Call monitoring is a critical component of quality assurance in call centres, helping organizations assess performance, identify training needs, and improve customer service.
It’s a topic that sparks much discussion among professionals, so when Jonty asked our Community:
“How many calls per agent per month do you analyse for quality purposes?
I was expecting the average answer to come out in the region of 4-6 calls per month, however I have seen a survey is showing a different answer. The most common answer (36%) showed was that they are monitoring more than 10 calls per agent per month.
What do you find to be the best number of calls to monitor?”
Consider the Factors That Impact Call Monitoring
Determining how many calls to monitor per agent each month isn’t a one-size-fits-all decision. Several factors come into play, including the goals of your quality monitoring program, the size of your team, call volume, and the specific needs of your business or client.
Here are some key considerations:
Purpose of Monitoring
Define whether you aim to assess overall service quality or individual agent performance. Different goals require different sampling approaches.
Call Volume
High call volumes may require random sampling, while lower volumes might allow for more detailed analysis.
Team Size
Smaller teams may struggle with high monitoring targets, while larger centres may have dedicated QA staff to manage more calls.
Type of Calls
Sales, support, or complex interactions may need different levels of monitoring to ensure quality.
Performance Issues
Agents with identified issues may need closer monitoring compared to high performers.
Resources Available
Time, budget, and tools available for monitoring will influence how many calls you can realistically review.
Balancing these factors can help you determine the most effective and practical strategy.
The Availability of Technology
One way to address the challenge of determining how many calls to monitor is by using technology to track every call.
With advancements in quality management software, many call centres now have the ability to monitor 100% of calls made by their agents.
This approach can provide a comprehensive overview of all customer interactions, allowing managers to spot issues, assess performance, and ensure consistent service quality across the board.
However, while this solution offers complete visibility, it is not without challenges. Technology can be expensive, and analysing every single call may still require significant human resources, especially when the call volume is high.
Additionally, just monitoring all calls doesn’t necessarily lead to better insights unless you have the tools to properly analyse and act on the data.
Though if you don’t have the technology you still need to work out how many calls you need to monitor.
The Best Number of Calls to Monitor
Our community of industry professionals also made a few specific suggestions that we wanted to share with you:
4 – 8 Calls
Our target is to monitor one call per agent per week, alongside a Performance Enhancement Plan (PEP) session—a 1-2-1 meeting with their line manager to discuss performance. This equates to four monitored calls per agent per month.
However, such targets don’t always reflect the workload of individual agents. For example, monitoring one call per week doesn’t provide much insight for agents handling 50 or more calls a day. This highlights the need for a more tailored approach, as suggested by JGatenby.
Improving monitoring practices often depends on the resources available to managers. In tough economic times, costs are a limiting factor, particularly in outsourced environments. Without dedicated quality monitors, it may be challenging to increase the number of calls reviewed per agent.
Contributed by: Bunny
The number of calls to monitor per agent is a debated topic within the industry. On average, I’ve seen 4 to 8 calls per month as a common range.
However, in some cases, the quantity monitored is driven by client requirements, which can influence the number of calls reviewed.
Contributed by: Jeff
Typically, about 4 to 8 calls per month per agent is standard. In my view, if frequent negative feedback is received, the monitoring frequency should be increased to address issues more effectively.
Contributed by: Mike
5-6 Calls Is the Sweet Spot
An optimal sample size for quality assurance assessments is five to six calls per agent.
This range strikes a balance between providing a representative view of performance and avoiding excessive resource demands.
Monitoring fewer than five calls risks an incomplete picture, while assessing significantly more calls can strain resources without adding meaningful insights.
To learn more about achieving this balance, watch this video where Garry explains the reasoning behind his recommendations:
Contributed by: Garry Gormley, Founder of FAB Solutions
8 to 10 Calls Per Day
I’m monitoring 8 to 10 calls per day. I believe by doing so we can easily track down the areas where the attention is needed and address those issues before they turn in to a hot pan.
Leaving a bad call record for a month without monitoring may lead in to several operational issues. But then again it all depends on the volumes you receive..
Contributed by: Srikanth
10 Calls Per Agent Per Month
We follow a client-driven approach for the quantity of calls monitored, but recommend at least 10 calls per agent per month, with more for those with identified quality issues. Increased investment in quality checking can improve service, though this depends on logistics and cost.
Contributed by: Ant
I monitor 10 calls per agent per month using a quality monitoring form. These calls often contain detailed information that needs to be verified, clarified, or followed up on. Monitoring 10 calls per agent per day in our call centre would be impossible due to the amount of work involved.
Contributed by: Joda
15 Calls Per Month for Each Agent
In our 50-seat call centre, I analyse 15 calls per month for each agent. As the only QA person, I manage all aspects of quality monitoring, which requires careful prioritisation.
Given the size of the team, it’s essential to focus on a representative sample to ensure consistent performance across all agents. Balancing the workload is key to maintaining quality without overburdening resources.
Contributed by: Ann
100+ Calls Each Day
We have a 60-70 seat call centre, and I used to analyse over 100 calls each day as I was the only QA person.
However, now I have a team of four, and we monitor 50-60 calls per agent per month. While this is a significant volume, it’s the approach we’re currently using to ensure thorough quality checks and maintain consistent performance across the team.
Contributed by: Jane
8% of Your Total Inbound Calls
In my experience, it’s important to rate at least 8% of your total inbound calls to get an accurate reflection of the service being offered.
While this can be a logistical challenge, particularly for larger businesses, it will ultimately provide valuable insights and improve service quality in the long run.
Contributed by: Sanman
85% of All Sales Calls Completed
We used to assess 85% of all completed sales calls, which was a daunting task. Now, we assess 4 successful and 4 unsuccessful sales calls per agent each week. This more focused approach allows us to maintain quality without overwhelming resources.
Contributed by: Hastur
There is No “Industry Best Practice”
I find it interesting that people often treat the number of calls monitored as an indicator of the effectiveness of a quality management (QM) programme. To me, it seems like an example of measuring what’s easy, rather than what’s meaningful.
I’ve yet to hear a strong rationale for why specific numbers of calls are monitored. The reasoning often comes down to “industry best practice,” but the industry doesn’t seem to have a clear consensus on the ideal number of evaluations.
The question of how many calls to monitor depends on the purpose of your QM programme. If the goal is to assess the overall performance of a contact centre, a random sample of calls across all agents can provide this insight.
You don’t need to assess a large number—research shows that as few as 400 calls can achieve a ±5% accuracy based on accepted sampling theory.
However, if you’re evaluating individual agent performance and identifying areas for improvement, sampling theory doesn’t apply. Instead, you need a more focused and strategic approach.
For example, as Ant Marketing suggested, the number of calls monitored should depend on an agent’s current performance. This is just one of many factors that influence the decision.
In my view, setting a universal metric like “x number of calls per agent per month” is unhelpful. At worst, it can waste valuable resources without delivering meaningful operational benefits.
Contributed by: J Gatenby
This article was made possible due to the great community of experts we have at Call Centre Helper, to get involved just join our LinkedIn Community and and if you aren’t already make sure you are following us on LinkedIn to see our latest content.
For more on quality monitoring, read these articles next:
- Agent Self-Evaluation – The Pros and Cons
- Beat Your Best Quality Scores – 15 Quick Wins
- An Introduction to… Quality Management Technology
Author: Jonty Pearce
Reviewed by: Robyn Coppell
Published On: 12th Apr 2022 - Last modified: 5th Dec 2024
Read more about - Call Centre Questions, Call Quality, Garry Gormley, Quality
