How do you handle difficult or complex cases in your QA process?

Having spent over a decade in contact centers, I can tell you one absolute truth: agents hate elaborate scoring systems. They attempt to quantify something that in our heart of hearts we know is qualifiable. That isn't to say all scoring should be abandoned. Keep your elaborate line-item-based reporting. But present QA to your agents in a totally different manner. To your agents, a call typically can be scored by answering two big questions and one optional one: (1) Did you help the customer? (2) Did you break any rules along the way? Optionally, (3) Was there an opportunity to wow the customer and did you take it? Presented in this way, your staff are significantly more likely to view the QA process as collaborative instead of punitive.

Today there are some interesting AI-based technologies/platforms that can analyze employee voice conversations and text communications. All communication skills, problem-solving skills, compliance, and other criteria could be shown in frame of this AI system. Based on the results of such research, you can begin such manual work as listening to dialogues between agent and client. Having made sure that the AI worked correctly, we can start negotiations with the agent.

Make both your team and IC criteria as clear as possible so that the team and the individual knows what is expected from them. That way there are no surprises during performance reviews.

QA is important. The biggest question is who holds QA accountable when they are wrong. What is that turn around time for that agent to get an incorrect score to a correct score. It does not matter what department has a QA process. What matters is how QA is held accountable when they are wrong. I have lost way to many great agents due to this lack of process put in place. Fortunately I have been able to hire them back at the company that I currently work with. If there is an issue, I can pull the call and 95% the agents did nothing wrong. Our Call Center team name is Sharks. We just set great quality appointments with out QA and break records for our company.

To ensure effective agent performance assessment, establish clear and consistent criteria aligned with our contact center's goals and best practices. These criteria should encompass communication skills, problem-solving abilities, compliance, and customer satisfaction. Utilize a well-defined rating system and feedback form that align with these criteria, enabling us to offer specific and actionable suggestions for improvement. We identified areas for improvement in an agent's communication skills through this structured approach, leading to significant enhancements in customer interactions and overall performance.

When dealing with complex cases, it's crucial to dive deep into the details and context. 🌟 By thoroughly reviewing the entire interaction and cross-referencing with the customer's profile and history, you can uncover hidden insights that might otherwise be missed. This holistic approach not only ensures a comprehensive understanding but also empowers you to provide more accurate and constructive feedback. Remember, every detail counts in delivering exceptional service and driving continuous improvement! 🚀

You almost have to play detective - dive deeper into the details to see the whole picture. Check out past interactions and you might uncover clues that slip through the cracks. Also helps having a second point of view whether its through another supervisor or an AI system that is fully objective

In my opinion the most important thing is clients feedback. It is necessary to implement regular assessment of satisfaction through surveys CSAT, NPS, CES - key ways to assess customer sentiment, including satisfaction, loyalty, and ease of interaction with the product/site. Collecting data will inform us about where our contact center/agent is doing well. This method will help us find main weaknesses of agent.

In handling complex cases, a meticulous and comprehensive review is imperative. I've always emphasized the importance of delving into the details and context. This entails a thorough examination of the entire customer interaction, accompanied by diligent note-taking on key points, issues, and outcomes. Additionally, it's crucial to cross-reference relevant data from various sources, including the customer's profile, history, feedback, and agent performance metrics, as well as adherence to contact center guidelines and procedures. This holistic approach ensures that we gain a deep understanding of the situation, enabling us to make well-informed decisions and provide the best possible solutions for our customers.

The most important thing is that AI speech analytics will help us identify following criteria: - the agent's performance, - customer's mood, - expectations, - the agent's knowledge, - and other important skills Using AI speech recognition and analytics, we can understand all the agent's weaknesses and strengths. Having noticed these criteria we reward him for his strengths and we try to develop his weaknesses.

Having an objective AI QA system can definitely help with this. You are able to automatically evaluate agent performance, sentiment, strengths on queue type etc. which allows you to provide specific feedback and coaching so that the agent can be properly trained

Following a comprehensive case review, it's essential to pinpoint both the strengths and weaknesses in the agent's performance, aligning with our established criteria and rating system. We should explicitly acknowledge what the agent excelled at and where improvement was warranted, substantiating our assessment with concrete examples and evidence from the case. Furthermore, a holistic evaluation should consider the diverse factors influencing the agent's performance, encompassing variables such as the customer's disposition, expectations, or requests, the agent's competencies, demeanor, and knowledge, and the array of technical, operational, or environmental challenges at play.

Just 10 tips how to provide feedback: 1) Say "Thank you"! - “Thank you for your excellent work in... and for being a positive example to the rest of the team.” 2) Notice the superpower and Show all the benefits - “After listening to your calls, I noticed that you have a strong point in...” 4) Agree and demonstrate “Exactly. I also feel that you have improved your skills in this area. " 5) Let the agent talk. “I've noticed that your efficiency has decreased slightly over the past few weeks. Why do you think?” 6) Share customer's feedback “What's really cool is that the client thanked you for your help. That's what he said..." 7) Get feedback for yourself too! “Suggest what changes we can make to daily work, eliminate or develop.”

I think its important to provide constructive feedback but also immediate feedback. Being able to do this immediately and for each call has been a problem with managers for some time. Thankfully now that there are systems that can automatically do this it helps the managers with providing consistent and quality feedback

When delivering feedback to agents, our approach is centered on clarity, conciseness, and respect. We emphasize focusing on facts and behaviors, not personal attributes or emotions. Our feedback is always balanced, highlighting both positive and negative aspects, with a strong emphasis on areas for improvement and actionable steps. We also encourage open dialogue by inviting agents to share their perspective and provide feedback on the feedback itself. This fosters a culture of continuous improvement and mutual understanding within our team, ultimately enhancing our customer service excellence.

The most consistent gap I've seen in any QA scoring process isn't often found within agents or QA - it's found in Supervisors and Training. Most centers with QA can tell you who the good agents are, who the agents they hate to score are. But who are the supervisors who can consistently elevate agents that are struggling? How effective are they? Not merely who is the highest performing team - but rather, who can move the needle furthest when it comes to transformative coaching. And if the same issues are being reported by QA again and again, what is Training doing to close these consistent gaps? QA and Training have enormous synergistic potential; they need only collaborate with one another.

In my experience, contact center can use AI speech analytics, which allows me to analyze all calls and evaluate all speech communications between employees and clients in any channels to improve the efficiency of contact center employees. How it works? We can use the power of artificial intelligence to analyze customer experience. And all voice and text communication turns into analytics. Thus you can automate service quality control and increase employee productivity.

Being able to track the agents progress is key not just in their improvement but also their job satisfaction. It's important to be able to do this continuously over time because everyone wants to improve and receive praise on their improvements

After delivering feedback, the journey doesn't end; it evolves. We closely monitor an agent's progress, tracking results and action steps implementation. Continuous support and coaching remain integral, coupled with timely recognition and rewards for achievements. Additionally, we maintain an agile approach, regularly reviewing our QA process and criteria. This ensures they stay relevant and effective, evolving to meet the challenges posed by difficult or complex cases. Our commitment to adaptation and improvement is unwavering, aligning with our dedication to exceptional customer handling and success.

Appreciate an interesting issue. 1. Guidelines of calls to be measured? Where I'm going with this is, did everyone have a complex call or contact? If not then first thing is QA for knowledge and process but not overall. It is not fair to agent if they are penalized or rewarded and others never encountered. 2. What is the purpose of your evaluation process? Voice of customer and checking processes? 3. KISS approach can never go wrong. 4. Did you consider an effort score vs just csat? 5. Qa should only listen once and score. The agent had one shot and the qa process should as well. If you go looking for wrong you will find it.