How can a call center in the Philippines reduce agent errors?

Accuracy is critical for every call center in the Philippines. Any error, even small ones, could result to unnecessary costs either on the company or on the customer’s end. Either way, however, the business is the one that suffers greater damage. According to reports, online data errors cost American companies an average of $10 billion per year.

This is exactly why call centers set strict monitoring systems and performance metrics to prevent errors. As mistakes are unavoidable regardless of task, there must be a rebound plan to stop a small error from growing into a full-blown business disaster. After the damage has been kept at bay, there should be an ongoing action to reduce and possibly obliterate the likelihood of faults repeating among your agents.
Here are some basic steps that call centers can include in their error reduction plan:

1. Analyze the error

What caused the error? What specific mistake happened? Was it an incorrect filing of client information, or was an order sent to the wrong recipient? Finding out the causes behind the error and its type would help you anticipate its possible reoccurrence and come up with strategies to prevent it.

2. Identify tools involved in the incident

Was there a system error? Was the agent’s call equipment at fault, causing him to mishear the info dictated by the customer? Know which faulty tools caused the blunder so that you can have them repaired, updated, or replaced.

3. Make changes in the monitoring system

Why didn’t the call center system detect the discrepancies earlier? Should the system be adjusted to support the tool changes? After upgrading your equipment with more reliable ones, your metrics and monitoring system should likewise be modified to prevent another technology-related mishap from happening.

4. Discuss recent incident in the upcoming training

Was the incident an isolated case? As it happened to one of your agents, the error could happen to the rest of the team as well. The equipment and system are not the only ones that need fine-tuning; every representative must undergo refresher training sessions as well to be better equipped in handling a quandary should they face one.

5. Individually coach erring agents

Ensure that the agent involved in the last problem would never encounter or cause the same trouble again. He should be re-coached, reprimanded if need be, but it is up to his higher-ups to decide what approach to take in instilling lessons in the agent.

What’s important is that he would end up using the incident as an opportunity to improve, not loathe himself and eventually destroy his team’s morale or the customer service quality.

Being industry leaders, every call center in the Philippines is expected to deliver topnotch customer care. Part of that expectation is the willingness to learn from mistakes and still emerge superior despite setbacks.