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Quality vs. Quantity
There is a battle in Call Centers. The teams are Quality vs. Quantity; two performance factors that don't seem to get along. ? Representative Super Speedy says, "I've taken more calls than anyone on the team today. My average handle time is the lowest on the floor." Coach Level Head breaks it down for him, "But your quality scores are below everyone else on your team." ? Representative Detailed Dan says, "My quality scores are top notch. I give every one of my customers the detailed attention they deserve." Coach Level Head breaks it down again, "Your Average Handle time is through the roof, and there are customers waiting in queue for attention to their needs. Where is the happy medium? True quality means being effective and efficient; meeting the customer's needs fully in a reasonable amount of time. As a call center supervisor in a Customer Service department I managed a team of 20 representatives. Like many teams there were "top performers" or super stars, "middle of the road performers" or most of the team and "low performers" or the folks that needed help to the middle of the road. My goal was to work with everyone to bring them up to the next level and ensure quality and efficiency as a group. I remember one team member who fell into the low performer category. She was very detailed, very good with customers and her quality scores were outstanding. So, what put her in the low performer category? The amount of time she spent on each call. In one work day she would complete only half the number of calls completed by her team members. Her average handle time was off the charts. We had to work on this as soon as possible. I coached her on several occasions and we found ways for her to cut time off of her calls. She did more typing while she talked to the customer; she learned the system more thoroughly so she could offer the answers to the customer's billing questions. Still her efficiency was not there. So, we continued the coaching. Her argument was that her quality scores were so high that the quantity should not matter. She would receive 95% to 100% on each monitoring score. She was providing the customer with a quality interaction. They would go away feeling good about the company and the services they purchased. So, why did it matter if she took a long time talking with each customer? This discussion changed my explanation of quality and quantity forever. I explained to her (and everyone else, on every team I ever coached going forward) that Quantity is not a separate goal from Quality. Quantity is actually efficiency, and efficiency is part of Quality. Instead of focusing on the number of calls we took in a day, we must talk about this performance goal in terms of how efficiently we took those calls. Did we use the time we had with them appropriately? We can not say that we offered the customer a Quality Interaction if we kept them on the phone for 25 minutes trying to solve their issue. On each call we owe the customer courtesy, information, honesty, answers and EFFICIENCY. A customer who received the answer they called looking for in 3 to 4 minutes will be happier than one who reaches their answer after 10 minutes. In addition to the individual call, the time one representative spends on a call with one customer can also affect the perspective of the customer who is waiting in queue. I'm not suggesting that team members rush through calls to answer the next, but it is important to be aware of the impact of the time you spend on each call. The more efficient you are on each call, the more effective the department will be as a whole. We ensure the efficiency part of Quality by being prepared for each call. Preparation includes knowing the tools and systems we use to answer the customer's needs, being up to date on new products, services or issues the customers may be calling about, and having our best Customer Service attitude ready to talk to each customer. All this has become my Quality message. I have been known to pull up a soap box in the break room and spread this good word. Quality is built on quantity or efficiency. Offer clear, helpful, efficient customer interactions. My team learned it and improved in each one of their performance goals. Let the Quality vs. Quantity battle end. Your customers will thank you. About the Author Jenny Kerwin is a writer and member of http://www.CallCenterCafe.com Members of http://www.CallCenterCafe.com have access to articles like Partnering for Performance and materials related to Call Center Management, Training, Human Resources and Quality. The Café is full of resources for Call Center Professionals including a staff waiting to answer your questions. Take a 1 day test drive starting today.
MORE RESOURCES: Samsung Scores #1 in Customer Satisfaction and Overall Service Quality for 5G Mobile Samsung US Newsroom No, GPT-4o isn't going to kill teaching or customer service Business Insider NTTA customer service, Tarrant County district clerk spar over mistaken charge The Dallas Morning News Availity Wins Two Bronze StevieÂŽ Awards in 2024 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service Yahoo Finance Frost & Sullivan and SOCAP Forge Strategic Partnership to Elevate Customer Care and Experience Yahoo Finance How did customer service get so bad? Financial Times New York State Alerts New Yorkers of Temporary Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Outage on Sunday, May 19, for ... Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Integrated solutions empower productivity for SMBs Insights by Samsung Verizon sharpens GenAI tools to impro... Mobile World Live Verizon unveils human-assisted GenAI tools for customer service Telecompaper EN Cognigy Named a Leader in 2024 âConversational AI For Customer Serviceâ Report The Bakersfield Californian What Consumers are Saying About AI and Customer Service Customer Think CommBox Launches Connect Partner Programme, Offering Market-Leading Automation and AI Capabilities to ... Business Wire Opinion: If it's not dead already, customer service is certainly on life support ⢠Asheville Watchdog Asheville Watchdog Frequently asked questions and customer service CSPI Newsroom Poll workers emphasize election confidence, customer service ⢠Indiana Capital Chronicle Indiana Capital Chronicle Top Banks Offering 24/7 Customer Service in 2024 Business Insider Customer Service & Support Hillsborough County (.gov) For 13th Consecutive Year, Wolters Kluwer Customer Service Wins NorthFace ScoreBoard Awards Silicon Canals Senate Passes FAA Bill on Air Safety and Customer Service â The Presidential Prayer Team The Presidential Prayer Team They've got your back: Meet American's system customer service managers - American Airlines Newsroom They've got your back: Meet American's system customer service managers American Airlines Newsroom Rebuilding the IRS Improves Customer Service and Reduces the Tax Gap Center For American Progress The Marriott Maze: Navigating Customer Service Over $11, When Does It Stop Being Worth It? View from the Wing AI enhances flexibility and efficiency for customer service centers, new research reveals | Binghamton News Binghamton University Porsche claims first place for customer service among premium car owners in J.D. Power Study Porsche Newsroom How to contact Amazon UK Customer Service About Amazon.co.uk Lee Michaelsâ Scott Berg: How to make unhappy customers happy Greater Baton Rouge Business Report The correct airline customer service numbers to help avoid scams The Washington Post Welcome to Riverside Public Utilities City of Riverside (.gov) Forbes Recognizes Regions Bank for Best Customer Service Regions Financial Corporation Customer Assistance Programs DC Water Customer Service Administrator | Professional Security JTC Associates Ltd Genesys & ServiceNow join forces to revolutionise customer service ChannelLife Australia Taxpayers let down by Poor HMRC customer service www.contact-centres.com Contact SEA Customer Care portseattle.org Customer Support GE Aerospace Senate passes bill improving air safety and service for travelers, a day before FAA law expires Chicago Tribune Buccaneers Continue to Excel in Season Pass Member Customer Service Experience, Voted No. 1 for Sixth ... Buccaneers.com Gen Z prefers AI chatbots over phone calls, says Affirm's CEO Business Insider Recent Developments That Could Impact How Companies Offer AI-Based Customer Service Chatbots | Insights Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Billing and Insurance WellSpan Health At some point, construction gave up on customer service â but it's far from a lost cause New Civil Engineer Britons Spend 800 Years Waiting to Speak to HMRC Business MattersBusiness Matters Air India rolls out iPad app for on board customer service Live From A Lounge AI is replacing customer service jobs across the globe The Washington Post |
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