In today’s competitive business landscape, providing a superior customer experience is more important than ever for high-performing call centers. Customer-focused companies are 60% more profitable, and happy customers are willing to pay up to 10% more for great service. However, creating a better customer experience can be challenging when you lack the right tools to measure and improve your call center team’s performance.
That’s where a call center agent performance scorecard comes in. A well-designed scorecard allows you to objectively analyze your agents’ performance, reward top performers, and identify areas for improvement. In this article, we will walk you through a simple five-step formula for creating an effective call center scorecard.
Step 1: Define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
To create a meaningful scorecard, you need to start by defining the key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with your call center’s goals. Common KPIs for call centers include average handling time, first call resolution rate, customer satisfaction score, and agent adherence to schedule.
Step 2: Set Performance Targets
Once you have identified the relevant KPIs, the next step is to set performance targets for each metric. These targets should be realistic yet challenging enough to motivate your agents to strive for excellence. For example, you may set a target of achieving a customer satisfaction score of 90% or higher.
Step 3: Collect and Analyze Data
To measure your agents’ performance, you need to collect relevant data on a regular basis. This can be done using call center software that tracks and records important metrics. Once you have the data, analyze it to gain insights into individual agent performance and overall team performance.
Step 4: Provide Feedback and Coaching
Based on the data analysis, provide constructive feedback to your agents to help them understand their strengths and areas for improvement. Offer coaching and training opportunities to support their growth and development. Remember to recognize and reward top performers to boost morale and motivation.
Step 5: Continuous Monitoring and Improve
Creating a call center agent performance scorecard is not a one-time task. It requires ongoing monitoring and improvement. Regularly review your scorecard, adjust performance targets if necessary, and identify new KPIs to track. Keep an open line of communication with your agents to gather their feedback and suggestions for improvement.
By following this five-step formula, you can create a call center agent performance scorecard that helps you objectively measure your team’s work and take essential steps to improve. Remember, a superior customer experience is a key differentiator in today’s competitive market, and investing in your call center’s performance is an investment in your company’s success.
Example call center agent scorecards.
The most effective scoring questions tend to fall into one of three categories.
- Yes or no questions.
- Quantitative questions that require managers to grade performance (e.g., “good,” “needs improvement,” and “poor”)
- Quantitative questions with data-driven answers.
Here are some example questions for four different types of contact center agents.
Example of a customer service scorecard.
Greeting
- Did the agent use a scripted greeting?
- Did the agent inform the customer about the recorded line?
Understanding the issue
- How well did the agent handle the issue effectively?
- How well did the agent demonstrate product or service knowledge?
Resolving the issue
- Did the agent provide the best solution?
- Did the agent follow the script for the solution?
Closing
- Did the agent ask additional questions before ending the conversation?
- Did the agent ask the caller to fill out a customer survey?
Tone
- How confident did the agent?
- Did the agent use a branded voice successfully?
Example of a technical support agent scorecard.
Greeting
- Did the agent use a scripted greeting?
- Did the agent inform the customer about the recorded line?
Problem-solving
- How well did the agent understand the issue?
- How well did the agent demonstrate product or service knowledge?
Communicating next steps
- Did the agent escalate the call when necessary?
- Did the agent share realistic time frames for resolving the issue?
Closing
- Did the agent ask additional questions before ending the conversation?
- Did the agent ask the caller to fill out a customer survey?
Tone
- How confident did the agent?
- Did the agent use a branded voice successfully?
Inbound sales agent scorecard example.
Greeting
- Did the agent use a scripted greeting?
- Did the agent inform the customer about the recorded line?
Sales discussion
- How well did the agent understand and assess the customer’s needs?
- How effectively did the agent convey the product or service’s value proposition?
Handling objections
- How well did the agent handle customer objections?
- How well did the agent execute upsells or cross-sells?
Closing
- Did the agent close the conversation with a prompt to complete the next steps?
- Did the agent inform the customer about a survey?
Tone
- How confident did the agent?
- Did the agent use a branded voice successfully?
Example of an Outbound Sales Agent Scorecard.
Greeting
- Did the agent use a permission-based opener?
- Did the agent inquire about challenges or priorities?
Making the offer
- How well did the agent assess and understand the customer’s needs?
- How well did the agent share the product or service’s value proposition?
Handling objections
- How well did the agent respond to customer objections?
- Did the agent share relevant customer testimonials?
Closing
- Did the agent establish a time frame for following up?
- Did the agent close the conversation with a prompt to complete the next steps?
Tone
- How confident did the agent sound?
- Did the agent use brand voice successfully?
Example performance scorecard templates.
With our call center agent scorecard templates, you can get a head start on creating your own scoring framework. Please customize the template and make any necessary adjustments to meet your needs.
Customer service scorecard template
Outbound agent scorecard template.
Next steps for agent performance management.