Contact Center CSAT/QA Benchmark Snapshot – At a Glance
SQM’s Contact Center CSAT/QA Benchmark Snapshot provides a current, data-driven assessment of your contact center’s customer satisfaction (CSAT) and quality assurance (QA) performance using SQM’s standardized customer experience (CX) and compliance metrics.
Leveraging Generative AI (GenAI), we evaluate a statistically valid sample of 400 recorded calls and conduct 400 corresponding post-call surveys (via email or phone) to accurately evaluate and deliver actionable insights that drive CSAT and compliance improvement.
Since 1996, SQM’s CSAT & QA Benchmark Snapshot has set the industry standard for measuring and predicting CSAT with up to 95% accuracy, benchmarking QA and CX performance against over 500 leading contact centers, and awarding organizations that achieve outstanding CSAT results.
The QA Scoring Framework
The QA Scoring Framework is a step-by-step process that ingests and preprocesses call data (including transcription, speaker separation, and redaction), applies intent and behavior detection (via NLU, sentiment analysis, and behavioral tagging), scores performance using rule-based rubrics, LLM evaluation, CSAT prediction, and call calibration, and then aggregates results into composite QA scores with benchmarking against peers, industry, and world-class contact centers.
Step-by-Step Process:
1. Input Ingestion & Preprocessing
- Audio Transcription: Speech-to-text applied to call recordings
- Speaker Diarization: Differentiates between agent and customer
- Data Redaction: Sensitive data (e.g., names, credit card info, PHI) is removed
- Data Retention: Zero transcription data retention, and data is not used for training AI models
- Transcription Quality: GenAI transcriptions are analyzed to ensure they meet SQM’s quality standards for assessing CSAT and compliance performance
2. Intent & Behavior Detection
- Natural Language Understanding (NLU): Detect intents (like empathy or resolution) and behaviors relevant to QA scoring
- Sentiment Analysis: Captures the emotional tone of both parties
- Behavioral Tagging: Detects QA-relevant behaviors like empathy, greeting, knowledge, and listening
3. Scoring Methodologies
- Rule-Based Rubric Logic: A standardized approach to assess call quality by measuring key behaviors like communication, compliance, and issue resolution
- Large Language Models: LLM (i.e., OpenAI) are used to evaluate CX and compliance adherence (YOUR QA DATA IS NOT USED FOR AI MODELING)
- CSAT Prediction: Proprietary post-call CSAT prediction QA models leverage 10 key components to accurately predict agent QA CSAT scores, achieving up to 95% accuracy match with survey-based agent CSAT scores.
- Call Calibration: Post-call surveys (i.e., phone or email) are used to calibrate GenAI CX results using your contact center, rather than using QA evaluators.
4. Aggregation & Benchmarking
- Metric Consolidation: Grouped by categories (CX, compliance, repeat calls)
- Composite QA Score: Is based on the weighting and scores of the 22 CX QA metrics
- Benchmarking: Performance compared across peers, industry average, and world class contact centers.
Contact Center CSAT/QA Benchmark Snapshot Outcome
The CSAT/QA Benchmark Snapshot outcome provides a comprehensive benchmark comparison against over 500 North American call centers—covering CX, compliance, repeat call metrics, error sources, transcription quality, GenAI CSAT predictions, and recognition through SQM’s Excellence Awards.
- Benchmark comparison of your CSAT/QA results to over 500 leading North American call centers
- Benchmarking comparison to peer groups, the call center industry, and world class call centers
- Transcription quality score and benchmark comparison to other participants
- GenAI agent CSAT score prediction matches to survey agent CSAT ratings
- 4 Outcome CX metrics (i.e., call center CSAT, agent CSAT, FCR, and call resolution) results
- 22 CX metrics (e.g., Understanding, Empathy, Helping, and Resolving) results
- 23 Call compliance metrics (e.g., caller verification, script adherence, resolution disclosure) results
- 39 Repeat call metrics (e.g., billing/claim issue, agent approach, agent knowledge, customer mistake) results
- 3 Sources of error (i.e., customer, agent, and company) results
- Recognition opportunity for contact centers that have demonstrated CSAT/QA excellence is eligible for an SQM award
Key Benefits
Our CSAT/QA Benchmark Snapshot key benefits provide rapid deployment, calibration for accuracy, disruption-free deployment with independent validation, actionable insights, and industry-wide benchmarking—plus the opportunity to earn recognition through awards and certification for world-class CX delivery.
- Rapid Deployment, Minimal Disruption: No system integration is required; we start within days and have results within two weeks.
- Calibration for Accuracy: SQM leverages post-call surveys to validate and fine-tune GenAI QA results.
- Third-Party Validation: Gain objective insights to complement or challenge internal and external QA results.
- Actionable Recommendations: Use findings to guide coaching, tech investments, or process improvements.
- Comprehensive Benchmarking: Measure performance across industry verticals (e.g., Banking, Telecom, Healthcare, Insurance) and world-class contact centers in North America.
- Awards & Certifications: Companies that have demonstrated high QA and CSAT results will be awarded and/or certified as World Class companies for CX delivery.