Call Center Metrics Starter Guide: Learn The Basics

Want to start giving your customers the best support possible? The best call center software on the market is Nextiva or RingCentral, depending on your needs. Click here to get started for as low as $50 per month.

Call centers are for more than just issue resolution—they’re also used to measure customer satisfaction, agent performance, and other key metrics. And because they play such an integral role in customer service, it’s critical to understand how to measure your call center’s performance.

So how exactly do you measure call center performance? Here’s a quick overview of the key metrics you should track to ensure your team is providing the best support possible.

The 9 Best Call Center Software of 2022

Depending on your needs, these are the nine best call center software solutions. To read in-depth reviews on our whole list, click here.

  • Nextiva — Best overall (For a limited time, get 25% off, plus a free phone, when you sign up!)
  • RingCentral — Easiest deployment for SMBs
  • Cloudtalk — Best call center software for remote teams
  • 8×8 — Best contact center software for enterprise-grade security
  • Zendesk Talk — Best call center software for support and automated ticketing
  • Freshdesk Contact Center — Simple contact center software for teams of all sizes
  • Five9 — Best all-in-one contact center software
  • CrazyCall — Best call center software for outbound sales
  • Talkdesk — Best call center software for end-to-end customer experience

Quicksprout.com's starter guide for call center metrics - brand logos for the 9 best call center software companies.Quicksprout.com's starter guide for call center metrics - brand logos for the 9 best... <br /> <a href=Continue reading

Episode 1984 Scott Adams PART1: Russian Disinformation, Classified Biden Documents, Snopes Fact-Fail, More

Episode 1984 Scott Adams PART1: Russian Disinformation, Classified Biden Documents, Snopes Fact-Fail, More

Content:

  • It depends how you define “refused”?
  • VP Biden had classified docs stored illegally?
  • Russia as an excuse for US bad behavior
  • Suggestions for President Trump’s campaign
  • Updated Ukraine prediction
  • Suggestions for President Putin
  • If you would like to enjoy this same content plus bonus content from Scott Adams, including micro-lessons on lots of useful topicsto build your talent stack, please see scottadams.locals.com for full access to that secret treasure.

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The Secrets to Self-Leadership – Leadership Freak

The Secrets to Self-Leadership

I thought self-leadership was gobbledygook when I first heard the term.

You live in frustration when leadership begins with others. You think you need new people; your team is lousy, but leadership begins with you. Lead yourself if you hope to lead others. 

The problem in organizations is too many people have authority over others, but they can’t lead themselves. 

Self-leadership is expecting more from yourself than you demand from others. Image of an indoor track with hurdles.Self-leadership is expecting more from yourself than you demand from others. Image of an indoor track with hurdles.

Self-leadership explained:

Self-leadership is clear to leaders who take responsibility and confusing to blamers. If things aren’t going as you hoped, look at yourself. The answer begins with you, not others. 

  1. Enjoy your work if you hope others will enjoy their work. Unhappy leaders have unhappy teams. 
  1. Begin and end meetings on time if you expect promptness from others. (We know how important you are, but that is no excuse to make exceptions for yourself.) 
  1. Do what you say you’re going to do if you require follow-through from others. (Don’t make excuses for dropping the ball.) 

The danger of authority is the tendency to expect more from others than you expect from yourself. Image of a yellow wall.The danger of authority is the tendency to expect more from others than you expect from yourself. Image of a yellow wall.

Become a leader of one before you seek to lead many. The person who believes leadership begins with others ends up feeling superior. The problem isn’t them. It’s you.  

Self-leadership is expecting more from yourself than you expect from others. The result of self-leadership is humility. When leadership begins with others you become dissatisfied, disgruntled, and disappointed.

Self-knowledge:

Self-knowledge is the beginning of leading yourself.

Reflect on your performance more than you examine the performance of others. (This isn’t about letting your inner critic run wild.) 

  1. What will you do differently next time? 
  1. When did your energy go up? Down? 
  1. How are people responding to your words? 
  1. Who talks more? You or others? 

You cannot master yourself unless you know yourself. 

The secrets to self-leadership are self-reflection that leads to self-knowledge.

How might leaders lead themselves first?

Still curious:

Leadership Identity – Self-Perception Determines How You Lead

The First Step Toward Self-Knowledge is Realizing You Don’t Have It

What Is Self-Leadership? Models, Theory and Examples

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Call Center Quality Assurance Starter Guide: Learn The Basics

For the most versatile call center software that helps with generating call center response statistics, Nextiva is the best overall choice. Nextiva offers savings of up to 30% for new customers.

When you want to improve the customer service results for your call center, it’s important to start with a quality assurance (QA) program. With QA standards in place, your call center team knows the expectations when dealing with customers. These standards ensure your company follows compliance rules while also improving the customer experience.

The 9 Best Tools for Call Center Quality Assurance

Maintaining your quality assurance standards becomes easier when using call center software like our top pick Nextiva. The software tracks interactions with customers, ensuring team members are following protocols. It also generates statistics about how the team handles calls. We’ve reviewed the best call center software tools.

  • Nextiva — Best overall
  • RingCentral — Easiest deployment for SMBs
  • Cloudtalk — Best call center software for remote teams
  • 8×8 — Best contact center software for enterprise-grade security
  • Zendesk Talk — Best call center software for support and automated ticketing
  • Freshdesk Contact Center — Simple contact center software for teams of all sizes
  • Five9 — Best all-in-one contact center software
  • CrazyCall — Best call center software for outbound sales
  • Talkdesk — Best call center software for end-to-end customer experience

How Call Center Quality Assurance Works

Following quality assurance techniques in a call center is important for generating a positive customer experience. When customers receive poor quality service from a call center team member, they may leave poor reviews for the company. They may even decide to switch to another company.

With a…

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Episode 1984 Scott Adams PART2: Russian Disinformation, Classified Biden Documents, Snopes Fact-Fail, More

Episode 1984 Scott Adams PART2: Russian Disinformation, Classified Biden Documents, Snopes Fact-Fail, More

Content:

  • It depends how you define “refused”?
  • VP Biden had classified docs stored illegally?
  • Russia as an excuse for US bad behavior
  • Suggestions for President Trump’s campaign
  • Updated Ukraine prediction
  • Suggestions for President Putin
  • If you would like to enjoy this same content plus bonus content from Scott Adams, including micro-lessons on lots of useful topicsto build your talent stack, please see scottadams.locals.com for full access to that secret treasure.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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10 Dynamic Job Interview Questions

10 Dynamic Job Interview Questions

Job interviews are like trying to predict rain a year from now.

You have five tools to predict future performance: education, work history, personal references, personality assessments, and drill-down job interview questions.

Use job interview questions about practices, not theories. Image of a video job interview.Use job interview questions about practices, not theories. Image of a video job interview.

Job interview questions that work:

Use job interview questions about practices, not theories.

Job interview questions about work ethic:

  1. Tell me about a time when you pulled out all the stops to get a project done on time. What did you learn about yourself? What would you do differently next time?
  2. When are you at your best, morning or afternoon? What makes you say that?
  3. What’s your favorite part of work? How much of that do you need to be fulfilled at your job?
  4. When you look back at work, what are your proudest moments? Tell me more.

A typical job interview is a conversation between two liars. Claudio Fernandez-Araoz Image of a child magician looking in an empty hat.A typical job interview is a conversation between two liars. Claudio Fernandez-Araoz Image of a child magician looking in an empty hat.

Job interview questions about teamwork:

  1. Tell me about the best team you ever worked on. What made it the best? How do you exemplify the qualities of a great team member?
  2. What’s hard about being on a team? Tell me about a time you were on a lousy team. How did you handle it?
  3. Tell me about a time when you didn’t see eye-to-eye with your boss. What was the outcome?

Job interview questions about openness to learning:

  1. Who was your favorite teacher? What did you learn from them? How might you be like them?
  2. Assuming you get this job, what would you like to learn in the next six months that will make you better at your job?
  3. Tell me about a time you screwed up. What did you learn? What would you do differently next time?

Bonus question:

Which of your skills are most admired by others? Why do you think you excel in that area? What comes to mind if you told me how to improve that skill in myself?

What are your favorite job interview questions?

What’s an example of a dumb interview question?

Still curious:

How to Ask Questions That Wake-Up People

Two Questions that Reveal Aspirations

Elon Musk asks this question at every interview to spot a liar—science says it works

100 Interview Questions

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Interactive Voice Response Starter Guide: Learn The Basics

Through our research, we selected Nextiva as the best business phone service for most companies in the area of interactive voice response. Nextiva offers savings of up to 30% for new customers.

When you want to serve your customers more efficiently through your call center, using interactive voice response (IVR) technology is a proven option. IVR delivers automation, allowing customers to fix some problems on their own. However, your automated phone system must run smoothly, or customer frustration levels will rise quickly. We’ll discuss the key components of using IVR.

The 13 Best Business Phone Services for Interactive Voice Response

We studied the best business phone services when seeking models that offer interactive voice response capabilities. Your business phone service can help with IVR setup while managing your calls and offering communications services like texting, faxing, and video conferencing.

  • Nextiva — Best for most
  • RingCentral — Best for hybrid or remote work
  • Ooma — Best for small businesses needing an easy setup 
  • 8×8 — Best for affordable, high-security calling services
  • Aircall — Best for brands with a consistently high call volume
  • Avaya — Best for using toll-free numbers
  • Dialpad — Best for gathering real-time analytics
  • Google Voice — Best for brands already using Google products
  • GoTo Connect — Best for getting a wealth of features in a basic plan
  • Grasshopper — Best for solopreneurs and microbusinesses
  • Net2Phone — Best for international business calls
  • Talkroute — Best for small teams on-the-go
  • Webex Calling — Best for SMBs who need enterprise features

How Basic Interactive Voice Response Works

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Episode 1985 Scott Adams PART1: Funny Antics Of Democrats Defending Biden’s Handling Secret Documents

Episode 1985 Scott Adams PART1: Funny Antics Of Democrats Defending Biden’s Handling Secret Documents

Content:

  • Shrinking attention span
  • Trump Org. CFO sentenced
  • FAA computers down
  • Biden’s classified docs at Penn
  • Stephan Collinson’s propaganda word choices
  • If you would like to enjoy this same content plus bonus content from Scott Adams, including micro-lessons on lots of useful topicsto build your talent stack, please see scottadams.locals.com for full access to that secret treasure.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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3 Surprising Truths about Big Goals

3 Surprising Truths about Big Goals

Jim Collins explains the acronym BHAG – big harry audacious goal – in Built to Last.

Big goals and weekend jeans have nothing in common.

We say stupid things because everyone else says it. Give 110%, failure is not an option, think outside the box, and big goals are common meaningless blather. You’re a hazard when you casually say we need to set big goals.

Frivolous language is dangerous because it obscures meaning. Why is big-goal-language pervasive? It makes average leaders feel important. It gives the impression we know something when we don’t.

Big numbers are like Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, fictional things made up by leaders who haven’t done their homework.

Big goals and weekend jeans have nothing in common. Image of two people relaxing in the back of a vehicle.Big goals and weekend jeans have nothing in common. Image of two people relaxing in the back of a vehicle.

Big goals are often fabricated numbers made-up on the way to meetings. Someone thinks, “How can I get more out of people? I got it! We need to increase production by 25%.” (After all, you’re inadequate if you set small goals.)

3 surprising truths about big goals:

#1. Strength

A BHAG makes your knees buckle. Do you feel strong standing beside your big goal? If you do, it might be a good goal, but it’s not a BHAG.

Big goals make you feel weak.

Big goals: When you aim high you are forced to reach out. Image of the moon.Big goals: When you aim high you are forced to reach out. Image of the moon.

#2. Others

BHAGs force you to link arms with others. When you aim high you are forced to reach out. Who can help?

You need a team to reach the moon.

If you can go alone, it might be a good goal but it’s not a BHAG.

#3. Thinking

Big goals force you to rethink. You might be able to increase production by 10% by adding people and working harder. But you must rethink the way you work to double production.

Aiming high deserves more than casual thinking.

What do you know about setting BHAGs?

Still curious:

Why Goals are Dangerous and How to Make them Work

Jim Collins – Concepts – BHAG

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Storytelling: The Secret Sauce to Making More Sales With Email Marketing

Do businesses email their customers too often? According to a recent article on Business Insider, the answer is yes. But not for the reason you may think.

It’s not because customers loathe getting emails from companies. Or because frequent emails are considered spam. It’s actually because most brands nowadays email like this:

They use discounts as their main strategy to persuade customers to buy. But what happens when your customer’s whole inbox looks like the picture above? The inevitable: they stop paying attention to your emails.

Because here’s the thing.

Why would they open your emails if they can already predict the content inside? Why would they buy now when they can clearly see you’ve got discounts all the time? And, most importantly, why would they pick your brand over your competitors?

If you want to stand out in someone’s crowded inbox, you need to do the one thing that everybody else avoids doing: building strong relationships with your email subscribers. Here’s how:

Storytelling is the most effective way to communicate. That’s not me saying it. It’s the countless studies (such as this one, this one, and this one) that prove it, time and time again. Why?

Because storytelling helps you form positive emotional associations with you and your brand. The emotions you evoke with your stories go a long way in defining how people perceive you, creating a stronger connection in your audience’s mind between you and the problem you solve for them. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. 

The truth is, writing story-based emails makes you more than just a brand that sells a solution to their pain: it makes you an entertainer, too. And as a marketer, being able to entertain while selling is like having a superpower. People hate being sold to. But they love being entertained (ever binge-watched a Netflix show? I know I have). 

Plus, with story-based emails, you can easily add more variability to your email calendar. As a result, customers will no longer be able to predict what your next email will be about: a fun story? A new product? Maybe even a discount? Curiosity translates to increased engagement. And increased engagement translates to stronger relationships with your customers. 

So by choosing the right stories to tell in your emails (which we’ll discuss in a bit) and by writing them in an engaging way, you’re guaranteed to keep your audience hooked and excited to read your next email. As opposed to adding yet another sales email to their already crowded inbox.

1. Pick the Right Story 

The storytelling approach will give you little to no results if the stories you’re telling are flat to begin with. No matter how engaging your writing is. 

So the first thing you need to do is to make sure you…

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