What’s on your scorecard? AHT is so last century!

Could it be true?
Will quality finally win out over quantity?

Last week I asked for readers’ opinions on the value of using AHT (average handle time) as a performance metric for customer service reps.

First, the bad news.
Emphasizing quantity over quality remains a popular metric. The survey revealed that next to call quality scores (92%) the second most common performance metric for reps was average handle time (83%).  When asked for their opinion about the value of AHT, respondents had nothing good to say. Comments like this were typical:
“Time constraints do have an impact on the reps ability to provide service. This in turn creates more complaints, reduces first call resolutions, and it is unfair to hold a rep to (AHT) because the nature of the calls vary.”
Now the good news.
Despite its current popularity, there appears to be a movement by call centers to nix AHT as an indicator of rep performance. The reasons sighted in the survey surprised me. Instead of basing that decision on hard data such as a decline in first call resolution or an increase in errors, respondents said their call center eliminated AHT because it was causing employees too much stress and was impacting overall morale.

This is encouraging! Perhaps call center execs are beginning to realize that squeezing handle time isn’t the answer. If AHT is going the way of the dinosaur, how should rep performance be evaluated? 

If you had a Magic Wand that allowed you to change the criteria for measuring customer service rep performance, which 3 metrics would you pick?

Weigh in with your opinion. Take the “Magic Wand” Quick Poll.
I will share the results in next week’s Monday Aha! (4/11/11)

Making a fundamental shift in how you measure service rep success requires a radical shift in how your supervisors manage call center productivity.  Prepare your supervisors for long-term success.

Be happy.