How to Evaluate Call Center Performance?

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Evaluation of a call center should start with BSC implementation and development of a comprehensive strategy. BSC requires a set of effective KPIs to measure call center progress. Read more on call cente BSC in this article. Check additional information about call center performance.

What is the best way to optimize call center performance? Of course, top managers have to use control tools and measure performance of every individual call center operator as well as the entire call center. However, evaluation of a call center does not guarantee performance optimization. Besides, traditional ways to evaluate business performance imply static checkups. It means that top management of a company or a call center has to wait for several months, half a year or even a year to get summarized results. The situation is different with Balanced Scorecard. Once implemented this efficient strategic management and performance evaluation tool will be constantly offering information on company progress on the way to implement strategic goals.

Use of Balanced Scorecard in a call center is extremely efficient in case call center operators and managers participate in strategic planning and development of Balanced Scorecard. Why is it so important? The first decisive factor is involvement of personnel into BSC and strategy maps development. Sure thing, external advisors know much about Balanced Scorecard and they have experience in implementation of BSC. However, they don't have insider's knowledge on company problems and weak points. This is one of the most common mistakes - external advisors cannot fully understand current position of a company. This also concerns a call center. It is not a secret that call center operators directly contact customers, and they know for sure what customers like and don't like, what they need or lack. That is why it is important to ask call center operators to express their opinion on company strategy, current and potential problems, ways to implement strategic goals etc. Balanced Scorecard will be helpful only when used in everyday work, otherwise it becomes an unrealistic plan. For this reason participation of ordinary call center operators in BSC implementation is very important.

What measures should be selected to evaluate call center performance? How can one focus on most important things? There is a common myth that number of handled calls is all important. Some call centers even offer bonuses for operators who manage to handle maximum amount of calls. This encourages other call center operators to make conversations shorter and take as much calls as possible. This is the deadliest sin in a call center. People who call do not care how many people are calling at the moment. They are interested in one thing - their questions should be answered and their problems should be solved. That's it! For this reason, it is better to handle 100 calls and solve 90 problems and leave 90 customers satisfied, than to handle 300 calls an answer only 30 questions. Customer satisfaction is all important.

It should be taken into account by top managers and those who are in charge of BSC implementation in a call center. Moreover, employees and call center operators should be properly motivated to use Balanced Scorecard. Thus, additional bonuses for first resolution calls should be introduced. Call center operator should be encouraged to give qualified answers and solve customers' problems.

If you are interested in call center performance, check this link to find out more about call center performance. Also, you can check other articles in Strategic Planning category.

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