Call Center Performance Management

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Call center operations depend on Call Center Performance Management to run properly. While not all customer service professionals may agree on the specific reasons Call Center Performance Management is so important, the fact remains that it is key to the success of the call center organization.

Call Center Performance Management

Call centers can be a substantial source of expenses for organizations. In order to maximize the return on investment, companies must put in place effective call center performance management programs that help guide the customer care approach.

In general, call center performance management takes the form of agent development, metrics based evaluations, and reward systems.

Agent development: Well trained and call center employees are at the base of any successful call center performance management system. As the voice of the company, call center representatives must be properly trained to handle the emotional and rational sides of their interactions. Agents must be trained on how to deal with difficult people, sales techniques, the products and services provide by the company, as well as the overall picture of how their performance affects the organization.
Aside from formal training, agent development must include ongoing coaching and a positive feedback loop. Open communication, and clear expectations, will make this aspect of the call center performance management process a success.

Metrics based evaluations: It is almost impossible to think of a call center without a barrage of metrics and acronyms coming to mind. The reason for such a considerable number of measurable data points is that call center performance tends to focus on numbers. However, metrics alone do not equate to a call center performance management program. In order to properly manage performance, everyone in the customer care group must understand what each metric represents and must know exactly what is a passing measure. From the moment a new employee joins the team, metric based evaluations must be part of all performance evaluations. From the entry-level rep to the VP of customer care, everyone must have access to their individual metrics as well as those of the entire team. The whole operation must be able to know, on demand, how the group is doing. Information sharing is key to call center performance management

Reward systems: A motivated workforce is a high performing machine. As long as proper behaviors are rewarded and publicly acknowledged, the call center should exceed its targeted performance. When agents feel that their contributions are appreciated and translate into tangible benefits, they are driven to continue doing well. The opposite is also true. A well thought out call center performance management system must take into consideration such basic human behaviors. Part of functioning reward system is to also account for poor performers. Not dealing with bad employees is a sure way to undermine call center performance management. When low performers are allowed to share the benefits of a strong team, while not carrying their own weight, morale suffers.