The Call Center School’s Quality Assurance series includes six core topics and three exciting electives related to customer surveying and feedback. These programs are delivered as instructor-led web seminars on the dates specified, or we can bring a custom program for delivery at your site. Check out the “Learning Bundles” at the bottom of the page for money-saving discounts on Quality Assurance seminars.

Quality Assurance Core Curriculum:

- Building a Quality Monitoring Form – Part I

- Building a Quality Monitoring Form – Part II

- Defining Call Standards: What a Call Should Sound Like

- Calibration Corner: Best Practices in Calibration and Scoring

- Basics of Call Coaching: Techniques for Shaping Call Techniques

- Making the Most of Quality Monitoring: Creating Comprehensive QA Program

Electives:

- Satisfaction Guaranteed: Performing a Call Center Satisfaction Audit

- Voice of the Customer: Developing a Systematic Listening/Feedback System

- Email Quality Monitoring: Writing the Right Way

Learning Bundles:

- 6-Part Core Curriculum

- 9-Part Complete Curriculum

CORE PROGRAM

Building a Quality Form – Part I
Jan 13, Jul 26, Sep 14 – 2012

Quality monitoring forms enable supervisors to measure an agent’s performance on actual calls against  performance standards. Having an effective monitoring form can make the difference between having data that allows you to objectively evaluate agent skills and data that is irrelevant and subjective. In addition, a good evaluation form lets agents know what is expected of them throughout the call. In this session,
you’ll learn how to create an objective monitoring form and comprehensive definitions that allow reviewers to evaluate behaviors necessary for a successful customer interaction.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify common mistakes made on quality forms and how to avoid them.
• Align monitoring form objectives with corporate and call center goals.
• Identify behaviors that are objective and measurable.
• Organize your form for efficiency and ease of evaluation and reporting.
  
• Identify skill sections and behaviors unique to three call center industries: sales, financial services and healthcare.
  

Building a Quality Form  – Part II
Jan 20, Aug 2, Sep 21 – 2012

Having well defined quality criteria is just the beginning of creating an effective performance management tool. The next step is to apply weighting and scoring that promotes essential call behaviors. In this session, you will learn various answer and scoring schemes for evaluating your call center’s quality standards. In addition, we will explore the pros and cons of “auto-fail” and how best to use alternative scoring methods such as bonus points to reward the agents who go above and beyond service expectations. This session  also provides suggestions on how to facilitate the discussion with your quality team to come up with the “right” point values for your quality standards.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify the benefits to implementing a scoring methodology to quality evaluation criteria.
• Apply section-based weighting to emphasize skills groups most important to a call’s success.
  
• Identify various scoring schemes and understand the pros and cons of each style.
  
• Apply a scoring structure that recognizes skill priorities and awards most important critical behaviors.
  
• Validate your quality evaluation criteria and create a project plan for rolling-out your quality program.
  

Defining Call Standards: What a Call Should Sound Like
Jan 27, Aug 9, Sep 28 – 2012

It’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it.  The customer’s overall impression of a call is based not just on the right words, but the overall  “feel” of the call which is heavily influenced by vocal techniques and mannerisms.  Unfortunately, these vocal elements like voice tone, call control, and demonstrations of emotions like empathy or enthusiasm are harder to define and measure.  This session tackles defining these “soft skills” standards to enable more objective and effective call reviews.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify vocal behavior descriptions that are objective and measurable.
• Describe ways to define vocal delivery elements such as rapport building or call control.
• Define challenging call standards like voice tone, quality, and empathy.
• Assemble a coaching session planning guide.
• Incorporate definitions into a comprehensive Quality Standards document.

Calibration Corner: Best Practices in Calibration and Scoring
Feb 3, Aug 16, Oct 5 – 2012

Measuring quality through monitoring is an ongoing commitment that requires a calibration plan, a process, and the setting of realistic, attainable calibration goals.  This session with help you develop a calibration program that includes all the right people and gives structure to your calibration meetings. You will learn to set realistic standard deviation goals that will move you toward better calibration among supervisors, quality analysts, and others involved in monitoring and providing agents with call feedback.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify the benefits of quality calibration and standardizing evaluation scores.
  
• Describe the components needed for effective calibration meetings.
  
• Design an effective quality calibration process.
  
• Calculate standard deviation and set realistic deviation goals.
  
• List the five critical factors for facilitating a productive calibration meeting.

Basics of Call Coaching:  Techniques for Shaping Call Techniques
Feb 10, Aug 23, Oct 12 – 2012

Call center supervisors and quality coaches  have multiple opportunities in a variety of settings and situations to communicate with staff about their call-handling performance. In this session, you’ll learn about recommended practices for doing side-by-side coaching for improved performance, including tips on providing both positive and negative feedback. You’ll also learn about techniques to use in counseling and formal review sessions. Hear about the distinctions needed between call coaching and more general performance coaching.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify the differences between monitoring/coaching and coaching/counseling and when to use each.
  
• Describe “best practices” to use in side-by-side coaching, including tips on presenting both positive/negative feedback.
  
• Outline the steps of applying various feedback methods and when to use each.
  
• Assemble a call coaching session planning guide.
  
• Identify coaching techniques to correct call techniques as well as to celebrate call success.
  

Making the Most of Quality Monitoring: Creating a Comprehensive QA Program
Feb 17, Aug 30, Oct 19 – 2012

This call may be monitored to ensure quality –   is one of the most familiar phrases associated with call centers today. Indeed, most businesses are monitoring calls to ensure the correct message is being delivered and the majority of centers utilize some sort of automated monitoring system to facilitate the process. In this session, you’ll learn how to align your business practices to make the most of your monitoring efforts.  Hear the most common mistakes made when implementing a monitoring program, as well as ideas for ensuring the process will be met with employee acceptance.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Outline the different types of monitoring approaches available today.
  
• Identify the most common mistakes in implementing a quality monitoring program.
  
• Outline the proven steps for making monitoring a success in any call center.
  
• Define processes to ensure consistency and fairness in the monitoring process.
• Incorporate best practices to leverage quality monitoring to drive performance improvement in the center.
  

QUALITY ASSURANCE ELECTIVES

Satisfaction Guaranteed: Performing a Call Center Satisfaction Audit
Feb 24, Aug 17, Oct 26 – 2012

While internal performance measures demonstrate how efficiently a call center is using its resources, it’s important to focus on external measures of performance to determine how effectively the call center is using resources to meet customer demands. In this session, we’ll discuss ways to do satisfaction studies with different types of customers. You’ll learn ways to survey them about the call center operation specifically instead of the center being just one of many questions on the company’s overall customer satisfaction questionnaire. The session will outline the steps of planning a successful customer survey project, including what questions to ask and how to analyze and act on results.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify the various types of surveys and when to use each one.
  
• Describe issues to consider in developing the survey instrument, including how to write good questions.
  
• Outline the advantages and disadvantages of various survey administration methods.
  
• Describe considerations and calculations to include in the sampling and analysis process.
  
• Identify supporting tools and processes to assist in the survey process.
  
• Outline ways to communicate the results of your findings to customers, management, and employees.

Voice of the Customer: Developing a Systematic Listening/Feedback System
Mar 2, Aug 24, Nov 2 – 2012

A call center agent will interact with more customers in a single week than most employees will touch in their entire career. Therefore, who could be better to listen to the customer’s input, assimilate it, and feed it back to the rest of the enterprise? The challenge is to effectively listen to the customer, not just about the contact issue at hand, but also product likes/dislikes, wish lists, competitive data, etc. Then it must be collated into useful reports that can be shared with the appropriate departments throughout the enterprise in a way that is accepted and not viewed as “finger pointing” when it is negative. Acting upon the needs and desires of customers is a critical factor in competitive success.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify the internal clients of the call center and what information they need from external customers.
  
• Outline opportunities to become the conduit for the “voice of the customer” to the entire enterprise.
  
• Identify methods that will enable constructive feedback without the risk of “finger pointing.”
  
• Identify the metrics and measures to put in place to ensure effectiveness as well as efficiency.

Email Quality Monitoring: Writing the Right Way
Mar 16, Aug 31, Nov 9 – 2012

Call centers have evolved into contact centers as frontline staff respond not just to telephone calls but to written communications as well.  And just as it’s important to monitor telephone calls to ensure quality and service,  it’s also critical to monitor emails to ensure that your written communications get the same attention to quality.  This seminar will take a look at the world of email communications, including customer expectations and their biggest complaints about email correspondence.  Learn about elements of an email monitoring policy, monitoring approaches, and the most common writing mistakes to address with those agents handling written communications.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Define the desirable elements of an email from a customer perspective.
• Outline the components of an email monitoring policy.
• Identify what written communications standards need to be defined at a minimum.
• Describe best practices for use of standard email templates versus customization.
• Identify the most common business writing mistakes.

Quality Assurance – Learning Bundles

6-Part Core Quality Program (web seminars)

Increase the effectiveness of your quality monitoring and coaching program with these 6 web seminars. The 6 courses include: Building a Quality Form Parts I and II, Defining Call Standards, Calibration Corner, Basics of Call Coaching, and Making the Most of Quality Monitoring. Students who participate in all 6 classes are eligible to test for Mastery Certification in Call Center Quality Assurance.

Web Seminars – Price $1,500 ($300 savings compared to single seminar pricing)

eLearning – Price $720 (a $200 savings compared to single seminar pricing)

9-Part Full Quality Curriculum

Expand your quality program further by taking a look outside the organization to survey customers and use their feedback to improve quality. The full 9-part Quality Assurance program includes the 6 courses in the core curriculum outlined above, plus the 3 elective courses of Satisfaction Guaranteed,Voice of the Customer, and Email Quality Monitoring.

Web Seminars – Price $2,250 ($450 savings compared to single seminar pricing)

eLearning – Price $1,080 (a $270 savings compared to single seminar pricing)