Let's be honest, working in a call center won't make you millions, but with the night shifts and irate customers you have to endure on a regular basis, why not make the most of it by earning the most of it? I'm not just talking about your attendance bonus and 13th month pay, but about your performance bonus: your CSAT, AHT, and QA scores—the challenging ones. Because with the challenging metrics, comes the juiciest of bonuses. Let's talk about how to pass call center metrics and earn your performance bonus.
Why should you care about how to pass call center metrics
1. The perks
Customer service or sales, the bonus for the top performers are always there for the taking. And why should you bother getting it, you may ask.
If you work in customer service, the performance could reach up to 25% of your monthly salary. That's already a lot of savings ahead compared to an agent who only depends on his basic salary. If you're on sales, the sky is the limit. You might even receive way more performance bonus than your basic salary and attendance bonus combined. How's that for a perk?
2. The promotion
So you were told that a call center is a dead-end job? Time to wake up. The call center industry is probably one of the industries that gives the most promotion because it's constantly growing. As that is happening, more and more employees are promoted to fill in positions that previously only few people held.
When the management looks for positions like a team leader, quality analyst, or even an account manager, they usually don't hire people from outside. They hire internally! And why not? It's more convenient to train someone who already knows the whole company process than a complete newbie.
Now, to be at the top of the promotion list as possible, that is your ace for the promotion. That means performing the best as you can, not only showing up at work but also performing like a star.
3. The savings
Okay, so you don't care about promotions. All you ever care about is to get out of your job ASAP. You're probably even running a side income by now. Well, performing for an extra bonus is certainly not a bad idea if you want an early exit from your 8-hour grind. Think about it, the more money you earn, the more money you could invest in your future, be it to finance your dream business or save for the rainy day.
How to Pass Call Center Metrics and Earn Your Performance Bonus
Contact center metrics vary from contact center to another, but the goal is essentially the following:
- Low AHT (average handling time)- the lower the AHT, the more customers an agent could assist within the 8-hour period.
- Low ACW (after-call work)- the time spent for each work after each call. Example: Agent needs to the send a confirmation email to the customer regarding an order cancellation.
- Number of calls per day- refers to the number of calls an agent handles per day. Depending on the contact center, this ranges from 50-80 calls per day.
- CSAT- (Customer Satisfaction)- Customer satisfaction are mostly measured by post-call emails sent to customers after interacting to representative via email or call.
- Attendance and punctuality bonus- you could be the most competitive agent in the whole company but if you've exceeded the limited number of allowed absences, most companies forfeit your right to get that bonus.
Tip #1. Prepare a ready solution for every issue you encounter.
When you have an established solution for each issue ready at your disposal, you don't have to repeatedly consult your TL or co-workers for answers more than once, thus saving everybody time. If the issue is new to you, then by all means call your TL about it, but do make sure that the next time that same issue pops up, you already know what to do.
If it helps, create a file on your computer detailing all issues you've encountered so far along with their corresponding solution, the tools and software involved in solving the problem, and what to tell the customer. Your sample template could look something like this:
Issue: Customer's order hasn't been delivered but tracking number shows "Delivered:
Solution 1: Ask CS to wait within 24 hours.
Solution 2: If it's more than 24 hours, file a claim with the courier.
What to tell the customer: Tell CS that a claim will be filed with the courier and give a time frame.
Keep the case in progress until the courier refunds the lost parcel, or until customer finally receives it.
With this note ready for each issue, you'll save a lot of time and you'll spare your customer and yourself the frustration of waiting for answers. Not only will your team leader and customers love you but your pocket as well. In no time, passing call center metrics will be a task you'll be happy to face, instead of shy away from.
Tip #2: Write down all updates.
One or two updates in the company's policy and process may seem irrelevant but believe me, it's anything but irrelevant. One update in the company's process creates a ripple effect and impacts all the resolutions you used to know for each issue.
Writing down the new update and crossing off the old ones ensures that you're going to be efficient with your job. Customer satisfaction will rise as you won't be giving out wrong information to your customers and repeat contacts due to misinformation won't happen.
Tip #3: Be unforgettable to your customers.
To get a more than average CSAT score, you have to deliver a more-than-average customer service. You see, there are 2 types of CSATs: one that gets answered and one that is ignored regardless your right assistance.
Giving the right assistance isn't enough. After all, it's expected of you. This alone won't encourage your customers to answer CSAT surveys for you. They're pressed for time. Ask yourself why should they spend 5 minutes filling out your CSAT survey.
If your answer is, "Because I've helped them by answering their questions and solving their problems.", then that isn't enough.
Because, you need something more than that. You need not only be right. You also need to be remarkable. To be remarkable is to be unforgettable. To be unforgettable, you need to elicit emotions from your customers. Positives emotions, of course, for positive CSAT scores. But eliciting negative emotions will do the trick just fine.
Can you recall the worst CSAT survey you ever got from a customer? What did she write? I bet it wasn't just a one liner, "I'm not satisfied." She typed a 5-paragraph essay, didn't she? What do you think led that customer spend 10 minutes of her life writing that survey?
Emotion
The same is true when aiming for a high CSAT score. You need to elicit emotions, positive ones. Don't be just another rep who answers the phone, greets the customers, gives answers, and says goodbye.
Add a touch of perkiness and interest in your voice, offer a solution that not all agents offer because it requires extra work. Walk the extra mile. Make the customers feel that they're involved in the process of solving the issue with you. Make them feel valued.
This isn't news. This is the foundation of an excellent customer service.
However, when one is overwhelmed with calls, one forgets the importance of this and settles for mediocrity. But if you're aiming for an excellent CSAT score, then this is the way to go.
Practice this so you don't have to hint your customers to fill out your survey. They'll ask for the survey themselves and will give you the perfect 10 as a parting gift.
What about you? As a tenured rep, what are other tips and tricks you have up you sleeve on how to pass call center metrics and make sure to get that performance bonus?
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