We develop a system for evaluating the work of support agents

Hello! My name is Anastasia, I am Quality Analyst in the Community Management Department of the studio Plarium Kharkiv. I assess the quality of agents' work with VIP players, coordinate the development of internal training programs and participate in their creation.

Using the example of the Kharkiv VIP support team, I will talk about a universal algorithm with which you can develop a system for evaluating support agents. The main idea of ​​this algorithm is that the evaluation parameters are based on the principles of communication with the players. That is, first a service vision is created, and then an evaluation system is developed on its basis.

The algorithm is as follows: we analyze what is important for us in working with players, determine KPI for technical support as a whole, formulate operating principles that will help us achieve these KPIs, and only then proceed to the development of an agent evaluation system.
')

How to develop your support agent rating system

The development of an assessment system can be divided into 3 consecutive stages:

Service vision is a statement that clearly defines the model of your service. It is a guide to action, translates standards of behavior for all employees, expresses the goals and capabilities of the team. Service vision should not be so much ambitious as realistic, because our task is to promise ourselves and our users something that we can actually accomplish.

Based on this statement, the basic rules and recommendations for employees - the “pillars” of the service are formed . Of these, we can distinguish three main ones:

1. Operational standards are basic service rules. These include, for example, the speed of response, politeness, the solution of basic questions. This is what is taken for granted by the client as a matter of course and inconsistency with these standards - the first thing that catches the eye.
2. Standards of service. These are the basic principles of the service. They describe the nature of the agent’s interaction with the player, provide instructions on which actions on the part of the company create high-quality customer experience and satisfaction with the service. This item directly depends on the service model. For example, for our team, a personalized response is a standard of service, since our main focus is working on relationships with players.
3. Wow effect. This item includes everything that goes beyond the standard customer experience, when a company representative exceeds the client's expectations and does more than the player expected to receive.

Based on these pillars, it is possible to develop a system of rules and practical guidelines reflecting the standards of support. For the Kharkiv team, we have developed a number of protocols that regulate the procedures and policies of user support. We also wrote practical guides that reflect our understanding of what “perfect chat” is.

While the protocols determine the procedural part of the work, the manuals help to choose the right vector of chat communication and provide ready-made solutions for common requests. The documentation we developed covers most of the routine work, but leaves agents free to chat. We believe that creativity is necessary in our field, so each agent can build a dialogue at his own discretion, based on the service model. The ability to be open and discuss a variety of topics in the game chat allows you to realize the "wow effect" and go beyond the basic standards of service.

A clear description of operational standards, standards of interaction and the allocation of space for a creative approach to solving user requests provides the basis for developing a quality assessment system. In essence, what we want to achieve in communication with users is identical to the evaluation criteria. In our case, the focus of the team is personalized service and the search for alternative solutions for users, respectively, one of the criteria was personalized responses.

How it works on the example of VIP-support in Plarium Kharkiv

In the Kharkov studio Plarium there is a team that works only with VIP-players. Its operating principles are different from standard support, so the evaluation scheme described above fits perfectly.

To begin with, I’ll tell you a little about how such a team appeared and what is the essence of its work. Our games are built on the interaction of players: attack opponents, support and defense of allies, unification into alliances. In addition, users participate in the life of our communities in social networks, share feedback and recommendations. The most active players often have a huge influence and authority in the gaming community. Keeping their loyalty is our top priority, so some projects, such as Stormfall: Age of War and Sparta: War of Empires, have VIP support.

The parameters for determining the player in the VIP category have changed several times, but the main indicator remains: this is a constant and long-term user activity of the user, including deposits. To show how valuable the opinion of such players is for us, we provided them with a personal assistant with whom they can communicate without leaving the game. This is how VIP-chat appeared - a place where players can share their reviews, ask questions, as well as receive various gifts and exclusive offers.

Select the main KPI

The main indicator of the effectiveness of our work is to maintain the activity of VIP-players at a high level. All our actions are aimed at keeping users in the game for as long as possible. Of course, the main role in this is played by product quality and social interaction, but we contribute by working with players who are the center of the gaming community.

In order to achieve this goal, we work in two directions: we increase the quality of service and establish trust with the players. We create a friendly and constructive atmosphere in the chat: we discuss game preferences, successes and goals, as well as topics that are not at all related to the game, such as work, hobbies and travel. For VIP members, we offer shopping bonuses, game items and troops as a gift, as well as sending notifications about important game events and updates for them.

Why we do not focus only on material gain

Initially, we were more focused on the development of the bonus system. This had a positive effect on the activity of the players, but it was not enough to motivate them to spend more time in the game and in the VIP chat.

In addition, the "material" benefit that we can offer VIP-players is limited in order to respect the game balance. In addition, the bonus system over time loses value in the eyes of the user and needs to be constantly expanded and updated.

As a result, we focused on developing relationships with players and improving the quality of service. There is much more room for growth in this direction, and in combination with gaming advantages, a personalized service gives the desired result.

We define the principles of working with VIP-players

In contrast to the “classic” technical support, which involves a one-time appeal in the chat / ticket, in the VIP-chat the player constantly communicates with the main agent and sees the history of the correspondence.

The ability to build a personal relationship with the user is our main advantage. This model allows you to learn more about the players, their real life and interests. This knowledge helps to put oneself in the player’s place, use the language understandable to him and build a dialogue based on the context of the conversation. Having access to the user’s access history and having information about it, we can provide personalized service — offer solutions based on the game preferences and needs of the player.

Thus, at the heart of our service model is an individual approach. To ensure it, we are guided by three basic principles.

• Empathy

Individual approach is difficult to find without a deep understanding of human needs. We strive to put ourselves in the player's place, and this helps us to build communication more effectively. Comfortable environment increases the likelihood that players will spend more time in the chat and feel that they can share their thoughts about the game. Understanding the interlocutor and awareness of his needs helps us not to deceive this trust and strengthen relationships with players.

• Knowledge of the situation, awareness

Based on information about the user, his game preferences and history of achievements in the game, we can draw conclusions about what kind of gifts, events, discounts would be interesting to him. We expect from each agent a careful and attentive attitude to this data and informed decision making based on them.

• Proactive approach

A significant part of our actions is aimed at preventing problems and possible negative feedback. We monitor the decline in user activity in the game and chat and react to this before the player ceases to be active at all. To do this, we use a database of activity and user actions in the game, as well as a notification system for agents in the admin panel. The system responds to a decrease in player activity or the absence of his messages in the VIP chat and creates a trigger — a task in which the agent contacts the player to find out the reason for this situation and propose a solution.

Daily communication with the players, understanding of their position, knowledge of the situation and proactivity help us to be one step ahead, effectively build communication (especially in problematic situations) and be ready to offer the right solution on time.

We develop a quality assessment

Twice a month, I randomly select ten chats and manually check them, and then send reports to agents. They reflect the main trends visible in chat rooms, the strengths of the agent and aspects that require attention and adjustment.

In the report, we evaluate the work of agents in two areas:

1. Compliance with service standards. Evaluation criteria are based on the above principles (but not limited to them) and cover the following aspects of the work:

• the level of response personalization (did the agent take into account the context of communication with the player, his gaming needs and preferences; did he offer an individual solution when it was necessary);
• agent's communication skills (the ability to effectively build communication with the player, correctly and accurately formulate questions and answers, as well as maintain a friendly atmosphere in the chat);
• compliance with company policies and internal team procedures;
• Compliance with established requirements when dealing with negative reviews, complaints, and when resolving payment issues.

2. Response Rate for negative ratings of chats from players.

In the second part, I check how agents worked on low chat ratings from players. Players have the opportunity to assess the level of service, and I see if there was any reaction on the part of the agent to a low score, if reasons were identified and if any work was done on the bugs.

The existence of a universal service model sets the motion vector of the entire team and allows you to save it in situations not described in the protocols and practical manuals. Service vision helps to combine a personal view of each team member about the service they provide into a single system and tune everyone into one wave. Thus, you give people not a list of strict procedures and instructions, but a vector for building interaction with users. At the same time, leave the field for creative approach and help ensure that the selected standards are met.

Thanks for attention!