The challenge

With BPA having already provided mystery shopping services to this client across other parts of Europe, their UK team wanted to explore opportunities to provide independent quality assurance for their call centers in Leeds and Manila.

With both call centres outsourced to third parties, the client needed a partnership approach, where all parties would work together to review the quality assurance framework and make improvements to the customer support experience.

They were looking for a service that was very tailored to local market conditions and where they could create bespoke scenarios to gain more meaningful and targeted feedback.

Solution

We embarked on a quality programme which incorporates three main elements:

Remote Call Monitoring (RCM) – BPA monitors inbound calls across the two call centres, including those to the Customer Services, Retail and Customers Solutions Teams.

Real customer calls are evaluated, and the BPA QualityPLUS Software gives a detailed and accurate view of the quality of the interactions. The monitoring identifies opportunities for continuous improvement, highlighting positive performance behaviors as well as areas for on-going personal development and coaching.

As well as monitoring the service quality, BPA is also looking for agents’ softer skills and behaviours and how well they communicate and build rapport.

Mystery shopping calls – BPA’s expert analysts make inbound calls posing as customers to test the agents’ responses around very specific scenarios.

This might be triggered by something that has been picked up during the remote call monitoring process and requires further testing of that agent’s knowledge, or it might be needed to check how a new training programme or project is being delivered.

Mystery Shopping Calls are also conducted during the bi-annual new recruits training programme and provide a safe environment for the trainees to experience an incoming call and allow the client to establish if they are ready to move to a live environment.

Outbound CSAT Surveys – BPA also conduct outbound CSAT survey calls to specific customers who have had recent contact with the Customer Solutions Team.

As well as monitoring these customers’ inbound calls through the RCM program this survey gives our client a more detailed picture of the customers’ feelings about their business

Result

Across the three programme areas, BPA is making approximately 700 evaluations a month.

Analysing scores from the calls demonstrates these have made an impact on improvements in customer experience.

The calls allow our client  to highlight key trends and themes and actionable insights to implement change and transformation.

Feedback

Lawrence Sanchez, Head of Contact Centers UK & IE, said: “We know that we are both a demanding and rewarding client and we like to try different strategies and approaches.

“Working with BPA we get the agility we need, and they take a refreshingly proactive approach. They are tenacious and inquisitive and want to move things forward and gain traction in our hectic environment. To have a partner that is checking in with us and requesting feedback and direction when necessary is very good.

He added: “They also have a really good approach to working with our call centre partners. Acting as an independent quality assurance company on our behalf could prove to be problematic, as they could be seen as an auditor.

“However, the approach is that we are all in it together to improve the customer support experience. This comes through from a balance of constructive, positive feedback and developing relationships in joint our business reviews and calibrations. All combined, it makes for a good working relationship.