Selecting the right call center quality assurance software isn’t easy. It can be downright complicated.
There are dozens of call center software options on the market, each promising to be the best; most cost-effective, simple to use, and all the features you could want.
You have to get through all the noise and over-inflation to get the heart of the software. Only then can you determine what’s offered and if it will work for you.
The best way to do this is to ask lots of questions. You need to be able to differentiate between software suppliers, taking a look at their features, pricing, user-friendliness, customer satisfaction, and the strong client support team.
To help you out, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of 27 questions you can ask to dig into the nitty-gritty details of your call center quality assurance software.
Delve Into the FeaturesFirst, you need to ask yourself what you want from the software. What features are essential to your call center’s success? What can you do without?
Most contact center QA software is not multichannel ready. They’re built to only monitor calls or perhaps customer services channels such as email, live chat, and social media—but not all channels at once.
Instead, look for call center software that doesn’t require different tools for different channels but can be used across all channels. This requires a flexible call center QA solution that’s open to customization.
You need to be able to prioritize questions on the QA form based on their level of importance. Ensure you have access to a weighting or ranking system that can be customized based on your parameters and business requirements.
QA monitoring without access to insights is worthless. If you want to implement changes and improve performance, you need the ability to create and analyze reports based on your needs. At a minimum, you need to be able to analyze skilled personnel and craft “filterable” reports with call center metrics reporting and analytics.
If you want your contact center QA process to succeed, the system must be transparent. Only in this way will you gain trust and demonstrate the value of your QA program.
Yes, you want to be able to highlight and reward high performers, but you also want to be able to recognize poor performers and coach them accordingly. Look for a call center monitoring software tool that offers a balance of positive and negative recognition.
For the best one-on-one coaching results, you need to be able to use the insights gathered from your QA tool. The tool should help your coaches provide valuable recommendations based on accurate data. Your new software should enhance your coach’s role, not detract from it.
When your call center software warrants attention, is there a way to set up email alerts? In particular, you need to be able to set up email alerts of severe failures or breaches in the policy.
Look for call center metrics software with agent dashboards where you can provide real-time feedback. Supervisors should be able to instantly engage with agents on their performance, behavior, and improvements. In this way, your agents are empowered for self-directed learning.
Your QA software should be able to help you adhere to compliance regulations. After all, you’re monitoring compliance as part of agent behavior, so the solution you choose should allow you to tie it all together.
If two people score the same scorecard based on the same interaction, can you compare the two scores to level the playing field? Calibration is essential for consistency and allows the evaluator to evaluate.
Categorization of QA scores is crucial for reporting and analytics. Look for call center software that allows multiple categories, including team, group, country, department, supervisor, channel, type of interaction, etc. Every categorization helps your team report and compare.
Software that’s not goal-based might as well be discarded. It would help if you had goals to push your employees toward improvement. Look for software that allows you to give employees individual plans that can be easily tracked and accessed.
Self-scoring empowers your call center agents to take charge of their performance. It offers your team the ability to grow and learn for themselves, which improves morale and employee satisfaction. Self-scoring also helps your agents train new hires and give peer advice.
Occasionally, you will have consultants or clients who will need or want access to your agents’ performance scores. Grant access to outside parties puts your company in the driver’s seat. It allows you to provide access to essential information that helps your business.
Now that you know what features are essential to the success of your call center’s QA process, it’s vital that you find software that works well. The last thing you want is to purchase call center software that is difficult to use.
There are five essential questions about user-friendliness that we believe are essential to ask.
We have already discussed the types of forms you need: those that can be easily categorized, allow self-scoring, include goals, and can be weighted. But that’s just the necessities. All those abilities are only valuable if you can edit the QA forms easily and quickly.
It shouldn’t take long to add or edit new sections and questions. IT shouldn’t need to get involved in creating categories or weighting. Instead, look for call center monitoring software that offers a straightforward editing process.
Your organization is constantly changing, so you want software that allows you to add and remove new users yourself. This will be a frequent issue, so make sure you can make these edits quickly and simply.
Before deciding on call center quality assurance software, ask if you can try it during a free trial period. Then, during this time, give the software to your call center agents and ask them how easy or difficult it is to use. While some training is expected on any new software, it shouldn’t take weeks or months.
If the software is genuinely user-friendly, you should be able to get your entire team up and running quickly. And if training is required, calculate how much is needed before you decide. That will tell you how user-friendly the software truly is.
While your call center agents and supervisors will get the most use of the call center software, they are not the only users you need to worry about. A good rule of thumb is, “Unless the software works for everyone, it doesn’t work.”
Talk with all of your call center QA stakeholders before making a final decision on the tool. Make sure that it works for your day-to-day users and your senior management, coaches, and even clients.
Your IT team has much work on their plate already. Before choosing call center QA software, map out how long it will take your IT team to set it all up. It will probably be quicker if it’s a cloud-based tool, which requires less scheduling and frustration.
Don’t just ask questions of the software company itself; while that’s valuable, their answers will be skewed. Instead, it would help if you looked at what actual users are saying about the software.
Seeing how actual professionals in the contact center industry feel about your top choice for call center QA software can either help confirm your decision or point you in another direction.
You’re not the only one who has ever purchased the software or used it. Take advantage of the reviews to see what customers, just like you, think about call center monitoring software. Some key websites to use for excellent customer reviews include Capterra, G2 Advisor, and GetApp.
For example, Scorebuddy rates well on every platform, constantly receiving at least 4/5 stars and often achieving 4.5/5 stars.
It does not just review; it’s awarded as well. Scorebuddy recently won the 2018 Best Contact Center Software Award, an independent award presented by Call Center Helper. Scorebuddy won, not based on votes by a panel of experts but on over 3,754 real-life contact center professionals.
These professionals spoke about what they love about Scorebuddy’s call center QA, saying:
Thought leaders develop best-in-class call center monitoring software. These individuals understand that before you can create call center QA software that blows the competition out of the water, you need to understand what it takes to make a thriving call center. That’s why a quick review of the resources offered by the software team can let you know whether it’s a team you want to join.
A few resources you should look for include:
The more insight the software company offers, the better. For example, Scorebuddy has an extensive “Resources” section that covers a wide range of topics at varying levels of depth. There are shorter blogs on issues such as “How to Create a QA Framework for Your Call Center” and more prolonged eBooks on topics such as “A Complete Guide to Improving Call Center CX and Customer Service.”
In both cases, the resources demonstrate Scorebuddy’s knowledge of call center success, which should give you additional comfort about the quality of their call center quality assurance software.
Last but certainly not least, you need to look into how much the software costs. Even if you’re only evaluating “FREE” tools, that doesn’t mean there’s no cost associated with using the device. There can be hidden fees or additional time required for maintenance, manual labor, reporting, etc.
Even the best call center quality monitoring software has to fit within your budget, so there are five final questions you must ask before choosing a call center QA solution.
Every software company follows its unique pricing scheme. Some have set pricing, while others have banded pricing. Then there are pricing levels—basic VS premium—or pricing based on the number of users. All of this can impact your budget.
To ensure your budget forecast is accurate, determine how the pricing works upfront.
Some software includes its price, while others include training as an add-on. Having to pay for training can be incredibly expensive, especially if the product is not very user-friendly. This can cause your training costs to snowball quickly.
How much training is included—how many hours, team members, and options do you receive? How much does additional training cost, and do you pay per hour, per trainer, or event?
Are there any set-up charges for the software? Although this is often a one-time fee, these charges can be hidden within the pricing package and provide a “nasty surprise” come time for payment. Ask if the set-up is considered a separate fee before you sign on the dotted line and how much it is.
If your new call center software offers a high investment return, it’s a great deal. Guaranteed ROI will tell you what value you can expect and if the price is worth it. Cheaper software that doesn’t give you the same results may not be worth it.
A low monthly payment is attractive, but it can be deceptive. Sometimes, software companies will offer a heavily discounted monthly price to get you started with a guaranteed increase six months or a year down the line.
Make sure you know exactly what your monthly payment will look like after the promotion period so you can budget accordingly.
The more you know before choosing the right call center quality assurance software for your team, the better. There are many variables to consider, and careful evaluation is required if you want to purchase software that meets your unique needs. Some of it is common sense, and some know-how call center software works.
To help you avoid choosing the wrong software, we’ve come up with 27 questions that you must ask before signing on the dotted line. While these questions can’t cover every eventuality, they can help you throughout the selection process to ensure that you end up with call center quality monitoring software that works.
And don’t be afraid to ask for expert advice! The Scorebuddy team is always available to be your resource for call center quality assurance. We’ll tell you if we think we’re a good fit for you because your success is our success. Contact us today.
