PACE Quality Assurance & Performance Metrics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which metric measures the percentage of customer issues resolved without requiring a follow-up contact?
- Transfer Rate
- First Contact Resolution (FCR) (Correct answer)
- Average Handle Time
- Escalation Rate
Correct answer: First Contact Resolution (FCR)
First Contact Resolution (FCR) measures the percentage of contacts resolved in a single interaction without follow-up.
Question 2: A quality analyst discovers that agents consistently score low on 'empathy' during call evaluations. What is the BEST next step?
- Immediately place agents on a performance improvement plan
- Conduct targeted coaching sessions focused on empathetic language and tone (Correct answer)
- Reduce the weight of empathy in the scorecard
- Reassign agents to non-voice channels
Correct answer: Conduct targeted coaching sessions focused on empathetic language and tone
Targeted coaching on the specific deficiency—empathetic language—is the most effective way to improve agent performance in that area.
Question 3: What does a high 'dead air' percentage during a call typically indicate?
- The agent is building strong rapport with the customer
- The agent may lack product knowledge or efficient navigation skills (Correct answer)
- The call is more complex than average
- The customer is satisfied and thinking about the solution
Correct answer: The agent may lack product knowledge or efficient navigation skills
Excessive dead air usually signals that an agent is struggling to find information or navigate systems efficiently.
Question 4: In a contact center QA framework, what is the primary purpose of a calibration session?
- To rank agents against each other for bonuses
- To ensure evaluators are scoring consistently using the same standards (Correct answer)
- To review customer satisfaction survey results
- To set new performance targets for the quarter
Correct answer: To ensure evaluators are scoring consistently using the same standards
Calibration sessions align evaluators on scoring interpretation so QA results are consistent and fair across the team.
Question 5: Which of the following BEST describes 'schedule adherence' as a contact center KPI?
- The percentage of time agents are actively talking to customers
- The degree to which agents follow their assigned work schedule (Correct answer)
- The average time customers wait before being connected to an agent
- The percentage of scheduled shifts covered by the workforce
Correct answer: The degree to which agents follow their assigned work schedule
Schedule adherence measures how closely agents follow their assigned schedules, including start times, breaks, and logged-in periods.
Question 6: A contact center tracks 'wrap-up time' as part of its performance metrics. What does this measure?
- Time spent on hold during a call
- Time agents spend completing post-contact work after a customer interaction ends (Correct answer)
- The total time from call start to resolution
- Time taken to transfer a customer to another department
Correct answer: Time agents spend completing post-contact work after a customer interaction ends
Wrap-up time (also called After Call Work or ACW) is the time agents spend on tasks like noting disposition codes or updating records after a contact ends.
Question 7: When evaluating a QA scorecard, which element is MOST critical to ensure the scorecard drives the right agent behavior?
- The scorecard should have at least 20 evaluation criteria
- Criteria weights should be aligned with business goals and customer experience priorities (Correct answer)
- Evaluations should be conducted daily for every agent
- The scorecard should be identical across all contact channels
Correct answer: Criteria weights should be aligned with business goals and customer experience priorities
Aligning scorecard weights with business goals ensures agents are rewarded for behaviors that actually drive customer satisfaction and business outcomes.
PACE Quality Assurance & Performance Metrics 2
Which metric measures the percentage of customer issues resolved without requiring a follow-up contact?