Mr. Cooper - Agent Coaching Best Practice

Coach-the-Coach

We use a coaching feedback grading form to evaluate and score our coaches’ effectiveness by rating them on specific criteria. The coaches are observed by their VP weekly and given a score of 0%-100%. Below are the steps that must be followed in every coaching session, and the VP checks Yes or No for each one:

1. The facilitator was prepared for coaching
2. The stated purpose of the discussion
3. Recapped the previous session and updated on the progress of the action plan
4. Played the call and then let the agent summarize the call
5. Determined strengths
6. Reinforced strengths
7. Reassessed opportunities from the previous session
8. Identified areas for improvement (new or same)
9. Shared customer feedback (using SQM Surveys/Verbatims)
10. Gathered assessment of possible results of the behavior
11. Formulated action plan
12. Facilitated identification of needed resources and/or support
13. Checked for understanding and confidence
14. A determined measure of success
15. Facilitated identification of follow-up dates and immediate next steps
16. Documented agreed action plan

In addition to the required steps, there are also overall effectiveness qualities that the VP must assess:

1. Did the coach display full control of the coaching session?
2. Was the coach able to enhance or maintain the agent’s self-esteem during the coaching session?
3. Was the coach able to determine the root cause of the behavior?
4. Was the coach able to lead the agent to generate a sound action plan?
5. Did the coach and representative come up with the most impactful action plan?
6. Was the coach successful in getting the commitment of the representative?

Once the agent has been dismissed, the VP and supervisor walk through the form and agree on the session’s final score. During this discussion, opportunities from the prior session will be revisited, and updated action plans will be decided upon. The coach is always held accountable to improve their technique, no matter how good they are.

These activities are logged into a database, and reporting is used by the leadership, which details the scores, strengths, weaknesses, and action plans for each supervisor/coach. The coaching score combined with the manager’s overall SQM Csat determines their ranking (i.e., The supervisor with the best SQM results and the highest Coaching Effectiveness rating is considered our most valuable supervisor).

Call Listening Sessions

We conduct routine call listening sessions at all of our sites that follow a prescribed formula. There are 3 different versions:

1. Agents listening to themselves and coached by their supervisor (led by VP) – Twice a week
2. Supervisors listening to their own escalated calls (led by VP) – Weekly
3. Agents listening to themselves (led by their Supervisor) – Weekly

In these sessions, we have a rotation to ensure every agent and supervisor gets their turn, no matter their performance. We pull a call that SQM has surveyed, and we listen to and critique it in sections:

1. Greeting and authentication process
2. Customer’s problem and the agent/supervisor’s confirmation of understanding
3. The information is given, the solution provided, and expectations set with the customer
4. Closing of the call

Between each section, we pause the call and give it a rating of 1 - 4 (1 – Unacceptable, 2 - Needs Improvement, 3 - Meets Expectations, 4 - Outstanding) on the following metrics:

1. Voice Quality (Tone, confidence, call control, energy)
2. Language (Proper scripting, grammar, accent, sentence construction)
3. Accuracy (Did the agent do everything correctly? Did they provide complete and accurate info?)
4. Csat (What did the customer have to say about the experience?)

The agent or supervisor will first grade themselves (or their agent). The rest of the attendees are then asked to share their observations if it differs. The final score is decided by the VP (or the highest-ranked person in the session), and if it’s anything lower than a 3, a follow-up session with that same person is scheduled for the following week. Upon receiving a failing score, the top coaching opportunity is identified and agreed upon amongst all in attendance. The agent or supervisor is expected to spend the next week working on an action plan to correct their biggest weakness. In the follow-up session, the coaching opportunity identified in the previous session is highlighted, and if there’s still no improvement, additional follow-up sessions are scheduled. We do not move on until the agent or supervisor fixes the issue and achieves a passing score.

There are two reasons why these sessions are always practical:

1. Once we find a problem, we do not stop working on it until it is fixed; if that results in disciplinary action leading up to termination, so be it. We do not compromise our standards, and we provide ample support to the individuals to help them succeed in improving their performance.
2. These sessions are led by senior management (AVP/VP and sometimes SVP). The VP not only leads the discussion but participates in grading the calls, demonstrating their product knowledge to the people that report to them. By rolling up their sleeves and paying attention to the details of each call, they not only earn credibility with their staff, but they have a direct influence on the things that move the needle for their area of responsibility. If you are a fresh manager

Process Improvement in Supervisor Calls

As stated above, we have a weekly session where supervisor calls are played in a meeting, and the supervisors are coached on how to improve their escalation handling skills. In addition to coaching them on their technique, we also spend time addressing potential process improvement opportunities that become apparent while listening to these calls. In most cases, customers choose to escalate things because of a process failure (e.g., something went wrong; their expectations weren’t met, etc.). So, we use these sessions to have an in-depth discussion about what processes we could change/fix to prevent these escalations from happening in the first place.