Call quality can make or break customer retention rates. Or even sales if you think about every agent on the phone.

For this post, we will focus solely on support and service. If you’re looking for more sales-related help, check this out.

For operations leaders, ensuring that their teams deliver high-quality, efficient, and empathetic service over the phone is crucial. Effective leadership, when combined with the right strategies, can greatly improve call quality, enhance the customer journey, and boost KPIs such as NPS and CSAT.

Side note: We have an entire podcast focused on KPIs…

Optimizing Call Quality

Below is an outline of actionable leadership strategies that you can implement to optimize call quality, leading to better customer outcomes and improved performance across the board.

1. Set Clear Expectations and Performance Metrics

For any team to perform effectively, especially in call centers and customer-facing departments, it is essential to establish clear expectations around call quality. Operations leaders need to set well-defined metrics that guide agents toward success. 

The most critical metrics in call quality include:

• First Call Resolution (FCR): The percentage of calls resolved on the first interaction without requiring follow-ups.
• Average Handle Time (AHT): The average time it takes to handle a call from start to finish, which balances efficiency and thoroughness.
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): Direct feedback from customers regarding their satisfaction with the call.
• Net Promoter Score (NPS): A measure of customer loyalty, gauging how likely customers are to recommend the service to others.

As a leader, communicate these expectations regularly, ensuring that every agent understands how their performance will be evaluated. When agents are clear on what’s expected of them, they are more likely to focus on meeting and exceeding those standards.

Tip for Leaders

Break down complex metrics into digestible components for your teams. For example, don’t just focus on reducing handle time; also emphasize the importance of resolving customer issues comprehensively and empathetically. 

This balanced approach will lead to higher NPS and customer satisfaction scores.

2. Leverage Technology for Call Monitoring and Analysis

Modern technology provides tools that can offer invaluable insights into call performance. Speech analytics, AI-driven monitoring tools, and real-time feedback platforms allow leaders to monitor call quality efficiently and proactively identify areas for improvement.

• AI-Driven Speech Analytics: These systems can automatically analyze the tone, pace, and content of conversations. They can identify keywords, highlight compliance issues, and even assess customer emotions. Leaders can use this data to pinpoint challenges such as long silences, inappropriate scripting, or missed upselling opportunities.
• Real-Time Call Monitoring: Supervisors can listen to live calls or recorded conversations and provide immediate feedback. Real-time monitoring helps identify issues as they occur, allowing leaders to make quick interventions and provide coaching in real-time.

Utilizing these tools allows for data-driven decision-making, where leaders can target their training efforts and create improvement strategies based on actual performance data rather than assumptions.

Tip for Leaders

Encourage transparency with call monitoring. Instead of using technology only for performance evaluation, present it as a tool for personal growth and learning, helping employees see how they can improve in real-time.

3. Prioritize Empathy and Emotional Intelligence in Training

In industries such as financial services and insurance, customer interactions can be highly emotional. Whether a customer is filing a claim, seeking a financial solution, or addressing a sensitive issue, agents need to demonstrate empathy and strong emotional intelligence. 

The tone, attitude, and empathy displayed by the agent can have a significant impact on the customer’s perception of the company and their overall experience.

How to Foster Empathy:

• Empathy Training: Incorporate empathy and emotional intelligence training into the standard onboarding process. Use real-world scenarios to teach agents how to acknowledge a customer’s emotions and respond in a way that shows understanding.
• Active Listening: Encourage agents to listen more than they speak. Often, customers just want to be heard. By actively listening, agents can quickly grasp the core issue and respond appropriately.
• Personalization: Teach agents to use the customer’s name, acknowledge past interactions, and tailor solutions to individual needs. Personalization significantly enhances the customer experience.

Tip for Leaders

Encourage regular role-playing exercises where agents practice handling difficult situations with a focus on empathy. As a leader, model these behaviors by showing empathy in your leadership style.

4. Create a Culture of Continuous Feedback and Coaching

Effective coaching and regular feedback are essential for continuously improving call quality. Leaders need to foster a culture where feedback is not seen as criticism but as a tool for growth and development.

Continuous coaching allows agents to refine their skills and stay aligned with organizational goals.

• Structured Feedback: Implement a system of regular one-on-one sessions between supervisors and agents to review performance. These sessions should be constructive, focusing on both strengths and areas for improvement.
• Peer Coaching: Encourage high-performing agents to share their knowledge and strategies with others. Peer-to-peer coaching can be an effective way to reinforce best practices in a non-threatening way.
• Micro-Coaching: Provide immediate, bite-sized coaching throughout the day. For instance, after a challenging call, a supervisor can spend five minutes reviewing what went well and where improvements can be made.

Tip for Leaders

Ensure feedback is specific, timely, and actionable. Instead of vague comments like “improve your tone,” provide detailed suggestions such as, “Try lowering your voice at the beginning of the call to sound more empathetic.”

5. Empower Agents with Autonomy and Tools

Operations leaders often face the dilemma of balancing control with empowerment. 

While it’s important to maintain quality control, micromanaging agents can stifle their ability to think creatively and respond naturally to customers.

• Autonomy in Decision-Making: Allow agents to make judgment calls, especially when it comes to resolving customer issues quickly. Empowering agents with decision-making authority can lead to faster resolutions and higher customer satisfaction.
• Provide the Right Tools: Invest in CRM software and knowledge bases that give agents access to the information they need to resolve issues quickly. The faster agents can access information, the more efficiently they can handle customer inquiries.
• Gamification: Introduce elements of gamification where agents can track their progress and challenge themselves to hit performance targets. This can increase motivation and engagement, driving better outcomes.

Tip for Leaders

Foster a sense of ownership among your agents. Empower them to take control of their interactions, and they will be more invested in providing exceptional service.

6. Promote Collaboration Across Teams

Finally, an often-overlooked strategy for improving call quality is fostering cross-departmental collaboration. 

Agents should not operate in silos, especially when handling complex issues that span multiple departments like billing, claims, or technical support.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encourage collaboration between departments to share insights and knowledge that will help agents handle customer inquiries more effectively.
• Integrated Communication Systems: Implement communication tools that allow agents to quickly collaborate with other teams in real-time, enabling faster issue resolution.
• Cross-Training: Cross-train agents so they are knowledgeable about different parts of the business, which can empower them to resolve a wider variety of customer issues independently.

Tip for Leaders

Lead by example. When leaders actively collaborate with other departments, it sets the tone for the rest of the team to work together to drive customer satisfaction.

Conclusion

Optimizing call quality is not just about improving metrics; it’s about creating a better overall customer experience that leads to higher satisfaction and loyalty. 

By setting clear expectations, leveraging technology, prioritizing empathy, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, operations leaders can empower their teams to consistently deliver outstanding service. Implementing these strategies will not only improve key metrics like CSAT and NPS but also ensure long-term success in a competitive market.

As a leader, your role is to inspire, guide, and provide your team with the tools and support they need to excel. When your team thrives, so do your customers.