If you want to reach the top of a mountain, you’ll have to prepare yourself for the climb. If you want to have a successful QA program, then you have to train your QA team for the job. A common scenario we’ve found in call centers is for managers to throw veteran agents or front-line supervisors into QA positions with little or no training. “If they can take a call,” the theory goes, “they can analyze a call.” The new QA coaches are left to figure things out on their own, and often they make a lot of unnecessary mistakes or even fail – not because they can’t do the job but because they weren’t trained to the job correctly.
While anyone may be able to analyze a call, quality analysis and the desired results require discipline and an understanding of sound QA principles. Any QA program should include a period of training, supervision and calibration to make sure that each analyst is performing in line with the goals of the program and is prepared to provide the desired results.
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Common QA Pitfalls: Poorly Defined Goals
Common QA Pitfalls: Scoring Differences
Common QA Pitfalls: Conflicting Expectations
Flickr photo courtesy of excauboi
Tom, I hear you calling for tactics that solve complex problems … and I see the same tactics missing for so many areas of business. We think we cannot do a thing … when often we simply lack the strategies that would make it work well. If you were teaching these leaders (who are likely experienced in other areas) in a 5 minute zinger — what few tactics would emerge first in your discussion? Your post makes me curious.