Agent Csat Certification
The most effective recognition initiative for helping call centers improve or maintain their First Call Resolution (FCR) and Customer Satisfaction (Csat) performance is a Voice of the Customer (VoC) agent certification program.
The premise of a VoC agent certification program is to let the customer judge the service they received and to determine if they experienced great customer service (e.g., call resolved preferably on the first call and high Csat).
At SQM, we use World Class Calls (WCC) based on post-call surveys to determine if an agent or supervisor is certified as a WCC performer. Specifically, SQM defines a WCC using two VoC metrics (i.e., a customer was very satisfied (top box response) with the agent handling the interaction and resolving the call).
If 85% of the agent's post-call surveys meet that criteria, the agent is certified as a world-class Csat performing agent. Combining the two key performance VoC indicators is a well-accepted practice for defining a world-class customer service call.
SQM has call center clients that use either the overall Csat with the call center or the overall Csat with the agent or both Csat metrics and the call resolution metric to recognize agents' performance. Using three VoC metrics is also considered a best practice.
An agent certification program based on VoCs who have used the contact center is considered the fairest, most accurate, and most meaningful way to certify them as world-class customer service performers. In addition, in most cases, agents are more proud of being certified using a VoC approach than managers judging based on traditional operational metrics to determine high performance.
The agent motivation to be Csat certified is exceptionally high when they are recognized for achieving certification, receive additional compensation, training to advance their skills, and more career opportunities due to being VoC certified.
SQM's VoC certification program requires using post-call customer surveys. Customer survey practices should have a minimum sample of five surveys per agent per month. However, the preferred sample size is 10 surveys per agent per month.
SQM also recommends that agents eligible for the world-class Csat certification program have a minimum of 25 surveys and be involved in the program for at least three consecutive months. Using at least three consecutive months of surveying ensures that the agent consistently provides world-class customer service. In addition, agents need to hear and see an actual post-call customer survey because they need to understand how VoC data is captured and reported.
In addition to daily recognition, agents should be recognized monthly and annually for their VoC performance. At the monthly VoC recognition session, agents and supervisors who have achieved at least 85% of their world-class surveys are given WCC star pins.
The WCC pins can be affixed to a star display to recognize their achievement for the month and encourage them to continue maintaining or improving their VoC performance (see the below infographic). The star should be displayed on a specially designed WCC certification stand and have room to accommodate 12 WCC star pins, one for each month.
At the annual VoC recognition event celebration, agents and supervisors who have achieved at least 85% of their surveys as world-class calls are given a certificate designating them as a world-class certified agent or supervisor performer. In addition, a VoC certificate is presented to agents and supervisors by either the SVP of the contact center or the organization's president.
AGENT VOC CERTIFICATION RECOGNITION PINS TO MOTIVATE THEM TO IMPROVE FCR AND CUSTOMER SERVICE
It is also a great recognition practice to recognize the top 10 VoC certified performers for the year. This can be achieved by having supervisors submit great customer service stories to senior management to determine the top 10 VoC Agents for the year. In addition, the top 10 VoC agents should receive unique gifts and/or be able to attend SQM's annual conference and customer service awards ceremony.
For agents who have attended SQM's annual conference and customer service awards ceremony, it is one of the proudest moments in their career. This is because they are celebrating their success with other agents from some of the most prestigious organizations while attending the premier VoC Csat awards celebration in North America.
AGENT VOC CERTIFICATION RECOGNITION FOR THE BEST OF THE BEST
Quick Related Links
First Call Resolution Definition First Call Resolution PPT First Call Resolution Benefits First Call Resolution Strategies First Call Resolution Operating Philosophy Call Handling Best vs Worst Agents Agent Recognition QA Form Customer Quality Assurance Survey Data Calculate First Call Resolution What is a Good FCR Rate? VoC Closed-Loop Top 10 CX Metrics Agent Recognition Case Study Agent Coaching and Recognition