Call Center Quality Assurance: Tips to Create a Framework & Best Practices

Call center quality assurance (QA) separates the high-performing call centers from the bare minimum folks.



By ensuring quality at every stage of your customer processes, you’re a step closer to resolving problems and retaining more customers.



This is why a robust quality assurance plan for your call center is essential for businesses dedicated to customer service.



Does Your Call Center Need Quality Assurance?



Quality assurance (QA) is the process call centers follow to ensure all customers receive the best possible  customer experience .



By maintaining standards and following set guidelines for how you treat customers and handle tricky customers, you set the bar for other call center agents and gain a competitive edge over rival businesses.



Quality assurance uses a set of processes, such as listening to calls, reviewing scripts, and conducting customer surveys. 



We typically see five main areas evaluated, which create a QA scorecard:




Verification : Did the agent ensure the caller authenticated account access?



Call management : Did the agent spot when they had to take urgent action?



Call flow : Did the agent progress as per a predetermined script?



Soft skills : How was the demeanor of the agent?



Resolution : When the call was over, did the agent document the call appropriately?








By quality, we’re not referring to  call quality , which is how well people can hear each other over the phone, how well your tech is performing, and the  quality of service .



It’s the fidelity that your agents can fulfill the expectations customers and the business have of them. 



Why Is Quality Assurance Important in a Call Center?



Quality assurance (QA) is important in call centers as it gives you the knowledge your business is providing a consistent customer experience and dealing with objections and escalations constructively.



Your call flows, scripts, and agent training are designed for a reason. 



Deviating from a tried and tested process can lead to a drop in standards. However, there is always room for agents to suggest improvements. 



In your quality assurance framework, make room for suggestions and feedback from agents who are on these customer calls all day.






When most of your customer interactions are via the phone, it’s hard to know what’s going on with every call. 



Unlike email or web chat, you can’t check keywords and sentiment 24/7. It’s impossible to keep an eye on every negative experience.



That’s where quality assurance is most important by monitoring agent performance to find room for improvements. 



Call Center Quality Control vs. Quality Assurance



Before we dig into how we improve quality assurance, let’s clarify an often confused phrase.