Subjectivity may be Quality Assurance’s worst enemy.  It empowers telephone service reps (TSR’s) to argue their scores / productivity assessments.  Perhaps worse, it can create animosity between departments if your quality assessors / monitors aren’t part of the Service Delivery team.  

There are a number of different approaches to evaluating TSR calls, but almost all of those approaches tend to have some common goals.  One important universal goal is to reduce subjectivity as much as possible.

A TSR’s “score” should be a derivative of their behavior(s), not a derivative of who does the scoring.  Regardless of who scores the call, be it Project Manager, QA Monitor, or front-line supervisor, all evaluators should come up with pretty much the same score.

 “Professionalism” is one of those evaluation criteria that makes us cringe whenever we see it on a client provided assessment / coaching form.   We know going in that we are going to have a challenge in our calibration sessions as people can differ in their definition of professionalism.

Consequently we define professionalism for the monitor / coaches!  We objectively measure professionalism as:

Grammar:  The extent to which the agent uses the right words and syntax. (Avoid technical jargon, slang, and verbal nods such as um, uh, and yeah.)
Pronunciation:  The extent to which the agent correctly enunciates the words.
(Do they speak clearly or are there some pronunciation challenges?)
Volume:  The extent to which the agent utilizes volume that is neither overbearing or a strain for the prospect.  (Too loud or too soft.)
Pacing: The extent to which the agent adjusts their speed to match the caller.
(TSR’s should NEVER try to mimic the accent of a prospect, but if they talk too fast for elderly or talk too slowly for the culture in certain markets, pacing can be a source of irritation.)
Tone:  The extent to which the agent utilizes appropriate tone inflection, empathy/enthusiasm on the call.  The extent to which the agent adds a human touch and appears to be an advocate for the prospect / customers current and future business.   The extent to which the agent remained unfailing patient even when faced with difficulties.
Listening:  The extent to which the agent pays attention to information and correctly interprets those concerns, needs, or buying signals.

Regardless of whether you embrace these criteria or have some variation thereof, there will be a significant payback to breaking down a broad evaluation attribute, such as Professionalism, into specific behaviors.   Not the least of which is instilling a sense of fairness with you agents.