QATC Survey Results

This article details the results of the most recent QATC quarterly survey on critical quality assurance and training topics. Contact center professionals representing a wide variety of operations provided insight regarding the utilization of speech analytics tools in their centers.

Number of Agents

The largest number of participants is from call center operations with less than 50 agents. However, the balance is widely dispersed across all ranges. This mix of respondents provides a broad spectrum of contact center sizes. Financial and utility have the largest representation but there are participants from a wide variety of industries.

Use of Speech Analytics

Respondents were asked if they are using speech analytics. Sixty percent reported that they do not use these tools while 40% are. When asked to identify the vendor of the technology used, the answers were widely dispersed with the following vendors mentioned:

  • Amazon Connect
  • Calabrio
  • Call Miner
  • Encore
  • Five 9s Genesis
  • Nexidia
  • Qualtrics
  • Speech Plus
  • Verint

Responsible Department

Respondents were asked which department oversees the speech analytics applications, fine-tuning keyword selection, improving definitions, and realigning parameters. Thirty-five percent indicated that the quality assurance team has that responsibility. Call center management was cited by 20%, with IT indicated by 10%, and a third-party vendor or outsourcer was mentioned by 5%. However, 30% answered “other” without mentioning the specific team or if there is no department that is tasked with maintaining the system. It is important that this responsibility is assigned specifically and to a group that has both the knowledge and authority to analyze the options and implement improvements.

Use of Emotion Detection

Respondents were asked if they utilize emotion detection with their systems and 45% indicated that they do. This capability can help to identify stress levels and dissatisfaction on the part of the callers.

Use of Talk Analysis

Survey participants were asked if they utilize talk analysis with their systems and 60% reported using this capability. This tool can identify hold, talk overs, and silences that can be good indicators of training issues for agents.

Measurement of Script Adherence

Respondents were asked if they utilize the speech analytics tool to measure adherence to scripts. Only 21% indicated that they do. In any situation that requires disclaimers or other legal statements, the systems can help to identify agents who are either missing or modifying these statements. In some cases, there are significant penalties for failure to meet these requirements so monitoring for compliance can be important to avoiding financial and other damages.

Comparison to Customer Satisfaction Survey Results

Respondents were asked if they do comparisons of speech analytics data to customer satisfaction survey results. Only 22% indicated that they do make these comparisons. This can provide important insights into what truly affects customer satisfaction so that the center can put the most emphasis on those areas with the greatest benefit.

Greatest Insights

Respondents were asked to identify the areas of greatest insights they have gained from their use of speech analytics and multiple options could be selected. The most frequent choice was identification of coaching and training needs for agents but identification of the root cause of customer contacts was a close second. Insights into customer preferences and business process improvement needs were next with a few choosing identification of reasons for customer defections or “other”.

Return on Investment

Respondents were asked to identify the one most important ROI that had been achieved with the use of speech analytics and the most common choice was “other” meaning it was not one of the choices offered in the survey. The most frequent choice from the listed options was reduction in customer attrition followed by the three options focused on workload and cost reductions.

Intent to Purchase

Respondents who are not yet using speech analytics were asked whether they intended to purchase it and 42% indicated that they have plans to purchase. Responses to why the purchase is not in the plans for the remaining 58% were mostly focused on cost and budget constraints.

Summary

This survey provides some insight into the utilization of speech analytics. While 40% of respondents are currently using the tool, nearly half of those who are not using it now intend to acquire it. This is particularly telling given the significant portion of the respondents who operate in smaller centers. It is interesting that the most cited insights from the technology focus first on agent performance, but the ROI is greatest in reducing customer attrition. These are complex tools that require knowledgeable implementation and continual adjustment to gain the most benefits. Ensuring that this responsibility is vested in the best choice department or team within the organization has significant potential benefits.

We hope you will complete the next survey, which will be available online soon.