. Communication should include information about why the program is being

developed, roles and responsibilities, impact on agents (their reviews, raises, and incentives),

and program benefits.

Step 3: Develop the quality evaluation forms. Typically, managers create one for each channel

supported (phone, email, chat), and/or one for different call classifications, i.e. service, sales,

collections, fraud, etc. Once the number and types of forms are decided, determine the sections

required in each form, i.e., opening, verification, problem resolution, communications, closing,

and then write the questions for each section. Once the sections and questions are drafted,

assign weights to each question and possibly to each section, reflecting their relative

importance. It’s easiest to use a 100‐point scale but this is not a requirement.

Step 4: Using real calls, test the evaluation forms to ensure all call components that need to be

measured are captured and that the intended goals are achieved fairly and accurately. Conduct

calibration sessions involving supervisors and QA specialists to ensure that everyone

participating in the QA program is using the form correctly and with the same rigor, consistently


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and fairly across all questions. It generally takes a few calibration sessions to finalize the

questions and weights for each evaluation form.

Step 5: Document the quality monitoring evaluation criteria and guidelines for how to apply

them.

Step 6: Define the agent coaching and feedback process. Coaching is considered the most

effective method for training adults; it should take place in a one‐on‐one personalized session

with an agent. During coaching sessions, agents should receive specific and targeted feedback

to learn what they are doing well as well as the areas where they can improve. This is a critical

part of successfully managing agents and motivating them to improve their performance.

Step 7: Build the QA training program. Training should include an in‐depth review of the quality

monitoring process and QA form, evaluation criteria and metrics/measurements, frequency and

number of evaluations conducted, scoring methodology, how to access, review and respond to

evaluations, and how to provide feedback to improve the program. Optionally, the QA training

program may also include a review of documented policies, procedures and guidelines that

govern agents’ behavior in processing transactions or advising customers.

Step 8: Train staff on the QA program. Roll out the training program so all agents and other

relevant contact center staff – managers, supervisors, trainers, QA specialists, agents, and

possibly participants from other departments – become familiar and comfortable with the new

program. If possible, conduct calibration sessions with agents during the training session to

demonstrate application of the quality criteria and use of the evaluation form. (Note: Be sure to

ask the agents whose calls will be used during calibration for their permission.) Agents who

understand how their calls are being evaluated and know what is expected of them are more

likely to perform well.

Step 9: Pilot the QA program and monitor results. The pilot provides an opportunity to see what

works and what needs to be enhanced. It also gives QA reviewers and agents an opportunity to

get accustomed to the program.


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DMG recommends a 2‐ to 3‐month pilot to work the kinks out of the process and give everyone

time to get used to the new program before going live.

Step 10: Adjust the program throughout the pilot and, if changes are significant enough, it may

make sense to keep the pilot going longer. This step allows time to refine the program before it

is formally launched. Based on participant feedback and pilot results, the QA manager should

revise processes, evaluation criteria, evaluation forms, metrics, mechanics, etc. The pilot should

be run for as long as necessary to test all components of the QA program, including conducting

calibration exercises.

Step 11: Implement the QA program. Launch the program and begin to execute the QA

processes on a daily basis. QA reviewers should work closely with management, supervisors and

trainers to review quality assurance results and identify areas for training and development.

Periodic reviews to evaluate the QA process should be conducted to ensure compliance with

ever‐evolving procedures, policies and protocols. It is also a good idea to establish a reward

program or agent appreciation events, so that management can show special recognition for

outstanding employee performance based on QA program reviews.

After the QA program is implemented, contact centers should consider doing the following activities

on a monthly basis. They are not a requirement but will help to enhance agent moral and improve

the results of your QA program.

• Conduct monthly calibration sessions with all supervisors/QA reviewers to ensure program

consistency.

• Conduct monthly agent team meetings to review QA results and do group training, as

necessary.

• Have QA reviewers and trainers meet on a monthly basis to review training needs and

other improvement opportunities uncovered in the QA process. (In many contact centers,

the QA specialists and trainers speak daily.)


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• Publish a monthly QA newsletter (or other vehicle) with quality tips to help the

department achieve quality goals. The newsletter should also recognize top performers.

Action Item: Implement a process where top‐performing agents conduct side‐by‐side training sessions with agents who are not meeting their potential and are “under ‐performing”. Agents learn best from their peers. Using the top performers for this activity will recognize their outstanding performance and help get them on board in support of management objectives.


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5.1 Creating a Quality Assurance Leadership Team

Building an effective QA program is an iterative process that requires senior management

support, in addition to thorough planning, input and buy‐in from all levels of contact center staff. It’s

a best practice to form a QA leadership team with representation from all contact center

constituents including managers, supervisors, trainers, agents, and possibly other departments,

such as marketing and sales. This team could be led by the head of QA or the contact center

director. This is a good way to keep the head of the contact center engaged in the QA program on an

ongoing basis.

Action Item: Use the quality assurance monitoring process to identify areas for business process optimization. Establish a cross‐functional team to address contact center and enterprise business process opportunities identified during the quality monitoring process. This team should work together to change business processes that upset customers.


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5.2 Staffing QA Positions

The success of any QA program is largely dependent upon the commitment and skills of the

quality assurance specialist who administers the program and coaches agents. Quality assurance

specialists must be highly skilled individuals who possess outstanding job knowledge and excellent

communication, interpersonal and coaching skills. Because a vast amount of job knowledge is

required for this role, most contact centers staff these positions by promoting agents who

demonstrate exceptional job knowledge and call handling skills. (Other contact centers transfer a

supervisor or manager into this position.) However, being an outstanding customer service or sales

representative is not the same as knowing how to deliver effective one‐on‐one feedback to coach

and motivate a contact center agent. The ability to coach is not innate, and generally has to be

taught. QA specialists should have the following skills and knowledge:

• Job knowledge: To accurately, effectively, and objectively evaluate agents, quality

assurance specialists must possess strong knowledge of all products, services, systems,

processes and procedures. If quality assurance specialists are hired externally, they should

be required to complete a comprehensive training course that includes in‐depth coverage

of all products, services, policies procedures and guidelines that agents are required to

adhere to when processing transactions or advising customers.

• System knowledge: Quality assurance specialists must be fully trained and knowledgeable

about all systems that agents use to handle customer inquiries or process orders.

Additionally, they must be fully trained to navigate the quality management application so

that they can search, retrieve and play back calls, create evaluations, and respond to

agents’ evaluation feedback. QA specialists should also be trained to access and use

reports from the quality application as well as to create ad hoc reports.

QA program mechanics: Quality assurance specialists must possess a strong understanding

of the quality monitoring process, including how to select calls/emails/chat sessions, the

number/frequency of evaluations that they are required to do, and how to coach agents.


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• QA criteria/calibration: To maintain measurement integrity, it’s essential for all QA

specialists to uniformly apply quality monitoring criteria when evaluating calls. All QA

reviewers should be thoroughly trained to complete evaluations in a consistent manner.

The success and effectiveness of the program and its reception by agents depends upon

the ability to consistently, objectively and fairly evaluate contact center interactions. To

achieve these essential goals, it’s also recommended that calibration sessions be

conducted with all quality reviewers on a monthly basis.

• Coaching/motivation: QA specialists must demonstrate strong interpersonal and coaching

skills so that they can work one‐on‐one with agents to recognize areas of strengths as well

as provide directed feedback on areas that require improvement. All quality assurance

specialists should be required to take courses in effective coaching methods and

motivation techniques.

Action Item: When staffing QA programs, use highly respected staff members with strong product, service, system knowledge and expertise in coaching when staffing QA programs. Agents are more welcoming of feedback from people they respect.


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5.3 Implementation Roadmap

Once the leadership team is established and the quality manager and staff have been

appointed, a detailed breakdown of all program deliverables should be developed and assigned to

the responsible parties. Figure 3 provides a list of the required tasks, recommendations for

ownership of each initiative, and estimated time frames for completion. The tasks reflected in Figure

3 have already been discussed in other sections of this Guide. They are repeated here in order to put

them into a project plan and to show the responsible party and estimated time frame.

DMG recommends using this list of initiatives to build a detailed project plan. Your project plan will

likely include other steps and initiatives that are important for your organization. Once the project

plan is drafted, review it and get the buy‐in for all involved parties, particularly those assigned tasks,

to make sure that they are committed and able to dedicate time to the projects. It’s also a good idea

to have a weekly project review meeting to assess progress and to address items that are slipping. It

is ideal, but not necessary for senior contact center management to participate in the weekly

progress meeting. However, if a contact center manager is not able to participate in the weekly

meetings, the project manager should make an effort to keep him/her updated on the team’s

progress.


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Figure 3: QA Implementation Roadmap Task/Initiative Responsibility Timeframe Status Development Phase Communicate to all staff that a quality assurance program is under development and will soon be implemented; communication should be frequent

Contact Center Director

2 days

Promote or hire a QA specialist and quality reviewers

Contact Center Director

3 weeks

Develop a call monitoring evaluation form (Note: In multi-channel contact centers, a QA form will need to be created and tested for each channel)

Quality Assurance Leadership Team

2 weeks per form

Test the form using real calls to ensure that all call elements that need to be evaluated are captured

QA Manager and reviewers

2 days

Document quality monitoring evaluation criteria and guidelines for how to apply them


2 weeks

Determine weights for each section of the monitoring form


1 week

Test the form(s) using real calls to validate sections, questions, weights and ranges


1 week

Hold calibration sessions with agents, supervisors and managers to make sure everyone uses the evaluation form the same way


2 weeks

Enhance QA evaluation form based on input from calibration team

QA Manager and reviewers

3 days

Determine the volume of transactions (calls, emails, chat sessions, other) to be monitored per agent/month


1 day

Decide who will be conducting the evaluations (quality assurance specialists, supervisors, or both)


1 day

Conduct calibration sessions to ensure rating reliability and consensus of all reviewers


2 weeks

Define the agent coaching process QA Manager, contact center managers, supervisors and reviewers

1 day

Develop a process with an escalation/review procedure for agents to provide feedback or dispute evaluations


1 day

Develop reports to support the QA process; if using a QA application, build the reports in the application


2 weeks

Test reports QA Manager 1 week


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Figure 3: QA Implementation Roadmap Task/Initiative Responsibility Timeframe Status Development Phase

Train all QA specialists to use the QA application and reports

QA Manager 2 days

Develop QA training program QA Manager and trainers

3 weeks

Train all contact center staff on the quality assurance program

QA Manager and trainers

Variable depending on size of staff and program length

Kick off the program Contact Center Director/QA Manager

1 day

Pilot program for 2 to 3 months and review results Quality Assurance Leadership Team

2 – 3 months

Revise departmental Agent Performance Evaluation form to include quality monitoring metrics

Quality Assurance Leadership Team/HR

1 week

Implement QA program Contact Center Leadership Team

On-going

Establish a process for identifying and recognizing agents who achieve quality monitoring excellence

Contact Center Leadership Team

2 weeks

Perform monthly calibration sessions QA Manager, all QA reviewers

Monthly/ on-going

Conduct monthly training sessions Trainer Monthly/ on-going

Create and issue monthly QA newsletter QA Manager Monthly/ on-going

Have QA staff meet with training to enhance training programs

QA Manager and trainers

Monthly/ on-going

Action Item: Involve all levels of contact center staff in creating the program to avoid unnecessary skepticism and surprises. This will help agents appreciate the positive aspects of the QA program and speed up adoption.


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6. Developing a QA Evaluation Form

When managers think about developing a QA program, one of the first things they must

consider is creating a QA evaluation form. The evaluation form is the most visible component of the

program and is necessary for all QA programs, whether an organization is doing QA manually or

using an automated system.

The QA evaluation form needs to capture all interaction components that a contact center wants to

measure. Its questions and weights should reflect the culture of the company and what is most

important to their service strategy. In general, QA evaluation forms contain the following

components:

1. Call/evaluation details

Examples: Name of agent, date of transaction, reviewer name, date of evaluation, call type,

customer identifier (account number, social security number, etc.)

2. Sections (skill categories)

Examples: Call opening/closing, verification, product/plan knowledge, procedure

knowledge, system knowledge, hold/mute/transfer, communication skills, resolution skills,

etc.

3. Questions (to objectively assess skill proficiencies)

Examples: Did the representative identify the caller according to the verification policy prior

to releasing information? Did the representative log a summary of the call according to the

policy?

4. Scoring

Point values for each question and section of the evaluation form; includes point values,

points available, and points earned. Point values should be assigned based on the relative

importance of each section and question to the business and the customer.


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5. Coaching comments

Free‐form text box to allow reviewers to provide feedback on performance excellence or

opportunities.

6. Recommendations

Free‐form text box to allow reviewers to document an action or follow‐up items for agents

to complete. Examples: taking a specific eLearning course, reviewing specific procedures,

recommendations, etc.

7. Acknowledgement (optional)

Signature boxes so that the reviewer and agent can sign off and acknowledge that they had

a discussion.

After learning how to create a QA evaluation form and deciding what sections are required, it’s

relatively easy to modify an existing form or draft a new one. However, creating one for the first

time can be daunting. Therefore, we suggest getting started with an existing QA form and then

modifying it to meet the organization’s specific needs. The easiest way to obtain sample quality

evaluation forms is by asking a QA vendor, another contact center manager, or a consulting firm.

(Most vendors have sample forms and are generally happy to share them, particularly if they think

you are interested in purchasing their solution.)

While it’s relatively easy to obtain a sample QA evaluation form, the catch is that there is no "one

size fits all" form. For example, a technical help desk needs a different QA evaluation form from a

sales or customer service contact center. The QA evaluation form should be customized to meet the

needs of each particular contact center.


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Here are a few best practices to employ when developing QA evaluation forms:

Involve all levels of your staff – agents, supervisors, trainers and managers.

Develop a separate QA form for each channel that you will be monitoring. Test

your QA form(s) using real transactions and refine them before putting them into

production.

Assign weights that correspond to the importance of all categories on your QA

form. Importance may be relative to the channel of communication, customer

and/or the business.

Include a comments box for each section of the evaluation so that coaching

comments on performance strengths and opportunities and agent feedback can

be captured.

Action Item: To modify or create a QA evaluation form, start with an existing or sample form. Then listen to a selection of different call types. While “scoring” these calls, identify form components that need to be changed or added to fit your environment. (This process applies to emails, chats or other types of transactions received by the contact center.)


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6.1 Form Categories

Figure 4 provides an example of sections or categories typically found in a QA form for calls.

It also includes example criteria that can be used to evaluate if an agent properly performed a

particular skill. Depending on how the form is structured, sections can be established based on skills,

call flow, competencies, or call segments. In Figure 4 below, the sections are based on skills.

Figure 4: Common Quality Evaluation Form Sections/Categories


Action Item: Be sure to include a section in the evaluation form to reflect how well the agent performed in regard to compliance or disclosure regulations (if applicable).

Quality Evaluation Form

Call Opening/Closing

Is there a policy/procedure/service issue that prevented First Contact Resolution?

Demonstrated thorough knowledge of product/part/services/warranty, etc.

Effectively accessed information on system; utilized all appropriate systems to obtain information

Use hold/transfer effectively and only as necessary

Did the agent do everything possible to ensure a callback was not necessary?

Spoke clearly and confidently

Accurately diagnosed problem/issue

Obtained verification prior to releasing information according to established data security procedures

Provided name/company name; thanked the customer for calling or purchasing [brand] products

Is there a policy/procedure/service issue that prevented First Contact Resolution?

Demonstrated thorough knowledge of product/part/services/warranty, etc.

Effectively accessed information on system; utilized all appropriate systems to obtain information

Use hold/transfer effectively and only as necessary

Did the agent do everything possible to ensure a callback was not necessary?

Spoke clearly and confidently

Accurately diagnosed problem/issue

Obtained verification prior to releasing information according to established data security procedures

Provided name/company name; thanked the customer for calling or purchasing [brand] products

Demonstration of System Knowledge/Usage

Demonstration of Product Knowledge and Information

Hold/Transfer Procedure

Verification

Demonstration of Resolution Skills

Communication Skills

Agent First Contact Resolution (FCR)

Business Process FCR


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6.2 QA Evaluation Form Questions

After identifying the right sections/skills to include in the QA form, the next step is to create

a concise list of questions that captures the elements associated with demonstrating competency in

each skill. The goal is to write questions that allow QA reviewers to completely and objectively

assess agent performance.

Once the initial list of questions is developed for each section of the form, have a team of supervisors

and QA reviewers test the form by trying it out on a few calls or emails. It will typically take at least

ten rewrites of the questions before an evaluation form is complete. This exercise helps surface gaps

and identifies overlaps and redundancies in questions. Revise the form based on test results, and

retest it until the form successfully addresses all requirements. (You will know the form works when

there is a place to address every aspect of a call or email.)

Action Item: Test the QA form with real calls or emails. Make sure there is a place on the form to address everything that can happen in a call or email. This will surface confusing or ambiguous components of the form.


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6.3 Assigning Weights to QA Evaluation Forms

Once the form content is finalized, it’s time to select a scheme for assigning weights to the

questions and/or sections of the evaluation. The simplest approach is to go with a 100 point scale.

While there are many scoring methodologies, the most basic way is to assign a point value to each

section on the form and distribute the points among the questions in that section. For example, the

communications skill section may be assigned a total of 20 points, which are distributed among the

four questions in the section. While points can be distributed equally throughout a section or the

entire QA evaluation form, we suggest that they be assigned based on the relative importance of

each section and each question. Importance may be relative to the channel of communication,

customer and/or the business. After preliminary weights are distributed, the form should be tested

again by evaluating and scoring actual transactions. Points are generally reconsidered and

redistributed during testing. It’s also important to consider that in some interactions, not all

components of the form are applicable (for example, not every call includes a hold or transfer). The

scoring on the forms shown in Section 6.5 was designed to include “Not Applicable” (N/A) as a

consideration; if a particular question on the form is not applicable to the interaction being

evaluated, the question is marked N/A. The points are not available to be achieved, nor do they

affect the total score. Overall evaluation scores are calculated as follows:

Total points achieved ⁄ Total points available = QM evaluation score

For example: 76 points achieved / 84 points available = 90.4%

Action Item: When assigning weights to the form, it’s also a good idea to identify and define the serious errors that will result in a full and automatic failure of an evaluation form section or an entire evaluation.


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6.4 Validation

Validation of the metrics associated with each category of the quality assurance form is an

important step in developing the quality assurance program. Metrics are typically validated by

testing the proposed weights against baseline quality measurements that have already been

established.

When modifying an existing QA evaluation form, the new form can be validated by using it to re‐

evaluate transactions that had previously been scored using a different QA form. If no quality

measurement baseline exists, initial testing sessions should validate QA scores based on agent

performance. So, top performers should receive high scores, average performers should be in the

mid‐range, and poor performers should have low scores.

Once the point values are validated and coming out as expected, the next step is to determine how

QA evaluation scores equate to the performance ratings used by the organization in its annual

review process. For example:

Excellent: 89% and above

Good: 80‐88%

Average: 71‐79%

Needs Improvement: 70% and below

The scoring ranges above are typical for many contact center QA programs. The ranges should be

high enough so that an excellent transaction is clearly identifiable, but not so high so that few agents

can attain an excellent rating. As a result, it’s often a good idea to start with one range and then as

agents get accustomed to the QA program and their quality improves, tighten the ranges. So, for

example, when a QA program is first kicked off, excellent may be anything above 85%. However,

since most customers are not likely to think that 85% is excellent, the range should be narrowed to

anything above either 89% or 90% a few months into the program.


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Be sure to communicate to agents exactly what is happening with the ranges – starting easy to give

them a chance to become accustomed, and then bringing them to a level that will better meet

customer expectations – so that the staff does not think that management is just giving them a hard

time. Be sure to set expectations and communicate clearly at all stages of the program to get the

staff’s support.

Once the final program is rolled out, agents should have a two‐ to three‐month grace period to

become accustomed to the program, criteria and scoring before they are held accountable for QA

scores; this will minimize any claims of “unfairness” within the shop, as the staff will have had an

extended period of time to adjust to the program requirements. During this period, QA evaluations

and coaching sessions are performed, but are not counted toward agents’ annual evaluations.

Action Item: Review and enhance your QA evaluation forms periodically —minimally, every 9 to 12 months to keep them in sync with your business and customers’ expectations.


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6.5 Example QA Evaluation Forms

This section includes 5 example QA forms; all were provided by CallCopy and are included in their

library of forms. The first form, Figure 5, is a generic QA evaluation form intended for an inbound

customer service contact center. Figure 6 is targeted for a healthcare contact center. Figures 7, 8, 9

are designed for technical support, retail, and travel services contact centers, respectively. Use these

forms as examples for getting started, but customize them to reflect the needs and priorities of your

organization.


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Figure 5: Customer Service QA Evaluation Form

Description: Though intended for use by an inbound customer service organization, this form can be

used by many verticals.

Customer Service Evaluation Details

Agent Name: Call Date: Evaluator Name: Evaluation Date: Section 1: Greeting (5 points) Point Values Score Used approved greeting 3 - Yes

0 - No (Auto-fail section)

Tone of voice was upbeat and professional 2 - Exceeds Expectations 1 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations

Subtotal Comments:

Section 2: Account Management/System Usage (15 points) Point Values Score Verified caller and customer account information correctly

5 - Yes 0 - No (Auto-fail form) NA

Efficiently used tools properly 5 - Exceeds Expectations 3 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations NA

Updated account information correctly as needed

5 - Yes 0 - No

Subtotal Comments:

Section 3: Issue Resolution (32 points) Point Values Score Identified customer’s issue quickly 3 - Yes

0 - No NA

Correctly resolved customer’s issue(s) 10 - Yes 0 - No (Auto-fail form) NA


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Followed correct call escalation process 3 - Yes 0 - No NA

Used proper hold procedures (asked customer to be placed on hold, checked back in regular intervals, thanked customer for holding)

3 - Yes 0 - No NA

Transferred call to the appropriate department or representative

3 - Yes 0 - No NA

Effectively explained resolution to customer 5 - Exceeds Expectations 3 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations NA

Provided proper alternatives 2 - Exceeds Expectations 1 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations

Set correct expectations for follow up as promised

3 - Yes 0 - No NA

Subtotal Comments:

Section 4: Product Knowledge (15 points) Point Values Score Demonstrated thorough knowledge of the product

5 - Yes 0 - No NA

Gave accurate information 10 - Yes 0 - No

Subtotal Comments:


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Section 5: Communication Skills/Soft Skills (26 points) Point Values Score Maintained a positive tone throughout the call 3 - Exceeds Expectations

2 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations

Avoided using jargon 2 - Exceeds Expectations 1 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations

Effectively controlled the call 3 - Exceeds Expectations 2 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations

Demonstrated professional call etiquette (please, thank you)

3 - Exceeds Expectations 2 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations

Communicated at the caller’s level 3 - Exceeds Expectations 2 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations

Demonstrated active listening skills 3 - Exceeds Expectations 2 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations

Avoided rude behavior 5 - Yes 0 - No (Auto-fail section)

Demonstrated confidence 2 - Exceeds Expectations 1 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations

Appropriately and effectively expressed empathy and sympathy

2 - Exceeds Expectations 1 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations NA

Subtotal Comments:

Section 6: Closing (7 points) Point Values Score Thanked customer for calling 2 - Yes

0 - No NA

Asked for additional issues 2 - Yes 0 - No

Used approved closing 3 - Yes 0 - No (Auto-fail section) NA

Subtotal Comments:


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Section 7: Notes Agent Strengths:

Agent Weaknesses:

Agent Recommendations:

Form Total:

Acknowledgements:

Agent:

Evaluator:

Source: CallCopy, Inc.


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Figure 6: Healthcare QA Evaluation Form

Description: This form is for use by an inbound customer service organization that handles insurance

claims. The calls may address program eligibility, claims status and dipositioning, program benefits

and coverage.

Healthcare Evaluation Details




Subtotal Comments:

Section 2: Account Management/System Usage (15 points) Point Values Score Verified caller identity correctly


Efficiently used tools 5 - Exceeds Expectations 3 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations NA


5 - Yes 0 - No

Subtotal Comments:


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0 - No NA




3 - Yes 0 - No NA


3 - Yes 0 - No NA




3 - Yes 0 - No NA

Subtotal Comments:


10 - Yes 0 - No NA

Gave accurate information 10 - Yes 0 - No (Auto-fail form)

Subtotal Comments:


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Subtotal Comments:


0 - No NA


Subtotal Comments:


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Agent Weaknesses:


Form Total:

Acknowledgements:

Agent:

Evaluator:



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Figure 7: Technical Support QA Evaluation Form

Description: This form is intended to be used by an inbound customer service organization that

provides technical support. Inquiries may address a wide range of issues such as parts, service,

general product information, authorized service repair shops, warranties, detailed technical support,

troubleshooting, etc.

Technical Support Evaluation Details




Subtotal Comments:

Section 2: Account Management/System Usage (20 points) Point Values Score Verified caller identity correctly


Efficiently used tools 5 - Exceeds Expectations 3 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations NA


5 - Yes 0 - No

Documented issue and resolution (or next steps) in CRM appropriately


Subtotal Comments:


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0 - No NA




3 - Yes 0 - No NA


3 - Yes 0 - No NA




3 - Yes 0 - No NA

Subtotal Comments:


10 - Yes 0 - No NA


Subtotal Comments:


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Subtotal Comments:


0 - No NA


Subtotal Comments:


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Agent Weaknesses:


Form Total:

Acknowledgements:

Agent:

Evaluator:



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Figure 8: Retail Contact Center QA Evaluation Form

Description: This form is to be used by an inbound retail contact center.

Retail Evaluation Details




Subtotal Comments:



Efficiently used tools properly 5 - Exceeds Expectations 3 - Meets Expectations 0 - Fails Expectations NA


5 - Yes 0 - No NA

Subtotal Comments:


0 - No NA




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3 - Yes 0 - No NA


3 - Yes 0 - No NA




3 - Yes 0 - No NA

Subtotal Comments:


5 - Yes 0 - No NA

Stipulated payment terms correctly; stated refund policy

5 - Yes 0 - No NA


Subtotal Comments:








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Subtotal Comments:


0 - No NA


Used approved closing, referring customer to website

3 - Yes 0 - No (Auto-fail section) NA

Subtotal Comments:


Agent Weaknesses:


Form Total:

Acknowledgements:

Agent: Evaluator:



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Figure 9: Travel QA Evaluation Form

Description: This form is for use by an inbound contact center that addresses travel‐related inquiries

such as bookings, accommodations and/or services provided.

Travel Evaluation Details




Subtotal Comments:



Efficiently used tools properly - quickly located



5 - Yes 0 - No NA

Subtotal Comments:


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0 - No NA




3 - Yes 0 - No NA


3 - Yes 0 - No NA




3 - Yes 0 - No NA

Subtotal Comments:

Section 4: Product and Services Knowledge (15 points) Point Values Score Demonstrated thorough knowledge of the product

5 - Yes 0 - No NA

Correctly explained payment and billing policy

5 - Yes 0 - No NA

Correctly explained cancellation policy, stipulated proper time frames and fees

5 - Yes 0 - No NA

Subtotal Comments:


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Subtotal Comments:


0 - No NA

Directed customer to check website for updates

2 - Yes 0 - No



Subtotal Comments:


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Agent Weaknesses:


Form Total:

Acknowledgements: Agent:

Evaluator:



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7. Quality Assurance Monitoring Criteria and Guidelines

Quality assurance monitoring guidelines specify the criteria to be used by QA specialists and

reviewers in determining if an agent properly demonstrated a skill during a transaction. They also

indicate which section of the form to use when scoring the various components of the interaction.

7.1 Quality Monitoring Criteria and Guidelines

The quality monitoring criteria define sections, questions and skills that are captured in the

quality evaluation form. They describe how a skill should be demonstrated so that QA reviewers

know how to objectively evaluate and score an interaction. For example, if a question on the

evaluation form is intended to determine if an agent established rapport with a customer, the

criteria must define what building customer rapport means, i.e., addressing the customer by name

throughout the call or acknowledging an event that the customer mentioned in the course of the call

(anniversary, birthday, vacation plans, etc.). Please keep in mind that the meaning of building a

rapport at one company may be the opposite in another. While some companies may want their

customers to call their customers by their first name, others may insist that only a title and the last

name be used.

The criteria should also reflect which section and questions in the QA evaluation form should be

used to score the various call elements. While this may seem obvious, it is often quite difficult.

Consider this example: A quality monitoring form has the following three questions in the

communication skills section: Demonstrated effective listening skills? (3 points), Expressed empathy

and concern as appropriate? (1 point), and Established rapport with the customer? (2 points). If

during the course of a call a customer mentions that they were recently hospitalized and the agent

does not acknowledge that, where should this issue be captured and scored in the prior three

questions? The answer is that as long as it is consistently addressed in the same question, it doesn’t

matter. The quality monitoring criteria must specify where the issue needs to be addressed.

Action Item: Assign a member of the quality assurance review team to be responsible for overseeing the quality monitoring criteria and maintaining them, as required.


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7.2 Why are Quality Monitoring Criteria and Guidelines Necessary?

Quality monitoring criteria and guidelines take the “guesswork” out of figuring out the right

way to evaluate and score a transaction. The guidelines standardize the use of QA evaluation forms,

allowing QA reviewers to handle each transaction objectively and consistently. They also safeguard

against “double‐dipping” – a term used by agents to refer to a situation where they have lost points

for more than one question on a QA evaluation for the same issue. These issues are flushed out and

resolved during the testing and calibration process.

Action Item: Invest time up front to develop clear and concise quality monitoring criteria and guidelines. This yields a standardized approach and helps minimize misunderstandings about how to conduct QA evaluations.


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8. Calibration

Calibration, a method for building consensus and delivering a standardized evaluation tool,

is key to the success of all QA programs. It is a process intended to ensure that QA results are valid

and based on reliable measurement tools. For a QA program to be credible and produce accurate

and dependable results, it’s essential that all reviewers evaluate transactions on a consistent basis.

Calibration is not a one‐time event. To keep all evaluators synchronized, calibration must be done on

an ongoing basis and include all people involved in conducting evaluations. It’s also a great way to

build camaraderie and support for a QA initiative. Calibration should be conducted on a monthly

basis. If a contact center is a multi‐site environment, all sites should participate in group‐wide

calibration sessions to ensure that transactions are being evaluated consistently regardless of the

site where the transaction is handled.

8.1 What is Calibration?

Calibration is a process where all QA reviewers discuss how to score various types of

transactions. The QA reviewers meet and review agent transactions. Every individual scores the

same transactions and then scoring differences are identified. The reviewers then discuss the

reasons for the differences and reach consensus. DMG recommends that agents be invited to

participate in calibration sessions so that they can gain an appreciation of the effort and rigor

applied to the QA process. When conducted properly, calibration sessions foster collaboration and

establish consensus on how quality monitoring criteria should be applied to each question and

scored on the evaluation form.

Action Item: Update quality monitoring criteria based on the consensus reached in calibration sessions.


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8.2 Benefits of Calibration

When performed consistently, generally monthly, calibration is a proven approach for maintaining

program integrity and equity, and ensuring that agents are treated fairly. Among its many benefits,

calibration:

• Helps develop effective QA evaluation forms

• Teaches QA reviewers how to apply evaluation criteria and perform QA evaluations on a

consistent basis

• Builds consensus among all QA reviewers

• Helps maintain an open dialogue between the QA team and management

• Keeps staff updated about changes to the program, scoring criteria and the evaluation form,

as the program evolves

• Enhances agent perception of the program’s credibility and fairness

• Fosters collaboration and camaraderie among QA reviewers

• Keeps supervisors well versed in how agents are being evaluated and facilitates more

effective coaching


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8.3 The Calibration Process

Figure 10 provides a general overview of how calibration works in most contact centers,

although this process varies among companies. A set of recorded calls (and/or emails and chats in a

multi‐channel environment) are tagged for calibration and sent to all QA reviewers. Each reviewer

evaluates and scores the transactions. The QA manager generates a report that reflects scoring

variances between the reviewers for each transaction; this must be done at the question level to be

useful. (In some organizations, the scoring variances are calculated against a “master evaluation”

that is designated as the department standard.) A calibration meeting is held to review scoring

results and to discuss the variances. If a scoring discrepancy is uncovered, each reviewer presents a

justification of their scoring. In most cases, this generates a lively discussion that requires the group

to replay the transaction, or verify information in the procedure or training guide. Once all opinions

are presented, the group reaches a consensus on the best way to score each question. This is likely

to address how the question was rated and/or which form category should be used to capture a

particular issue. This is an important part of the calibration process, as point values vary depending

on where call elements are scored. The quality monitoring criteria guidelines (as well as procedure or

training manuals, if applicable) should be modified or updated based on the consensus outcome.


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Figure 10: The Calibration Process


Action Item: Include agents in calibration sessions. This helps them appreciate the effort management puts into accurately assessing calls and emails and fairly evaluating agent performance.


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9. Quality Assurance Program Mechanics and Processes

An important part of every QA program is determining the number of evaluations that must

be completed to come up with either operationally or scientifically valid results. Once this number is

determined, management must decide if it can afford the resources required to conduct the optimal

number of evaluations. If the answer is “no,” as it is in many contact centers, then the challenge is to

come up with a lower number of evaluations to perform that will still provide insight into agent

performance and transaction trends. Determining the number and frequency of evaluations is called

defining the program mechanics.

9.1 Transaction Selection Criteria

Identifying transactions for QA is an important part of the process. There are four primary methods

for selecting transactions to be reviewed. The first approach is to set up a schedule to capture

transactions at pre‐defined intervals. The second approach is to randomly capture transactions. The

third approach is to use business rules to identify calls that require attention. The fourth method is to

use automation, such as speech or screen analytics, to identify transactions that are either really

good or really bad and require management attention. Regardless of the approach used, it’s

essential that the method capture transactions fairly and equitably. The capture method should be

communicated to agents so that they know how transactions are selected for review.

Once transactions are captured, they can be further qualified based on any number of factors,

including call direction, call duration, call type (based on wrap‐up, disposition or other interaction

classification mechanism), product type, etc. Date of interaction is another key factor as, depending

on the total number of evaluations being conducted per agent/per month, it’s a best practice to

spread out the evaluations over the course of the month. This helps to ensure that agents receive

timely feedback and gives them an opportunity to make adjustments to their performance.

Action Item: Set up a process to capture the best transactions for the QA team.


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9.2 Determining the Number and Frequency of Evaluations

The goal of a quality assurance program is to provide a statistically significant analysis of

service delivery and the quality of customer interactions. To accurately measure service quality and

establish credibility and reliability for the quality assurance process, randomly captured calls should

be evaluated consistently for all agents, on a regular basis. Unfortunately, most contact centers do

not have the resources to conduct QA on a statistically valid sample of transactions. Instead,

management generally specifies a number of calls/emails/chat sessions to evaluate on a weekly

and/or monthly basis. This number is based on QA resources. (To determine the number of QA

sessions that can be performed in a day, calculate the amount of time it takes to do an evaluation

and deliver a coaching session. Then divide this number by the working hours available per day,

which is generally 6.5.)

There are no industry guidelines for determining the ratio or number of calls that should be

monitored per contact center on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. This number varies based on total

number of agents, type of contact center (multi‐channel or multi‐skill) and transaction volume.

Here is a strategy that some contact centers use to determine the number of evaluations to monitor

per agent/month. Start by evaluating 10 calls per agent for a month to obtain a baseline figure. Each

subsequent month, reduce the number of evaluations for each agent by 1 and compare the

results/findings to the prior month. Continue this process until the variance between the results is

significant. At that point, the number of calls evaluated is as low as it can go. (The most common

number of calls evaluated for agents on a monthly basis is 3 to 5.) Another way contact centers

address QA resource limitations is to split the number of agent evaluations that need to be

completed among supervisors and quality reviewers. While it's important to have dedicated QA

resources, it's also essential for line supervisors or managers to keep informed about their agents'

performance. Evaluating agents is a great way to stay apprised of what’s happening with agents and

the contact center.

Action Item: Determine an appropriate number of transactions to evaluate for each agent on a weekly or monthly basis to give management insights into what’s happening in their contact center and to give agents a good idea of their performance.

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9.3 Coaching

Coaching is another vital component of a successful QA program. Coaching is the process of

delivering feedback on a frequent, consistent and timely basis to agents. Effective coaching sessions

recognize agent strengths and assets in addition to identifying the areas where agents have

improvement opportunities. Coaching sessions that are instructive, supportive and collaborative

demonstrate management’s commitment to agents’ success. As depicted in Figure 11, a variety of

coaching methods can be employed. The methods include personalized coaching, best practice

clips, broadcast messages and real‐time feedback. Regardless of the method used, what is

important is that the required number of coaching sessions is, in fact, completed. Lack of coaching

or poor training is one of the primary reasons QA programs fail or do not achieve their anticipated

results. It also leads to agent attrition.

Figure 11: Coaching Methods



Broadcast Messaging

Best Practice Clip

Real-Time Feedback

Personalized Coaching


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Coaching Best Practices

Always deliver coaching in a private setting to maintain confidentiality and avoid

outside distractions and interruptions

Begin coaching sessions on a positive note, highlighting agent strengths and

recognizing incremental improvements

When discussing performance opportunities focus on specific examples and

detail why the agent did not meet the performance standard

Provide the agent with specific examples of how the situation could have been

handled better, i.e., “Maybe a better way to explain this to the caller is to say,”

or “This information can be found on this screen…”

Encourage open dialogue by asking the agent to talk about areas where he/she

is having difficulties and discuss what kind of support would be most helpful

Establish incremental goals for the agent to achieve for the next coaching

session

Follow up as planned on any deliverables

Provide informal support between coaching sessions. Drop by, listen for a few

minutes and provide encouragement; a few kind words can have a significant

impact

End the session on a positive note

Action Item: Coach agents frequently using the method that is most effective for each individual.


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9.4 Evaluation Feedback and Escalation Process

The most effective QA programs facilitate two‐way communication between reviewers and

agents. Part of program development involves setting up the process for agents to receive their

completed evaluations, review them along with any recorded transactions, and channel any

questions or feedback back to the reviewer. Particularly in the early stages of the roll‐out, agents

who are not accustomed to being monitored are likely to challenge low scores. It’s important to have

a process that allows agents to voice their objections and escalate their concerns without trepidation

of repercussions. The following process is recommended:

• Give agents their completed QA evaluation(s) and underlying transaction(s) prior to them

sitting down with the QA reviewer

• If a coaching session is not already scheduled, allow agents to request a meeting with the

QA reviewer to discuss their evaluation(s)

• QA reviewers must be able to explain and substantiate how the transaction was evaluated

based on the recording and system information, citing written procedure and policy, or, in

case of an error, adjusting the score

• If the agent still disagrees with the score and how the form was evaluated, forward the

evaluation to a designated “QA arbitrator” for final disposition

Challenges to evaluation scores, as a rule, do not happen consistently or frequently. When they do

arise, it’s important for agents to feel comfortable raising concerns and voicing dissention.

Action Item: Invite agent participation in the QA feedback process, so that they feel empowered by the process.


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9.5 Ongoing Training

Ongoing training is important for agents and QA specialists. Beyond basic introductory

training, agents require up‐training on a consistent basis to keep abreast of changes in policies,

procedures, processes, products, services and systems. Besides being critical for optimizing agent

performance, training and coaching contribute significantly to agent job satisfaction, morale and

motivation.

Effective QA programs have a closed‐loop process with training so that issues identified during

evaluations are shared with trainers on a timely basis. An important part of the quality reviewer’s

responsibility is to identify trends and training opportunities to address performance gaps. The QA

program should include a process for funneling recommendations to the training department and

ensuring that all training, reference materials, policies and procedures are accurate and up‐to‐date.

It is also recommended that the quality manager and training department hold monthly meetings to

review training effectiveness and develop action plans to address any new

trends/issues/opportunities that are uncovered in the quality monitoring process.

Action Item: Use QA to identify agent training needs. QA specialist and trainers should work closely together to ensure that agents receive the training they need to consistently deliver an outstanding customer experience.


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9.6 Addressing Agent Performance Issues

For a QA program to be taken seriously by agents and be effective in changing their

behavior, its results must be reflected in each agent’s mid‐year and annual employee performance

review. Quality assurance evaluation results should be an important component of the process for

deciding the raises for agents. However, for this to happen, contact center management must work

with the human resource group, as they generally set the format for employee reviews. Agents

should never be surprised by the results of their performance reviews because they should be

receiving monthly, or at least periodic coaching sessions throughout the year as part of the QA

program. The following five steps will help quality reviewers and managers assist agents in meeting

contact center performance goals.

• Diagnose performance issues

Managers must be able to clearly articulate performance issues so that agents know what

they need to change and how to fix it. When preparing an agent’s performance appraisal,

review their quality assurance evaluation forms to determine where performance

opportunities exist and identify any trends. For example, determine if the agent consistently

has low or failing scores low in a particular category or for a particular call type. Are there

multiple performance issues, i.e., deficiencies in communications skills or problems adhering

to procedures, accessing information or processing transactions? Valuable insights can be

gained by conducting a side‐by‐side QA session with the agent to view first‐hand where and

when challenges arise or if work habits are contributing to their performance issues. Based

on the results of the trend analysis and/or observations from the side‐by‐side sessions,

document the underlying causes of performance problems.

• Create an action plan

Once the area(s) where the agent needs help have been identified, create an action plan to

address them. (Most performance reviews include a section for next steps or performance

improvements.) The contact center manager should discuss the findings with the agent’s


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supervisor, and then work with the supervisor and training department to identify the

resources that can be used to support the agent's development. This may include enrolling

the agent in additional training or up‐training sessions, eLearning or coaching sessions,

providing reference materials or job aids, offering additional system or communication skills

training, or regularly assigning time for the agent to sit with an outstanding colleague to

learn the correct way to handle interactions.

• Communicate with the agent

Depending on the structure of the organization, either the QA manager and/or the

supervisor should discuss performance issues with the agent. Begin by making sure that the

agent understands the quality evaluation criteria and how calls are scored. Be sure that the

assessment is constructive and recognizes the agent's strengths as well as performance

opportunities. Review the action plan that has been developed with the agent and

emphasize that it is intended to help them succeed. (While there are exceptions, most

people want to succeed but don’t always know what they need to do. Effective

communication may convert weak agents into top performers.)

• Provide consistent feedback and reinforcement

The most effective improvement programs provide continuous and encouraging feedback to

motivate contact center agents. When an agent is struggling to perform, it's a good idea to

offer him/her some extra attention. Conduct routine evaluations of the agent's calls and

provide timely feedback. When needed, provide additional targeted coaching that addresses

the agent's specific needs and reinforce what he/she is doing right. This feedback can be

formal or informal. For example, when a supervisor is walking by, he/she could take a few

minutes to stand by and listen to the agent and provide immediate feedback. Or, if the

agent is remote, the supervisor could dial in and listen to some calls to provide additional

feedback. Agents who know their management cares almost always perform better.


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• Monitor, track, and recognize improvements

Monitor the agent's performance to track progress and improvement. Motivate the agent by

recognizing and praising incremental improvements and continue to provide coaching and

support for performance opportunities. Reward employees for good performance. Provide

monthly recognition to employees with the best quality. Money is a nice reward, but public

recognition can keep employees focused on what is important: quality and customer

satisfaction.

Action Item: Integrate the results of the QA program into the department’s semi‐annual and yearly review process. Address agent performance issues identified during the QA process on a timely basis with directed, constructive and positive feedback.


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9.7 Rewards and Recognition

It’s important for agents to consider QA a departmental initiative that contributes to their

success, instead of a “gotcha” program. This can be achieved by using QA to readily identify and

reward outstanding performers. Establish a process for identifying and recognizing agents who

achieve quality monitoring excellence. This motivates the right behaviors and performance

throughout the department. QA reviewers, in cooperation with managers and trainers, should

identify and distribute best practice clips of outstanding agent interactions to all agents. Agents

learn best from their peers, so in addition to providing recognition, best practice clips provide

excellent examples of effective techniques for all agents to emulate.

There are many ways to acknowledge top performers, but it is essential to do so on a consistent

basis, and to make sure that the same people are not the ones always recognized. (Avoiding this

common pitfall will help the QA program succeed.) Among the ways to recognize different agents

on a monthly basis is to identify the top three monthly performers, the most improved agent from

the prior month, the top three performers for the quarter, etc. Incentives are ideal, but if prohibited,

then some other vehicle such as a lunch voucher, picture and write‐up in the contact center or

company newsletter, inclusion in a “walk of fame,” special parking spot, lunch with the CEO, etc.,

can be used. Invite top performing agents to take an active role in departmental activities, such as

coaching new hires, delivering an up‐training session, becoming a subject matter expert on a new

initiative, or cross‐training on a new function. This motivates the right performance behaviors and

keeps people engaged.

Action Item: Identify and reward outstanding performers, but build a process that rewards different people on a monthly basis to broaden the appeal and acceptance of the QA program.


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9.8 Updating Procedures/Training

Quality assurance is a continuous cycle of improvement and measurement that must be

adapted as products, processes, policies, customer expectations, systems, or business requirements

change. It’s important to develop a process for ensuring that guidelines, reference and training

materials are updated on a timely basis so that agents always have the right information. The QA

manager or specialists should be involved in keeping procedures up‐to‐date, as should the training

team. The appendix includes a sample format that managers can use to create policies and

procedures.

Action Item: Set up a process that keeps departmental policies, procedures and training materials up‐to‐date, based on feedback received from the QA program.


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9.9 Monitoring Quality Assurance Reviewers

Just as agents need to be evaluated on a consistent basis to monitor and measure their

performance, the same holds true for quality assurance reviewers. Managers must oversee the

performance of QA reviewers to make sure that they are meeting their productivity goals for the

number of QA reviews and coaching sessions each month and that they are doing so at the highest

level of quality. Exit interviews of agents have found that one of the main reasons they leave is

because they do not get timely feedback (and in many cases, any feedback) from management and

don’t think the organization cares about them.

Calibration, which is discussed in section 8, is important for maintaining the integrity and

consistency of the QA program. If managers attend some of the calibration sessions – which is a

best practice – they can also identify QA specialists who are struggling with the program.

Management can then address the performance issues and get the QA specialist re‐aligned with the

goals of the QA program.

It is also a good idea for the QA manager or the contact center manager (if they are overseeing the

program) to conduct monthly or periodic audits of all reviewers. Here is how the audit process

works:

• The QA manager sets an accuracy threshold that QA reviewers must maintain in order to pass

the monthly audit.

• The QA manager selects a certain number of interactions per channel to include in the audit (at

least the same number of interactions that are evaluated for each agent per month).

• The QA manager evaluates the interactions selected for the audit to create a baseline/master

evaluation against which every QA evaluator’s performance is compared.

• The QA manager sends the group of transactions to be used for the audit to all of the QA

reviewers to evaluate independently. The completed evaluations are returned to the QA


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manager; each evaluation is compared against the baseline evaluation for that particular

interaction to identify scoring variances.

• The QA manager produces a report that reflects scoring variances at the question, section and

overall evaluation level; based on the established accuracy threshold, the QA manager tracks

the performance of each reviewer and whether they or passed or failed the audit; the manager is

looking to make sure that each QA reviewer is evaluating transactions consistently.

• Based on the performance opportunities uncovered in the audit process, the QA manager

should reach out to various QA reviewers and provide feedback and coaching.

• Any QA reviewer who fails the monthly audit for more than three months and has been coached

should be removed from performing QA evaluations until they are fully retrained.

• After retraining a QA reviewer, audit them again to determine if they are re‐aligned with the rest

of the team; if they are, give them positive feedback and, if not, remove them from doing QA

reviews.

Action Item: Management should evaluate QA evaluators on a periodic basis to keep the QA program aligned with the needs of the business. It will also make it clear to agents that management is invested in this program and taking it very seriously. This will help reduce complaints from agents about being treated unfairly.


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9.10 Reporting

Accurate, timely and effective reporting is a requirement for any major initiative. An

important part of setting up a QA program is to define the organization’s reporting needs. If QA is

being done manually, it’s necessary to design and create the report templates. If using a QA

application, work with the vendor to enhance or create custom reports if the solution does not have

all the reports needed. However, regardless of the approach used, it’s a good idea to define the

organization’s reporting requirements early on in the process in order to know what information

needs to be collected.

Below are a few reports that many organizations have found useful.

Contact Center Quality Management Report for: December 2008

Average Contact Center QA Score: This report displays the average QA score for the contact center

for the current month and as compared to the last 2 months. It is useful for determining the contact

center’s overall quality performance.

Figure 12: Average Contact Center QA Score: December 2008 Month Average QA Score December 80.5% November 2008 74.6% October 2008 81.3%

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80.50%74.60%81.30%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Oct-08 Nov-08 Dec-08

Average Scores by Evaluation Section: This report displays the monthly average scores for the

contact center at the evaluation section level, and as compared to section averages over the past

two months.

Figure 13:Contact Center Average Scores by Evaluation Section: December 2008 Section December November October

Greeting (5 pts) 3.4 2.3 3.9 Verification (10 pts) 8.6 7.6 6.8 Plan/Benefit Knowledge (25 pts) 22.7 21.8 22.3

Inquiry Resolution (25 pts) 19.6 21.4 18.9 System Knowledge/Usage (10 pts) 6.1 7.8 5.9

Hold/Mute/Transfer (6 pts) 4.3 4.7 3.9 Communication Skills (14 pts) 9.7 8.1 7.5

Closing (5 pts) 4.7 5.1 3.2


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0

5

10

15

20

25

Greetin

g (5 p

ts)

Verific

ation

(10 p

ts)

Plan/Ben

efit K

nowled

ge (2

5 pts)

Inquir

y Res

olutio

n (25

pts)

System

Kno

wledge

/Usa

ge (1

0 pts)

Hold/M

ute/Tran

sfer (6

pts)

Commun

icatio

n Skil

ls (14

pts)

Closing

(7pts

)

Average Scores by Evaluation Question: This report displays the monthly average scores for the

contact center at the evaluation question level, and as compared to specific question averages over

the past two months. The purpose is to surface new trends or areas where training opportunities

exist, and to determine if the prior month’s training was effective.



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Figure 14: Average Scores by Evaluation Question: December 2008 December November October

Greeting (5 pts) Used call greeting as defined in Greeting Policy (2 pts)

Documented caller name and phone number (3 pts)

Verification (10 pts) Verified caller as defined in Verification Policy (5 pts)

Verified eligibility as defined in Eligibility Policy (3 pts)

Asked caller for Member and/or Patient’s Date of Birth (1 pt)

Asked caller for address on file (1 pt)

Plan/Benefit Knowledge (25 pts) Accurately identified plan type, benefit, or claim (5 pts)

Demonstrated thorough knowledge of plan type, benefit or claim information (5 pts)

Provided complete and accurate information or instructions in accordance with established procedure (15 pts)

Inquiry Resolution (25 pts) Accurately understood the nature of the caller’s inquiry (5 pts)

Effectively/accurately resolved inquiry/issue in accordance with established procedure (5 pts)

Completed fulfillment/ referral/follow-up as promised/required (5 pts)

Provided alternatives, as appropriate (3 pts)

Provided time frames, as appropriate (2 pts)

Ensured caller fully understood explanation, process, and/or next steps (5 pts)


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December November October

System Knowledge/Usage (10 pts) Effectively accessed and utilized all appropriate systems, screens and fields to obtain information to resolve inquiry (8 pts)

Accurately utilized wrap-up (2 pts) Hold/Mute/Transfer (6 pts) Utilized hold/mute as defined in Hold/Mute Policy (2 pts)

Performed transfer as defined in the Warm Transfer Policy (2 pts)

Transferred the call to the correct area (2 pts)

Communication Skills (14 pts) Maintained a courteous, pleasant, and respectful tone throughout the call (3 pts)

Conveyed information clearly and confidently and in a manner that was easily understood (3 pts)

Demonstrated effective listening skills (2 pts)

Expressed empathy and concern as appropriate (1 pt)

Efficiently managed time and call flow (call management) (2 pts)

Demonstrated professionalism (call etiquette) (3 pts)

Closing (5 pts) Used call closing as defined in Call Closing Policy (2 pts)

Accurately documented information in accordance with established procedure (3 pts)


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Average QA Scores by Agent: This report displays the average QA scores for each agent in the

contact center, for the current month and prior two months. It is useful in identifying agents who are

not meeting goal and individual agent performance trends.

Figure 15: Average QA Scores by Agent: December 2008 Agent December November October

Agent Name Agent Name Agent Name Agent Name Agent Name Agent Name Agent Name Agent Name

QA Scores by Agent by Evaluation: This report provides a breakdown of the scores that each agent

achieved for their evaluations in the current month. It is helpful in identifying very good or very poor

performance or interactions that may require attention or follow‐up by the supervisor.

Figure 16: QA Scores by Agent by Evaluation: December 2008 Evaluation Scores for December 2008

Agent Evaluation 1 Evaluation 2 Evaluation 3 Evaluation 4

Agent Name Agent Name Agent Name Agent Name Agent Name Agent Name Agent Name Agent Name


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Average QA Scores by Agent by Category: This report provides a breakdown of the average scores

by category for each agent. It helps identify individual needs and areas of coaching opportunities

specific to each agent or team

Figure 17: Average QA Scores by Agent by Category: December 2008

Agent Gre

etin

g

Verif

icat

ion

Plan

/Ben

efit

Kno

wle

dge

Inqu

iry R

esol

utio

n

Syst

em

Kno

wle

dge/

Usa

ge

Hol

d/M

ute/

Tran

sfer

Clo

sing

Action Item: Invest the time up front to define the reports needed to support your QA initiative. Ask all relevant constituents – contact center and QA managers, supervisors, QA specialists, trainers and possibly, marketing – what information they would like to see from the QA program, and design reports to meet these needs.


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9.11 QA Database

If an automated application is not being used for QA, it is necessary to build a database for

managing QA data. Most organizations build this in either Access or Excel. The goal is to make it

easy to input and retrieve data and to make it easy to run reports.

Action Item: If you are not using a QA/recording system, build a database for tracking agent QA scores so that this data can be used to identify trends and create reports.


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10. Kicking Off the QA Program

Once the QA program is built, it’s time to kick it off. The entire contact center staff must be

trained prior to the beginning the pilot. This is very important because it sets the tone for the

program. This is also where an organization can introduce their own “personality” into the program.

DMG suggests coming up with a name for the QA program so that it isn’t just called “the QA

program.” Some organizations run a name contest, which is another way of getting buy‐in and

support from contact center staff.

The kick‐off presentation should address the following topics:

• Introduce QA leaders

• Explanation of QA

• Description of its benefits

• What QA means to agents, including how it can help their careers

• Discussion of program mechanics

• Review of the QA evaluation form

• Upcoming training

• Rewards and recognition

Action Item: Make the QA kick‐off a celebratory and fun affair that explains the benefits of QA for agents, customers and the greater enterprise. Use this kick‐off to get staff buy‐in.


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10.1 Agent Training

Training is necessary to prepare agents for the QA program and the changes that it will bring

to the department. Training is also a great way to alleviate apprehension about the program; the

more information people have about the QA program, the more comfortable and welcoming they

will be. The outline in Figure 18 below presents the topics that should be covered in an agent QA

training program. However, every contact center should customize this basic training program to

meet their needs. Additionally, going forward, a QA module should be added to the new agent hire

training program.

Figure 18: QA Agent Training Outline Agenda Item/Activity Topics covered Time

QA and its Benefits

• What is QA? • How will QA benefit you and your

customers? • How was the program developed? • What are the program components? • What are the program goals? • Who are the people that will be involved?

1.5 hrs

Procedures • What are procedures? • Why are they important? • How should you use them? • How does QA use them? • How are they modified and updated?

If the procedure guide is new, the trainer will have to review the document and explain how it is organized and used.

• Role play to get accustomed to using the procedures.

3.5 hrs

Policies • What are policies? • How do policies differ from procedures? • How should you use them? • How does QA use them? • How are they modified and updated?

If the policy guide is new, the trainer will have to review the document and explain how it is organized and used.

• Role play to get accustomed to using the policies.

2.5 hrs


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Agenda Item/Activity Topics covered Time

QA Form and Criteria

• How was the form developed? • What is the form’s purpose? • How is the form used? • How is the form scored? • What are the criteria used to score each

question/section? • How will the scores be used?

2 hrs

Program Mechanics

• How will the program work? • How many calls will be monitored per

week/month? • Who will be doing the evaluations and

coaching sessions? • How will calls/emails/chats be selected for

evaluation? • How will I receive my evaluations? • When can I review my evaluations? • How can I respond to my evaluations? • What if I disagree with my score?

2.5 hrs

Agenda Item/Activity Topics covered Time

Calibration • What is calibration? • Why is calibration necessary? • How often is calibration conducted? • Who participates in calibration?

Conduct a calibration session with agents using mock calls to demonstrate how calls will be evaluated and scored. (Agents will see that this is a complicated process that requires a great deal of skill.)

2.5 hrs

Evaluator Audits • Who will be audited? • Why are audits important? • How does the audit process work?

.5 hr

Recognition Program

• What are the recognition criteria? • How does the rewards and incentive

program work?

.5

Program Pilot • What is a program pilot? • How does the pilot work? • How long will the pilot be conducted? • Will scores during the pilot count?

1 hr

Action Item: Create a QA training program to teach agents about all aspects of the QA program and its benefits. Use this program to kick off QA. Also incorporate a QA module in your new agent training program.


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10.2 QA Program Pilot

After training all contact center staff and other interested parties, it’s time to conduct the

QA program pilot. There are many opinions about pilots and their purposes, and this is certainly true

for QA. If this is the organization’s initiation into QA, the pilot is necessary to give management, QA

reviewers and agents a hands‐on opportunity to get acquainted with QA in a non‐confrontational

environment where the QA scores are not being counted. If the organization is updating its QA

program, the pilot gives everyone an opportunity to get used to the new QA criteria and evaluation

forms. The timing of the pilot also varies based on the needs of the organization. If QA is new to the

organization, we suggest beginning with a 2‐ to 3‐month pilot. Then, once the QA scores begin to be

counted, we suggest setting a lenient QA goal so that more people will rate well and feel good about

the program. Then, after a 3‐month period, during which there is a great deal of training and

coaching, it’s time to begin in earnest and to set up QA goals that reflect customer expectations for

great service. While this means that it will take 4 to 6 months before the QA program is in full

operation, since the goal of QA is to improve agent performance and the customer experience (and

by doing so to improve agent productivity), it will not delay the benefits. It will, however, allow for

positive momentum to build and help the program succeed.

The pilot is a great opportunity to make sure that the program achieves its goals. Throughout the

pilot, QA leaders should be open and welcoming of all observations and feedback. Use the feedback

and time to enhance and tweak the QA form and evaluation criteria, and address training issues.

Action Item: Communicate and share pilot results on a regular basis to keep contact center staff engaged and alleviate apprehensions about the program.


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11. Advanced Quality Assurance Initiatives

This Guide describes the process for building a contact center quality assurance program.

Once the program is in place and working well, some organizations want to go further and extend

the benefits and uses of their QA program. QA programs can be enhanced by adding surveying,

using QA to determine the first call resolution rate (FCR), or to do customer experience monitoring.

Below is an explanation of these three business activities.

11.1 Surveying

The best way to know if customers are satisfied with the quality of an organization’s

products, services, processes and agents is to ask them. QA measures how well agents adhere to

internal policies and procedures; it provides an internal view. Surveying captures the customer

perspective; the external view. When survey feedback is combined with QA results the company

learns what customers consider good service and specifically, which agents provide it. They also find

out what processes and policies need to be changed. When done right, sharing customer survey

information about agent performance can help improve quality. Agents find it helpful when they see

survey results and read or hear customer feedback first‐hand. It helps them appreciate how their

performance impacts customer satisfaction and the customer’s perception of their company.

11.2 Customer Experience Monitoring

Customer experience monitoring is intended to provide insights into the total customer

experience. Typically, contact center managers use this process to track and review interactions that

have multiple segments, are put on hold, transferred, required conferences, or are repeat calls.

Customer experience monitoring is done to evaluate the overall customer experience, not just call

segments.


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11.3 First Call Resolution (FCR)

First Call Resolution is a unique key performance indicator that measures the effectiveness,

efficiency and customer satisfaction level of a contact center. It is the only single metric that

provides a balanced view of the contact center’s overall performance. The challenge in using FCR is

that it is difficult to determine which calls are fully resolved during the first contact. There are many

ways to identify or calculate FCR, including asking the QA staff to determine if calls are resolved

during the first contact based on the interactions that they evaluate.


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12. Quality Management/Liability Recording Suites

Quality Management/Liability Recording suites, also known as workforce optimization (WFO)

solutions, deliver actionable insights and findings in addition to incorporating built‐in automated

efficiencies to increase the effectiveness of the QA process and reviewer productivity. WFO suites

are complex solutions that include 8 modules intended for contact centers.

Complete workforce optimization suites include eight functional modules. See Figure 19. The core

modules are recording (either time division multiplexing (TDM) or Internet Protocol (IP)‐based), and

quality assurance. Recording systems log calls for regulatory compliance, protection against

lawsuits, and quality review. Quality assurance applications are used to determine how well agents

adhere to internal policies and procedures. The other six modules are:

1. Workforce Management – forecasts and schedules agent staffing needs

2. Agent Coaching – tools to communicate with agents to assist them in improving their

performance

3. eLearning – learning management capabilities that allow training courses to be created,

issued and tracked to ensure effectiveness

4. Surveying – Web and IVR‐based solutions for creating, issuing, tracking and analyzing

customer feedback

5. Performance Management – solutions that help align contact center activities with

enterprise goals; also provide scorecards and dashboards to improve the performance of the

contact center

6. Speech Analytics – captures, structures and analyzes customer phone calls to identify the

reasons for customer calls and to gather insights

The value and benefits of these suites increase for the enterprise as additional modules are added.


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WFO Suites

In the last couple of years, use of workforce management, recording and, to a lesser degree,

quality assurance modules has expanded into enterprise back offices and branches. This trend will

continue because these solutions offer quantifiable benefits for many operating areas in an

enterprise.

Figure 19: Workforce Optimization Suites


Valu

e Pr

opos

ition

QM/RecordingSUITE

Speech Analytics

Performance Mgmt.

Surveying

Back Office

eLearning

Agent Coaching

Workforce Mgmt.

Quality Assurance

RecordingCal

l Cen

ter

Con

tact

Cen

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Ent

erpr

ise


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In the last few years, the QA vendors have delivered many innovations to the market to make these

applications more helpful and actionable for contact centers. These enhancements include:

• Automated call scoring – every recorded interaction is systemically scored, allowing rapid

identification and action on calls that do not meet pre‐defined quality requirements. Instead

of evaluating a random sample of calls, this enables organizations to focus limited QA

resources on monitoring high‐impact calls.

• Flexible form development environments – the ability to easily create a wide variety of

evaluation forms and associate the most appropriate form based on call type, category or

disposition. Built‐in efficiencies include wizards for form creation or the ability to clone and

modify an existing form, a wide variety of scoring methodologies, the ability to create forms

based on skills or call components, the ability to add evaluator hints for scoring criteria,

comment boxes to capture coaching tips, spell check, form preview and test capabilities, and

the ability to create specialized forms for different types of evaluations such as agent self‐

evaluations, calibration or customer experience monitoring.

• Calibration – the ability to designate calls for calibration, automatically deploy calibration

sessions to supervisors and reviewers, track completion, and report on scoring variances at

the question, section or form level.

• Call categorization – the ability to systemically or manually categorize calls so that QA

efforts can encompass all call types received by the contact center and evaluate how agents

perform across all functions. This also allows reviewers to categorize calls and designate

them for review by the training department or a cross‐functional team if a business process

optimization opportunity exists.

• Search/retrieval/replay – the ability to search and retrieve transactions based on a wide

variety of criteria and metadata. Automatically delivers transactions that a reviewer is

responsible for evaluating to the desktop and tracks completion status.


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During desktop replay, evaluators can bookmark call segments and annotate them with

coaching comments that are tied to specific sections, questions or skills in the agent’s

evaluation.

• Coaching/eLearning – allows supervisors to easily create, deploy and track personalized

coaching sessions that address agent‐specific performance opportunities. Includes the

ability to share best practice clips with agents and the training department. eLearning

capabilities allow reviewers to assign learning sessions to agents while they are performing

an evaluation, or automatically deploy the courses based on performance thresholds.

• Reports and dashboards – automated summary and detailed reports that can be scheduled

to run or designated as a dashboard report for tracking and trending QA results.

The Market Place

The QM/recording (WFO) technology sector is a global market with more than 45

competitors. There are many strong offerings available to satisfy the needs of companies large and

small. The solutions, pricing and vendor specialties vary widely. This market gives prospects a wide

variety of opportunities to acquire a solution that meets the specific needs of their company at a

price point they can afford. Users also have many options for acquiring these solutions; they can buy,

use hosting, or go with a managed care offering.

Action Item: Determine if a QA/Recording or WFO suite will add value to your organization. If it will, find the right one for your company.

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Appendix A: Procedure Format Sample

Situation: Caller is requesting a change of address.

Important: Address changes can only be requested by the primary/joint card member.

Greeting (as defined in Greeting Policy) Complete Verification Procedure:

• Caller name • Last 4 digits of SSN • Mother’s maiden name • Date of birth

• IF THE CALLER IS NOT THE PRIMARY/JOINT CARD MEMBER:

Access: Memo screen Check: [ Special Instructions ] field to determine if the caller has authorization to make changes on the account (power of attorney) If caller is not listed as someone with authorization and/or power of attorney (POA) in the special instruction field: Advise: Only the primary/joint card member is authorized to request an address change Options: The primary/joint card member will need to call to request the address change. – or – The primary/joint card member can: Write to: Fax to: Process online at:

• IF THE CALLER IS THE PRIMARY/JOINT CARD MEMBER:

Verify:

• Current address

Check: [ Address ] field on the Customer screen



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Advise: If new address is on the system: If not: Tell the account holder that we have the correct address on file.

Access: Account Maintenance screen. Obtain new address from the account holder and enter the new address in the appropriate fields.

Read back the new address to the customer including spelling of the street address and town to confirm accuracy.

Access: Billing screen

Check: [Last bill date] field to determine of the next statement has already been mailed.

If next statement has already been mailed:

Advise: The new statement has already been sent to the old address. You will have a copy of the statement sent to the new address. The cardmember should expect to receive the copy with in 5 to 7 business days.

Access: Media Request screen

Click on Statement.

Enter in month/year of the statement that you are requesting in the [month and year] fields.

Hit enter to complete the transaction.

If next statement has not been generated/mailed:

Advise: The next statement will be mailed to the new address on file.


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Ask: Is there anything else I can help you with? If yes, assist card member with the additional request(s). If no, perform call closing as defined in Call Closing Policy.



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Appendix B: Policy Format Sample

Warm Transfer Policy All transfers initiated from the contact center should be warm transferred by performing the following steps:

• Representative advises the caller that the call needs to be transferred to another area that can assist the caller with their request

• Representative asks the caller for permission to transfer the call

Before initiating the transfer, the representative should ask the caller if there is anything else that they can assist the caller with

• If yes, the representative should assist the caller with the request (if applicable)

• Representative asks permission from the caller to place them on hold while they

connect to the appropriate department to transfer the call

• Representative clicks on the phone icon which will launch a separate window

• Representative clicks “Start conference,” enters the extension number of the

department that is receiving the call, and clicks “OK”

• When the receiving department answers the call, the representative should

provide:

• Account number

• Name of caller

• Nature of the call

• Representative clicks “Complete conference” and introduces the caller to the

representative in the department who is accepting the call, thanks the customer for calling and clicks the “Hang-up” button to complete the transfer



About CallCopy

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Through its commitment to the highest standards of customer and employee satisfaction,

CallCopy has established itself as a leading provider of innovative performance management

solutions. The highly scalable, award‐winning cc: Discover Suite delivers advanced call

recording, screen capture, quality monitoring, speech analytics, customer satisfaction survey

and workforce management capabilities to contact centers, trading desks, financial institutions

and healthcare providers worldwide.

CallCopy empowers organizations to gather business intelligence, which is leveraged to

maximize performance through improved employee retention, compliance with government

regulations, and a more customer‐centric environment.

For more information, visit www.callcopy.com.

http://www.callcopy.com/

Documents

Callcopy qa-guide