Our mission at MicahTek is to provide world class customer service to your customers. Although we are good at making it look easy, quality customer service does not happen by chance. Quality control and quality assurance are two phrases you hear thrown around our contact center on a daily basis. Contrary to popular thought, quality control and quality assurance are not one in the same. Imagine the two as the yin and yang of contact centers. Quality control is based upon a system of maintaining standards through the testing of a product against a template. Quality assurance on the other hand is the maintenance of quality in a service through careful attention given to the process leading up to the outcome. Quality is the cornerstone to maintaining a healthy and thriving contact center. Integrating QC and QA into our contact center has improved our ability to pinpoint deficits and proficiencies in call agent performance, track our progress as a unit, as well as improve our overall quality of service and customer satisfaction. The secret ingredient to our success will remain under wraps, but the following three tips should help you gain some positive momentum.
To begin with, MicahTek is committed to excellence. Contact centers filter through thousands of calls every day, making quality service paramount to a customer’s experience. Pinpointing deficits and proficiencies are a daily exercise in our contact center. Through coaching opportunities, call agents are equipped with the tools and feedback they need to be successful. QC is followed out by providing a model, then comparing the finished product to the desired one. Knowing exactly where and how the interaction with the customer was good or bad is related to the QA. For example, a new agent is on the phone with a customer whose dog chewed up the book she recently purchased. The customer is angrily demanding a refund, even though the book was in perfect condition when she received it. The call agent immediately breaks under pressure and refunds the customer, even though it is against policy to do so. The call is flagged due to involving a refund, and the agent is required to meet with their quality manager. During their coaching session, the agent is reminded of the standard (QC), and is shown exactly where the call went awry (QA). At the finish of the discussion, the quality manager points out that the agent maintained a respectful tone throughout the call and commended them on their excellent investigative skills (QA). Throughout this entire scenario, we see QC and QA at work. In a healthy, quality driven contact center, the big picture and the intentional focus can indeed coexist.
Achieving progress in a busy contact center can sometimes be a challenge. People who drag their feet and are unwilling to participate can put a damper on team morale, but this should not prevent you from moving forward. In order to achieve a goal, one must first be set. Healthy team goal setting is part of both QC and QA. Piggybacking on the example we used previously, at the end of the meeting with the call agent, the quality manager should set achievable goals for the agent to achieve. The set of goals would be QC, while the steps taken to achieve those goals are the QA. QC in this setting seeks to create a model standard, while QC sees to it that the model is once again replicated. Tracking the progress of each call agent provides data that can be put to good use in creating actionable steps for agents to meet their goals. The overall goal should be to build the reputation of whomever your contact center is representing in that moment. As agents progress toward meeting their goals, quality managers can measure their success and help agents to adjust accordingly. Without measurable standards and goals, there is no way to track progress or chart growth as a unit.
Ensuring that each call is a good experience for the customer on the other end of the line is a challenge sometimes. Not every call agent has the skills necessary for every call, but quality managers should be ready with the tools needed to boost them to success. Good QC and QA practices establish a healthy and thriving contact center. Improving overall customer service and satisfaction is our main push here at MicahTek, which is why we have so many happy customers. Our goal is that each partner we connect with experiences an exceptional level of care and attention. Our team understands the cost it takes to acquire a new customer versus the cost of retaining a customer, which is why we are committed to having the best customer service. To us, customer service is not just about beating the competition, it is about building relationships. By implementing good QC and QA practices, we have been able to support the growth of organizations for over 30 years. If you would like to know more about how we can help your organization thrive, contact us today at 918.449.3300, or click here to check out our website.