Firstly, it is about preventing mistakes. Secondly, it is about continually improving standards. This improves the effectiveness of the work, increases customer satisfaction and helps bring in more business. Thirdly, there may be legal requirements.

For many call centers, quality assurance also means archiving voice receipts as proof of transaction. Often, this has an added complication: the call needs to be recorded but e.g. credit card data cannot be recorded. For managers, call center quality assurance is a way to identify trends in the quality of service. With the right QA process, you can then make better decisions about remediation, such as making changes to training, coaching, re-skilling, recruitment, software, etc.

Here are eight ways you can improve your QA.

1. Monitor systematically

Formalize your QA process. Consider external help or appoint an internal tribal leader of QA. Use your software to automate QA processes, like call recording and performance alerts.

Plan to capture enough samples of calls, interactions, and different agents, so that you can make meaningful decisions. Include qualitative and quantitative data. The latter includes agents’ self-analysis scorecards.

2. Collaborate internally and externally

Allow agents to assess themselves and each other. Encourage open feedback. Work with clients. Show them you care. Use QA as a way to retain clients and win recurring business.

Avoid one-way, top-down feedback. Score and evaluate with agents, not against them. Give agents physical and virtual opportunities to discuss their performance. Create a nurturing atmosphere. Highlight the positive as well as the negative.

3. Combine silent remote listening with live whisper

Live call monitoring and instant feedback can be very useful to laser focus and especially to identify human, emotional factors that empirical data cannot communicate.

Monitor a mix of calls, including non-problematic agents and calls. Learn from successful calls.

4. Identify coaching opportunities

While interviews and surveys focus on hard facts, it’s important to address soft factors. Role-playing, refresher training and synergy sessions can help individuals and build company culture.

5. Compliant call recordings

For some call centers, it’s essential to keep call recordings that adhere to local regulations and do not include the transaction part of a call.

Another element of compliant call recording is secure data storage. Different local regulations apply, for example, some countries require data to be stored on local servers.

6. Reward all your agents for taking part

Don’t make QA and agent feedback all about the negative. Put your greatest hits on display. Share positive feedback. Reward all your agents for contributing to your call center’s quality assurance process.

Speed up feedback as much as you can. Real-time tools, like live whispering and agent chat, are key. Mentoring, coaching, and training are also potential rewards. They’re a win-win.

7. Multi-channel contact center QA

Call recording is not enough. Multi-channel contact center QA requires every interaction to be available for analysis and review.

Your dashboard and real-time monitoring capabilities have a role to play. They are your early warning systems. Use software that can grant permission-based monitoring to internal team leaders, managers, and external clients.

8. Call center QA benchmarking

Learn and share best practices with your agents. Highlight the best calls and best problem-solving. Don’t ignore unspectacular cases. There’s a lot to learn from agents that perform consistently and how they stay aligned with scripts.

Make QA regular and timely. Analyze regularly. Set aside time and resources. Keep moving the goalposts. Keep tracking consistent but adjust your KPIs as your business changes.

Want to learn more about QA in contact centers?

To give you even more help, we wrote a more detailed piece on quality assurance. Be sure to read our full guide.