Are Your Agents Cheating?

Agent & Vendor Tricks to “Beat” the System

A Game of "Cat & Mouse"...

Customer service representatives (CSRs) may use various strategies to manipulate performance tracking measures and systems in a contact centre, often to improve their metrics without genuinely enhancing service quality. Here are some common tactics:

1. Shortening Call Duration (AHT Manipulation)

• Intentional Call Disconnects: CSRs may disconnect calls abruptly or transfer them unnecessarily to reduce Average Handle Time (AHT).

• Picking up a call and putting it down immediately – the system shows a call handled by the agent when it was not.

• Placing Callers on Hold: Prolonging hold times to reduce their actual speaking time with customers.

2. Manipulating First Call Resolution (FCR)

• Call Transfers: Instead of resolving issues, CSRs may transfer calls to different departments, avoiding responsibility for first-call resolution metrics.

• Incomplete Solutions: Providing incomplete or temporary fixes to reduce call duration, knowing the customer might call back later.

3. Avoiding High Call Volume Times

• Auxiliary Mode Misuse: Staying in ‘auxiliary’ or ‘not ready’ mode longer than necessary to avoid taking calls during peak times.

• Taking Breaks Strategically: Taking breaks during high-volume periods to avoid difficult or time-consuming calls.

4. Manipulating Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Scores

• Cherry-Picking Feedback Requests: Only asking for customer feedback from satisfied or neutral customers, avoiding those likely to provide negative feedback.

• Pre-emptive Coaching: Prompting customers with hints to leave positive feedback before ending the call.

5. Ghost Calls

• Auto-Dialing Techniques: Making brief, silent calls to their own or a colleague's number to manipulate idle time or meet call targets.

• Taking a call and transferring it through to another agent so it looks like both agents have taken a call when in fact there was only one!

• Agents sometimes call each other as well and depending upon the set up of your monitoring packages, this could show as another call into your center!  

6. Extending Wrap-Up Time

• Excessive After-Call Work: Extending wrap-up time unnecessarily to appear busy and avoid taking additional calls.

7. Abuse of Status Codes

• Incorrect Status Codes: Using codes like ‘system issue’ or ‘training’ without cause to extend time off the phone.

8. Call Avoidance Strategies

• Dropped Calls: Dropping calls or letting them go to voicemail intentionally to avoid handling them.

• Hanging Up Before Connection: Ending a call before it connects to avoid it being counted in the metrics.

9. Manipulating Call Reason Codes

• Mislabeling Call Reasons: Assigning less complex or non-urgent categories to calls to improve perceived resolution efficiency.

10. Using Scripts to Speed Up Interactions

• Over-Scripting: Using predefined scripts excessively to rush through calls without genuinely addressing customer issues.

11. Using Multiple Systems or Accounts

• Multiple Logins: Logging into multiple systems or using multiple accounts to appear more active than they actually are.

12. Service Providers

• Programming an extra ring (or more) to delay a call from being answered

• Transfer calls to a receptionist to take a message to avoid long handle times and ability to answer more calls more quickly

• Limit the number of trunks to intentionally block callers with a busy signal in order to protect the service levels

Summation

Monitoring and addressing these behaviours requires a combination of advanced analytics, real-time monitoring, coaching, and a focus on quality over quantity in performance evaluations. As leaders, occurrences should spark an immediate "call to action" to address a deeper cultural issue that addresses communication, trust and Employee Experience. 

This "Us vs. Them" culture is a no-win and toxic environment. Leaders need to spend their time earning the trust and dedication of their front line rather than attempting to "catch them in the act".

Eric Young
President
Tele-Centre Assist Inc.
www.telecentreassist.com