What are some signs of poor call center service?

Michael's answer(s) are spot on - the metrics (i.e. signs) will be very different for different types of call centers.

But I do believe Customer Satisfaction surveys are always - where possible - a good idea. Ideally those surveys should be conducted 'disconnected' from the call itself because agents are savvy (generally more savvy than management gives them credit for). If they know a customer is dissatisfied they may 'forget' to transfer them to the satisfaction survey, for instance.

What I would also add is that it's critical to measure and benchmark - not so much against other call centers (because of the same 'answers will vary' problem - what is a good metric in one call center, may be a bad one in another) - but against your OWN operations. Decide the key metrics, measure them to set a baseline, and focus on continuous improvement.

You might want to get a feel for whether they are able to detach from difficult situations. I am thinking in terms of the ability to not feel attacked or personally hurt when a customer is experiencing a problem. I think it's also important to find someone who is able to deal with challenges without firing back at the customer. A strong ability to ask clarifying questions is also helpful. This allows the agent to diffuse situations and elicit more information.

Take care,

Guy

My favourite example of poor service was a call centre I was working with where during the night shift an agent asked the customer to hold while he completed a level of the game he was playing on the PlayStation he'd brought into the office.

Customer satisfaction is a perfectly reasonable metric, but it only relays generic information. Whereas well designed metrics to assess an individual also have their part.

I'd be looking to measure their enthusiasm, engagement, empathy, and technical competency on an individual basis.

Because each call center, business, toolset, and customer base is different, there's little which can be achieved in comparing apples to oranges. Instead, compare the call center staff to each other. Who's taking the most calls? Who's achieving the highest FPOC resolutions? Who, on average, has the least client callbacks within a month?

What's the averages for these stats? Who isn't making the average on more than two-thirds of their measured stats within the average amount of time required to achieve standard results after initial training? Out of those people, who are steadily improving and who have leveled off at sub-par performances? Who's still having problems after retraining and after remedial training?

Listen to some random recordings of calls. Do the customers seem happy with the level of service you're providing? Are there aspects which seem to cause more unhappiness than others? (Length of time to get through, length of time to get a satisfactory answer, customer has incorrect assumption about what the call center can and can not do, etc.) Are there ways to address these issues?

Complete agreement with Chris and Michael.

Developing a definition of what you want your customers to experience is where more firms are starting these days.

Metrics are important as long as they measure what your customers deem important.

Dave: This is exactly the question that a potential client and I were discussing the other day. He and I were in agreement that the standard call center phone system generated metrics are only a start. We headed in the direction that Dennis did - what experience do you want your customers to have ? Then figure put how to measure that. FCR was important to him and he was willing to trade off some AHT for that. We didn't get to call transfers, but I think that is something else he would want to watch.

That conversation then led us to discussing how his company measures customer satisfaction. I agree with the others. If you don't ask the customer how they like your service, then you don't know. The worst thing to do is to assume you know what your customers want or think.

As stated above, define the expectation the customer has first and foremost. Then design measurement around those expectations.

Average Speed of Answer or Service Level thresholds are a start since no one likes to wait in line.

Many times, I have found a correlation between true customer satisfaction and Agent satisfaction. If Agents are getting difficult calls, ask yourself why? Are they not empowered to help the customer? Do they have the training and knowledge? Are adequate resources available? Are the tools available to do the job properly?

Usually, the Agent wants to help the customer more than most because, if for no other reason, it will make the call easier for the Agent. I think there are other reasons but this is a large contributor.

Hard Data at a higher level - declining SLA, increasing Hold Times and ACW. Large fluctuations in AHT from the norm. Decreasing FCR, CSAT, etc.... (not below goal but declining trends). Fluctuations in QA monitoring scores when using consistent standards. Look for trends not % to goal or even factoring in the goal. The goal may have been set before everyone understood what was reasonable or realistic.

Agent Level - it would depend on the exact type of work performed. What type of Customer Service? That terminology can encompass quite a few skillsets depending on definition within your organization. Quality Monitoring once you define the standard and expectation would be the best at an individual level. But this is predicated on the correct assumptions of what the customer wants and needs.

One hidden danger you have to watch out for in assessing performance in a contact center is what I call the "false positive." Here's how it goes: A customer calls in and is given information by a friendly, professional sounding rep. The customer ends the call feeling valued and satisfied. What he or she doesn't know is that the rep gave out wrong information--it sounded good but was not accurate.

This problem can only be diagnosed by a strong quality assurance program (remember, the customer satisfaction was high so this problem isn't going to show up in customer sat scores). I'm all for agents sounding great, but there must also be measures in place to ensure accuracy.