Research has shown that there is a direct correlation between call quality, and the accuracy, frequency and quality of agent monitoring and coaching activities within the call center.  

For a call center to be successful, it is essential that it captures and evaluates how well call center agents adhere to internal policies and procedures and interact with customers in phone, email and chat interactions. When quality monitoring programs are well designed and institutionalized, they yield great benefits for customers, enterprises, contact centers and agents.  Put simply, the more invested in monitoring and coaching -- and the Call Center Quality Assurance professionals that perform these critical activities -- the better the service provided to customers.

Call Center Quality Assurance (QA) analysts strive to develop successful business processes, as well as ensure a successful overall vision for the center. They are responsible for ensuring high-quality customer service and customer experiences.  They conduct regular satisfaction audits, and improve day-to-day performance through monitoring activities.  To help ensure consistency among monitors, nearly all centers (92.8%) use a standard monitoring form during evaluations.  In fact, the monitoring form can impact the accuracy of a quality program and affect agent acceptance of feedback and ratings.  Implementing effective monitoring tools and technologies focuses the QA analysts' attention on high impact performance gaps.  And effective coaching can turn valuable monitoring observations into the action that will transform performance quality in your center.

In nearly three quarters (73.8%) of centers surveyed, those quality assurance professionals who conducted monitoring also received formal training to ensure that they carry out their quality assurance duties effectively.  Specialized training in Quality Assurance is a hallmark of top-performing global call centers.

The Call Center Quality Assurance Web-Based Training Series is designed specifically for the specialized training needs of QA analysts and those supervisory professionals and leaders that influence service quality.  In five targeted sessions, participants will learn best practices in satisfaction auditing, agent monitoring, monitoring form design and calibration, QA tools and technologies, and effective coaching techniques.

Don't miss rare opportunity for your entire QA department to be trained in best practices.

Connect to the RCCSP Professional Education Alliances' presentation of the Call Center Quality Assurance Training Series.  

For one low price, all your in-house quality assurance professionals can hone their skills and learn innovative ways to raise your center's quality of service.  Taught live by leading experts members of the Professional Education Alliance, and delivered in-house in a virtual classroom at your location, the Call Center Quality Assurance Training Series brings the best the US has to offer in quality assurance techniques directly to leading call centers worldwide.

This US management seminar series will be delivered in English.

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Series Schedule

Building a Quality Monitoring Form:
Designs for Performance Excellence

Winter 2009:		Friday, February 6, 2009 -- 10:00am-11:30am CST
Summer 2009:		Friday, July 31, 2009 -- 10:00am-11:30am CST
Fall 2009:		Friday, October 16, 2009 -- 1:00pm-2:30pm CST

Quality monitoring forms enable supervisors to measure an agent’s performance on actual calls against your performance standards. Having an effective monitoring form can make the difference between having data that allows you to objectively evaluate agent skills and data that is irrelevant and subjective. In addition, a good evaluation form lets agents know what is expected of them throughout the call. In this session you’ll learn how to create an objective monitoring form that allows supervisors and quality analysts to evaluate behaviors necessary for a successful customer interaction. This session also provides a process model for applying weighting and scoring so you can effectively promote those most critical behaviors. Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Align monitoring form objectives with corporate and call center goals.
• Organize your form for ease of evaluation.
• Identify critical behaviors that are objective and measurable.
• Identify data elements needed for effective skill gap and trend analysis reporting.
• Apply weighting and scoring schemes to emphasize agent skills and knowledge that are most important.
• Create an evaluation standard document that provides a detailed description of each evaluation criterion.

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Best Practices in Calibration and Scoring

Winter 2009:		Friday, February 13, 2009 -- 10:00am-11:30am CST
Summer 2009:		Friday, August 7, 2009 -- 10:00am-11:30am CST
Fall 2009:		Friday, October 23, 2009 -- 1:00pm-2:30pm CST

Measuring quality through monitoring is an ongoing commitment that requires a calibration plan, a process, and the setting of realistic, attainable calibration percentage goals. It is through the calibration process that you take the necessary steps to standardize your evaluation scores across all your monitoring groups. This session with help you develop a calibration program that includes all the right people and gives structure to your calibration meetings. You will learn to set realistic standard deviation goals that will move you toward better calibration among supervisors, quality analysts and others involved in monitoring and providing agents with call feedback. Seminar attendees will learn to:

Identify the benefits of quality calibration and standardizing evaluation scores.

• Describe the components needed for effective calibration meetings.
• Decide who should be participating in your calibration program.
• Design an effective quality calibration process.
• Calculate your standard deviation and set realistic deviation goals.
• List the five critical factors for facilitating a productive calibration meeting.

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Making the Most of Quality Monitoring Tools:
Optimizing Monitoring and Recording Technology

Fall 2008:		Friday, October 31, 2008 -- 1:00-2:30 CST
Winter 2009:		Friday, February 27, 2009 -- 10:00am-11:30am CST
Summer 2009:		Friday, August 21, 2009 -- 10:00am-11:30am CST
Fall 2009:		Friday, October 30, 2009 -- 1:00pm-2:30pm CST

This call may be monitored to ensure quality – is one of the most familiar phrases associated with call centers today. Indeed, most business are monitoring calls to ensure the correct message is being delivered. And the majority of centers utilize some sort of automated monitoring system to facilitate the process. In this session, you’ll learn about the latest features of quality monitoring systems, as well as benefits of using one and the likely ROI to be realized. Hear the most common mistakes made when implementing a monitoring system, as well as ideas for ensuring the process will be met with employee acceptance. Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Outline the different types of monitoring systems available today.
• Describe some of the latest advancements in technology from the quality monitoring vendors.
• Identify the most common mistakes in implementing a quality monitoring program.
• Outline the proven steps for making monitoring a success in any call center.
• Define performance standards to ensure consistency and fairness in the monitoring process.

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Fundamentals of Coaching:
Techniques for Shaping Employee Performance

Winter 2009:		Thursday, March 5, 2009 -- 1:00pm-2:30pm CST
Summer 2009:		Friday, August 14, 2009 -- 10:00am-11:30am CST
Fall 2009:		Friday, November 13, 2009 -- 1:00pm-2:30pm CST

Call center supervisors have multiple opportunities in a variety of settings and situations to communicate with staff about their performance. In this session you’ll learn about recommended practices for doing side-by-side coaching for improved performance, including tips on providing both positive and negative feedback. You’ll also learn about techniques to use in counseling and formal review sessions. Perfect for call center supervisors or team leaders, this session outlines the step-by-step approach to coach problems employees as well as reward good performers. Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify the differences between monitoring/coaching and coaching/counseling and when to use each.
• Describe “best practices” to use in side-by-side coaching, including tips on presenting both positive/negative feedback.
• Outline the steps of applying various feedback methods and when to use each.
• Assemble a coaching session planning guide.
• Identify the steps of a positive discipline plan.

.Performing a Call Center Satisfaction Audit

Winter 2009:		Friday, March 6, 2009 -- 10:00am-11:30am CST
Summer 2009:		Friday, August 28, 2009 -- 10:00am-11:30am CST
Fall 2009:		Friday, November 6, 2009 -- 1:00pm-2:30pm CST

While internal performance measures demonstrate how efficiently a call center is using its resources, it’s important to focus on external measures of performance to determine how effectively the call center is using resources to meet customer demands. In this session, we’ll discuss ways to do satisfaction studies with different types of customers. You’ll learn ways to survey them about the call center operation specifically instead of the center being just one of many questions on the company’s overall customer satisfaction questionnaire. The session will outline the steps of planning a successful customer survey project, including what questions to ask and how to analyze and act on results. Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify the various types of surveys and when to use each one.
• Describe issues to consider in developing the survey instrument, including how to write good questions.
• Outline the advantages and disadvantages of various survey administration methods.
• Describe considerations and calculations to include in the sampling and analysis process.
• Identify supporting tools and processes to assist in the survey process.
• Outline ways to communicate the results of your findings to customers, management, and employees.

Who Should Attend

Managers, supervisors, QA specialists and coaches who are responsible for service quality assurance goals and activities in the call center.  The material in this seminar is at an intermediate level.

How to Attend

Access to all seminars in the Quality Assurance Series is provided via an Internet connection and a separate audio (telephone) connection.  Two days prior to each seminar, the Resource Center will email access instructions for the web portion and the telephone number to call.  An unlimited number of your in-house employees may participate around a single web/audio connection.

Certification

The optional Mastery Certification in Quality Assurance certification consists of two parts: attendance in all five sessions of the QA Series and a certification exam. The exam is web-based, open-book, and must be proctored.  Candidates are to be given 2 hours to complete the 40-question exam and must achieve at least 80 percent accuracy in order to obtain certification.  Certification exams administrations may be purchased for $25 each.  The 2-hour certification session at your location must be proctored by an independent leader from your organization.

The Mastery Certification in Quality Assurance certifications exams are independently scored by the Call Center School.  Candidates will be advised of their exam scores within two week following the completion of the exam.

Course Instructors

The Quality Assurance Series sessions will be led by faculty of the RCCSP Professional Education Alliance, a horizontal alliance of US call center training providers.

Location

A training room at your facility, with an Internet connection, projection unit, projection screen, telephone line and audio amplification capability.

What’s Included

The registration/connection fee includes a single Internet and single telephone connection to the five web-based seminars and a course manual master for internal duplication and internal distribution only.

Registration Fees

The fee for this seminar is $1,375 USD for the entire series of five seminars for an unlimited number of your company's employees around a single connection.  Mastery Certification exams  for QA Series attendees may be purchased separately at $25 per exam administration.

Payment in advance is required for attendance of the seminar series and exam administration.

To register, click on the "Book Now" button or call (708) 246-0320.

Private Online Certification

Can't make these dates?  Why not schedule a private in-house seminar series on the dates of your choosing? Any number of your employees may attend each of the seminars around a single web connection (such as in your training room).  The cost of a private seminar series, for a single connection, is $3000.  To schedule dates for your private series, please call (708) 246-0320.

Payment is due prior to the seminar.

Cancellation Policy.  Registrants may cancel up to fourteen days in advance of the seminar start date for a full refund, less administrative fees of $500 USD.  Or, you may transfer your registration to another member of your company at no additional charge.  Registrants cancelling within fourteen days of the seminar will receive credit, less administrative fees of $500 USD, toward any other Resource Center seminar.  In the unlikely event that a seminar must be cancelled, you will be notified at least one week prior to the seminar date.