How to Measure Agent Performance and Capacity

The primary reason why most call center managers and supervisors are the most detested and despised persons in the BPO industry is because they are in- charge of measuring the performance of the agents. It is a constant process that without a strict and stringent procedure, sales could go down, the call center put in jeopardy and the business in danger of losing clients and customers.

The problem with most call centers is that there is a discrepancy about the way they measure individual performance. Most agents feel that when they answer the call quicker, they give better customer service. This is a false notion that needs to be corrected. The truth of the matter is that most call centers include features that are sometimes hard to control especially by the call center agent.

For virtual call center agents, this may also be the case. Employers rate each agent differently. As it should be, because performance differs when type of account (inbound or outbound), call (sales, appointment setting or lead generation) and the channel (landline, chat or email) to which these interactions were made. Each of these should be measured differently and needed to be modeled after the agent’s specific and assigned task.

When trying to measure an agent’s productivity, you must first consider the factors which the agent is able to manage. Like available time, after call work time, adherence to the schedule and talk time. Available time is the allotted time that an agent is available to receive or make a call. For most call centers, this is in the 8 to 9 hour period. After call work time is the time spent by the agent completing task such as making reports after receiving and making calls. Adherence to the scheduled time will also affect the measurement of performance. Talk time refers to the duration of time that the agent is able to talk to a customer regarding their concerns. Why are these included? As a call center, you won’t be able to predict the length of time a customer talks to a specific agent, and the agent won’t have control over it as well.

There are a wide variety of call centers out there and the variation of call types will also affect the agent’s performance. Sales based calls should be measured by the sales percentage made, drop calls and sales closure rates. This is an indication of how effective the agent is in selling a company’s product. Another factor that needs to be considered is the quality of the calls made. While some call centers will be perfectly happy with a large volume of calls coming in, what will make or break a relationship with a client or customer is the quality of the call received and made by the agents. Virtual call centers should be wary of the quality of interactions made by your agents for this is a reflection of the kind of agents a contact center has.

CCAP’s Expo Takes on Global Dimension

The Contact Center of the Philippines (CCAP), will organize the International Contact Center Conference & Expo, which sets its sights on the global horizon by creating an avenue that will share best practices and case studies from other countries as well as the Philippines. This is the sixth conference and expo to be organized by CCAP. This year’s event promises to be larger and more exciting as it draws more delegates from all over the world. With guest speakers from different continents to share their insights and experiences from a more global perspective. The International Contact Center Conference & Expo will be held on Sept. 28-29 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

The International Contact Center Conference & Expo will also mix speakers from diverse backgrounds and various sectors — operations, marketing, human resource management, training, academe, technology, research, real estate, and consultancy — ensuring a rich learning experience. The plenary sessions will highlight special panel discussions, including a Global CEO Forum, which will discuss issues in the global outsourcing market; an Analyst Panel Discussion, which will share international trends; and an SME Panel Discussion, which will tackle how smaller players can build homegrown global BPO brands.

The two-day event also opens up possibilities for international networking for operators and vendors. The exposition is an avenue by which exhibitors and sponsors can target international, or at least regional, markets. There is also a two-day job fair with dozens of call centers looking for new hires. They will accept and process job applications and conduct on-the-spot interviews. In addition, call centers and training companies will conduct free workshops and career orientation seminars for job seekers. It is the official job fair for the call center industry, represented by the some of the biggest call centers in the country, including the 65 CCAP member call centers. This conference is expected to raise the industry to a whole new level, and showcase Philippine depth and range in contact center capabilities. At the same time, building the country as the prime destination for global conferences and promote the Philippines as a world-class business-leisure destination. It will give the international market a compelling reason to come here to learn. And being the number one player in outsourced contact center services with a solid track record and a rich knowledge base is a very good reason.