Balancing Call Quality and Average Handling Time in a Small BPO
A 24-seat inbound call centre in Lucknow handles fee and admission queries for a coaching institute. New agent Neha has a target average handling time (AHT) of 6 minutes and a quality score of 85%. In her first week she handles 15 calls a day; her AHT is 9 minutes 20 seconds, two calls are abandoned while she searches the knowledge base, and her quality score is 70%. A caller says his ₹7,500 fee was debited twice and demands an immediate refund; the policy says duplicate payments are verified within 24 hours and refunded in 7–10 working days. Neha is tempted to promise a refund today to calm the caller. Her team leader also wants her to reduce AHT by skipping the CRM summary field. The CRM requires caller name, phone, issue category, verification status, and action taken. Call recording is on.
1. Should Neha promise an immediate refund? Describe what she should say and do instead.
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No, Neha should not promise a refund today. The policy says duplicate payments are verified within 24 hours and refunded in 7–10 working days. Promising an immediate refund would be a false commitment, may create a dispute when it does not happen, and could be treated as a quality failure. She should acknowledge the money and the worry: 'I can see why a double debit is upsetting.' Then verify: ask for the transaction reference, date, amount and last four digits, confirm the duplicate in the payment records, and give a specific case/reference number. She can say the duplicate will be verified within 24 hours and, if confirmed, refunded within 7–10 working days. If the caller insists on an immediate refund, escalate to a supervisor rather than improvise. Empathy is not the same as agreeing to a policy exception; the agent can be warm while keeping the commitment accurate.
2. What should Neha log in the CRM, and why is skipping the summary field risky?
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Log caller name, phone, issue category 'duplicate payment', verification status, transaction details, action taken, promised timeline and escalation reference. Skipping the CRM summary is risky because the next agent or supervisor cannot see what was promised; the caller may be asked to repeat sensitive details; the call cannot be audited; and the recorded call may contradict an incomplete note. CRM notes also protect Neha if a dispute arises. A short note can be written during the call using keywords and completed immediately after, within the allowed after-call work time. If AHT is measured only on talk time, skipping notes may look faster but increases repeat calls and handling time later. Quality and compliance matter more than a single day's AHT.
3. How can Neha reduce her AHT without lowering quality or skipping required fields?
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Reduce AHT by preparing before the call: keep the knowledge base open, use a searchable keyword list, and learn the five most common issue categories. Use a call flow: greet, verify, diagnose, state the next step, log. Avoid dead air by telling the caller what is being checked. Use templates for standard confirmations, but personalise the issue. Bundle after-call work efficiently and do not skip mandatory fields. Review two recorded calls with the team leader to find the real delay; if the delay is system slowness, report it rather than compensating by rushing the caller. A target of 6 minutes should not be met by cutting verification or CRM notes. Set a weekly goal: reduce AHT by 30 seconds while raising quality from 70% to at least 85%.