Call Center Quality Assurance: Why Is It Important in Call Centers

Learn why call center quality assurance (QA) is essential for customer satisfaction. Our guide explores identifying improvements and overall benefits.

Call Center Quality Assurance: Why Is It Important?

Many companies focus intensely on quality assurance regarding their actual product or service. However, that focus often falls by the wayside when it comes to another important facet of their business — customer service and communication. When companies fail to consider call center QA, they could risk the loss of business and a bad reputation. That is why today, we are covering the topic of quality assurance within a contact center and why it is so important.

What does a QA do in a call center?

In a call center setting, quality assurance ensures that everything is working as it should — your customers are reaching agents in a timely manner, receiving appropriate responses and agents are efficiently resolving cases. This benefits everybody involved: your company and your customers. On the consumer end, your leads and clients will receive better support and service and will encourage future patronage. On the other end, your business will enjoy a better reputation through word of mouth, leading to more overall business. You will also find that your efficient practice is more cost- and time-friendly.

Why Is Quality Assurance Important in Call Centers?

Call centers are the beating heart of many business operations — and they can make or break a customer experience. Let’s say you run a skating rink that offers birthday parties, and you don’t have a call center. Instead, your team members just answer the phone on-site.

So, your customers come to your rink and have a great time skating the day away. However, when they try to call your business to plan a birthday party, everything changes. The phone rings off the hook, and when they finally get through, it is extremely noisy and hard to hear. Music is playing, kids are laughing and the team member answering the phone keeps being interrupted by customers. The call gets disconnected several times due to other incoming calls. Eventually, that potential customer will give up and book another party venue with less fuss.

You just lost a customer due to poor quality assurance!

That’s why quality assurance is crucial in call centers — customers will feel whiplash if a bad phone call ruins their normally good experience with your brand. But many companies make the mistake of asking their team members to “double up” and take calls as well as perform their hired duties. This is often when scenarios like this happen. That’s why we always recommend outsourcing a separate call center with inbound and outbound agent services.

Elements of Call Center Quality Assurance

Call quality assurance can be easier to achieve than you might believe. The key to getting there often comes down to metrics and KPIs (key performance indicators). These are measurement systems designed to calculate how well a certain facet of a business is performing. In terms of call quality assurance, these metrics will look at certain aspects of your contact center. Often, this includes targets like average wait time, average call length, or the rate at which cases are resolved within a first-call scenario.

Implementing Call Center Quality Assurance

What’s the most crucial step to implementing high call center quality assurance levels? Start by going to the source and getting facts. We recommend working with a dedicated BPO service that can help you measure the success of your KPIs and contact and ensure that your call flow is hitting all the right talking points. Your BPO service will also be able to conduct customized outbound customer satisfaction surveys. These call center QA interview questions will help your brand identify your strengths and weaknesses and can help you optimize your overall strategy.

Tackling Call Center Quality Assurance Challenges

Is your call center running into any challenges? You may not be alone. Many companies find that challenges come up with their call center, especially when running it without an expert’s help. We’ve listed a few common problems below and ways to solve them.

Problem: Overstretched Agents

Let’s say you run a spa. If your massage therapists and dermatologists are also expected to take phone bookings and answer customer DMs, that will likely not fare well for your quality assurance levels. Instead, your customers with questions and comments are being answered by overstretched, busy employees who do not have the training or job title to offer that type of client support. Things get messy quickly. You will end up with busy lines, missed calls, lengthy resolution times, and unhappy clients.

Solution: Outsourcing

The best way to beat this problem is by outsourcing a contact center. At TeleDirect, we offer scalable call center services for small businesses as well as large ones, so you’ll have the exact coverage you need when you need it. Your brand will look better for this change, and your employees and customers will benefit.

Problem: Limited Resources

There are so many necessary resources for running a successful business — and lacking them can lead to frenzied call centers and disgruntled customers.

Solution: Consolidate

We recommend bringing all of your communication services into one cohesive platform. At TeleDirect, we offer complete call solutions, so every last bit of communication is handled by our expert team. Call (800) 776-1081 today to learn how we can help your quality assurance levels soar and your business shine.