When is a Quality Specilaized Position Needed?

I often get the question, “For what size of call center (how many agents), would you recommend hiring someone specifically for the role of Quality Assurance?”

In my opinion, having a dedicated Quality Analyst or Analysts actually depends on how the organization looks at quality. Even a very small center may have that function in place if the organization has deemed the quality of service delivery is of great importance. That said, there are some who would suggest that once a center reaches around 50 agents, a dedicated Quality Analyst should be in place. However, before you make a determination, there are considerations to take into account. These would include:

1. How robust the quality program needs to be…is the quality of service delivery strategic to the overall objectives of the enterprise? Will the data captured be used to identify the Voice of the Customer? Or is the program going to be “just something they are doing in the center”?
2. The purpose and objectives of the program (see question #1)
3. The number of calls/interactions you want or need to monitor
4. Your contact types and length
5. Available QMS technology
6. Involvement of team leads/supervisors in the actual monitoring interaction and coaching process
7. Reporting needs of the center and enterprise
8. The overall responsibilities and tasks required of the Quality Analyst

Unfortunately, nothing is ever as “cut and dried” as we would like it to be!

Let me know what you think.