Ken Lahti, Ph.D.& Abby Miller, M.A.

You wouldn’t hire a plumber to fix your car. Why not? Nothing against plumbers (indeed, what would we do without them?!), it’s just that the skill set required for success in fixing your car is probably pretty different from the skills one needs as a plumber. And all other things equal, you want somebody with the skills that match the job at hand, to maximize their chance for success.

The same principle applies in contact centers. Inbound service roles are different from outbound sales roles which are different from technical support roles. Business retention specialists need to behave differently from other sales and service folks to be successful in handling the most difficult customer situations. Supervisor and team lead roles require decision-making and coaching skills that are not necessarily developed as agents. And at-home agent success requires many of the same skills as onsite contact center roles – plus additional competencies related to effective self-management in a remote work environment.

We know that jobs are different, and therefore the ideal candidate profile should be different. Is it possible to tailor the hiring process to assess those key competencies that drive successful agent performance in a particular role? As we say in Minnesota – you betcha!

What are Assessment Solutions?

Assessment solutions are the current state-of-the-art in pre-employment testing. Better than traditional approaches like one-size-fits-all tests or do-it-yourself custom test batteries, the assessment solution approach keeps your business objectives front and center during the hiring process. In contrast with generic tests which are designed for a variety of uses across multiple jobs, assessment solutions are targeted towards specific jobs or job families and the performance metrics that matter most.

For example, an assessment solution for inbound customer service contact center agents would identify a candidate’s job readiness now and his or her performance potential for the future. This assessment solution would include things like tests of typing and computer skills, often measured in a simulation, as well as evaluations for behavioral traits that are often key drivers of performance, such as service orientation, loyalty, reliability, and patience – traits that are often much harder to determine. Both readiness and potential factors are important for predicting success, and assessment solutions provide focused (job-specific) yet holistic (multiple skills and test types) tool for measuring talent.

Is It Really Worth It?

There are several reasons why assessment solutions are a better approach for pre-employment evaluation of candidates’ readiness and potential for job success:

• More efficient testing and hiring process
• Better prediction of performance and key business metrics
• Better applicant experience

Companies with positions to fill are always looking for efficient and effective hiring processes. Assessment solutions are developed to maximize predictive power while minimizing the demands on busy recruiters, human resources representatives, and hiring managers. The assessment solutions have already been designed for the target job and are available off-the-shelf with little to no customization required. Companies can begin immediately testing applicants and feel confident that the skills and competencies being measured will predict success on the job.

Not only do assessment solutions make the hiring process more efficient, they also bring better prediction of performance and key business metrics. By consistently hiring the best candidates, organizations using assessment solutions have seen improvement in business results such as:

• Improved customer satisfaction
• Reduced training
• Stronger retention
• Enhanced productivity (e.g., lower AHT)
• Increased sales or collections
• Streamlined hiring process

Just as you wouldn’t want a plumber – or a psychologist, for that matter – fixing your car, you wouldn’t necessarily want your star Tech Support Agent making outbound sales calls or vice versa. The jobs require different skill sets. And measuring different skills means using different assessments, solutions designed specifically to predict the performance behaviors and business metrics you care about. Pre-employment testing is a quick and easy way to find out a lot of information about your applicants, and job-specific assessment solutions ensure that you are keying in on the best, most relevant information in the shortest amount of time.