Why having a Quality Program alone is not enough

Fred Gatty

Excellent firms don’t believe in excellence — only in constant improvement and constant change –

Tom Peters

If you ever thought that having a contact center quality assurance program alone, can fix all your customer service problems, think again!

While having an effective quality assurance program is paramount to ensure agents are hitting key deliverables, and a great way to evaluate performance, they are not always sufficient in driving sustainable improvements in agent performance.

According to the ICMI article, A strong culture of coaching in the contact center, measuring call quality has never, and will never increase agent performance, at least not alone. It is simply a measure of performance. It continues that improving performance is only a result of good coaching.

Another reality is that your worst customer service reps will speak to your best customers more frequently than your CEO. Why then, should you leave coaching them to chance?

Performance coaching is a process that helps agents identify their strengths and weaknesses, set achievable goals, and receive guidance and feedback on their performance. It’s an essential element of an effective quality assurance program because it provides a more comprehensive approach to agent development than traditional quality monitoring alone. Here are a few reasons why contact centers should add performance coaching to their quality assurance programs:

1. It improves agent performance. Performance coaching helps agents to identify areas for improvement and develop the skills necessary to provide better customer service. This can lead to increased customer satisfaction, reduced call handling time, and increased first-call resolution rates, among other benefits.
2. It increases agent engagement and retention. Performance coaching helps agents feel valued and supported, which can increase their engagement and job satisfaction. As a result, they are more likely to stay with the organization for longer periods, reducing turnover and the cost of hiring and training new agents.
3. It provides data-driven insights. Performance coaching provides valuable data on agent performance, allowing contact center managers to identify trends, make informed decisions, and adjust training programs to meet the evolving needs of the organization.
4. It enhances the customer experience. Performance coaching helps agents develop the skills and confidence necessary to provide excellent customer service, resulting in a better customer experience, higher customer satisfaction, and increased loyalty.

In conclusion, adding performance coaching to your quality assurance program can help you improve agent performance, increase agent engagement and retention, provide data-driven insights, and enhance the customer experience. By investing in your agents’ development, you can create a culture of continuous improvement and drive sustainable results for your organization.

About the author:

Fred Gatty is a Principal Consultant at Gatts Consulting, a boutique consulting firm that specializes in contact center quality assurance solutions for organizations