What is a call center agent performance scorecard? How to create one in 5 easy steps

Tracking call center agent performance is crucial for delivering excellent customer service and maintaining operational efficiency. 

A call center agent performance scorecard is crucial for helping managers assess agent effectiveness, identify areas for improvement, and enhance overall service quality. 

In this guide, we’ll explore what a scorecard is, its benefits, key metrics to track, and how to create one in five simple steps.

What is a call center scorecard?

A call center scorecard is a structured assessment tool used to evaluate agent performance based on predefined metrics. 

It provides a transparent and measurable way to assess efficiency, customer service quality, and adherence to company standards. Scorecards help managers pinpoint strengths and weaknesses while ensuring consistency in performance reviews.

Different types of call center agent performance scorecards

Depending on the focus, scorecards can measure productivity, customer satisfaction, or the need for targeted coaching. Here are three common types of performance scorecards used in call centers:

• Performance scorecards measure productivity and operational efficiency, tracking key metrics like Average Handling Time (AHT) and adherence to scripts.

• Customer service scorecards focus on customer interactions, evaluating elements such as First Call Resolution (FCR) and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores.

• Performance improvement plans are designed for agents that need additional support. These scorecards identify skill gaps and set goals for improvement.

What are the benefits of a call center agent performance scorecard?

A call center agent performance scorecard offers several benefits that contribute to both individual growth and overall operational success. And in almost all businesses, they’re a key tool for contact center performance management. Here's how scorecards can drive positive outcomes in different ways.

1. It improves service quality

Scorecards provide structured feedback, helping agents refine their communication skills and resolve customer inquiries more effectively.

2. It empowers agents to improve their performance

Clear performance benchmarks encourage agents to strive for excellence, leading to increased engagement and job satisfaction.

3. It increases operational efficiency

By identifying bottlenecks and inefficiencies, managers can optimize processes to improve call center productivity.

4. It ensures consistency in evaluations

Standardized criteria ensure fair and objective agent assessments, leading to more accurate performance reviews.

Top 5 key call center agent performance metrics

Now, let’s look at five common call center KPIs (key performance indicators):

1. Average Handling Time (AHT)

Average handling time (or average handle time) measures the total time taken to resolve a customer interaction, including talk time and hold time.

2. First Call Resolution (FCR)

First call or first contact resolution indicates the percentage of calls or customer inquiries that are resolved on the first attempt without follow-ups.

3. Net Promoter Score (NPS)

NPS measures customer loyalty by gauging how likely customers are to recommend the company’s services.

4. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)

CSAT is one of the most commonly used metrics in contact centers and captures direct feedback from customers on a specific interaction with an agent or support team.

5. Average Speed of Answer (ASA)

ASA reflects how quickly calls are answered, impacting both customer experience and efficiency.

How to create a call center agent performance scorecard in 5 clear steps

Every contact center’s performance scorecards will look different, but generally, you can set up a scorecard in five simple steps:

1. Establish your performance metrics and objectives

First, define key performance indicators (KPIs) that are relevant to your specific business goals and customer expectations.

2. Define clear and unbiased scoring criteria, with weighting

Next, assign weightage to different metrics based on their impact on customer experience and business objectives.

3. Ensure your scorecard aligns with overall organizational goals

Design the scorecard to support any company-wide initiatives such as improving retention, reducing churn, or enhancing agent productivity.

4. Set up and maintain consistent evaluation processes and feedback mechanisms

Ensure evaluations are conducted regularly with transparent feedback to drive continuous improvement.

5. Regularly review and update the scorecard to ensure it stays relevant

Adapt the scorecard as business needs evolve, and communicate changes to agents to keep them engaged.

Top 6 tips to enhance call center quality using agent performance scorecards

Once you’ve created your scorecards, here’s how to use them on a day-to-day basis in your call center or contact center:

1. Consistently track agent performance

Make it a habit to track performance on a daily or weekly basis to identify trends early. Use scorecards to provide a clear picture of agents’ strengths and areas that need attention or more training.

2. Provide specialized training and coaching sessions

Use your scorecards’ insights to offer targeted coaching. If an agent consistently falls short on specific metrics like First Call Resolution (FCR), it might be time to provide more personalized training to address these gaps.

3. Acknowledge and incentivize high performance

Rewarding top-performing agents is one of the best ways to drive motivation, and scorecards give you an objective measuring stick to create a system that recognizes achievements, whether it's a monthly “Agent of the Month” award or performance-based bonuses.

4. Promote an environment of ongoing improvement

Foster a culture of learning and development by encouraging agents to self-assess using the scorecard and set personal performance goals. Regularly review progress with agents to ensure they feel supported and motivated to continuously improve.

5. Ensure scorecard metrics are aligned with customer satisfaction

Make sure the metrics on your scorecard, like CSAT and FCR, are aligned with your overall customer service goals. This will help your agents meet their performance standards and also help drive customer loyalty and satisfaction.

6. Use technology to automate scorecard processes

Leverage Ai tools to help your managers save time when they’re evaluating agents. For example, Dialpad’s Ai Scorecards automatically analyze calls and suggest scores for agents based on whether they performed the tasks required on the Ai Scorecard:

This lets your managers focus on coaching instead of data entry, and they won’t have to spend hours every week listening to call recordings.

Examples of call center agent performance scorecards

There are many different types of scorecards you can create—below are a few examples with suggestions of how elements can be weighted when grading agents:

1. Customer service agent performance scorecard example

• Greeting (10%): Assess the agent’s tone, professionalism, and ability to create a positive first impression.

• Understanding the issue (25%): Evaluate active listening, clarifying questions, and problem comprehension.

• Resolving the issue (40%): Measure effectiveness in addressing customer needs, including accuracy and completeness.

• Closing (15%): Ensure the agent summarizes the resolution and confirms customer satisfaction.

• Tone (10%): Gauge professionalism, empathy, and friendliness throughout the interaction.

2. Technical support agent performance scorecard example

• Greeting (10%): Evaluate professionalism and ability to set a helpful tone.

• Problem-solving (35%): Assess troubleshooting skills, accuracy, and efficiency in diagnosing issues.

• Communicating next steps (30%): Measure clarity and effectiveness in explaining solutions or escalations.

• Closing (15%): Ensure customers feel confident in the solution provided.

• Tone (10%): Maintain patience, empathy, and professionalism.

3. Inbound sales agent performance scorecard example

• Greeting (10%): Establish rapport and create a welcoming conversation.

• Sales discussion (30%): Effectively present product/service benefits tailored to customer needs.

• Handling objections (30%): Demonstrate the ability to address concerns and provide persuasive responses.

• Closing (20%): Successfully guide the customer to a purchase or next step.

• Tone (10%): Maintain enthusiasm and confidence.

4. Outbound sales agent performance scorecard example

• Greeting (10%): Capture attention and establish a friendly interaction.

• Making the offer (35%): Clearly present the value proposition and align it with customer needs.

• Handling objections (30%): Overcome objections professionally and guide the customer toward a positive decision.

• Closing (20%): Secure a commitment or schedule a follow-up.

• Tone (5%): Maintain energy and professionalism appropriate for outbound sales.

Call center agent performance scoreboard template

A well-structured template simplifies the creation of a performance scorecard. Here’s a customizable template you can use as a jumping-off point:

Make call center agent performance scorecards a part of your QA 

Integrating performance scorecards into your Quality Assurance (QA) strategy enhances service consistency, improves customer experience, and empowers agents to excel. Implement scorecards as a fundamental part of your call center management process to drive long-term success.

See how Dialpad’s unique Ai-powered scorecards and coaching features are designed to help call center agents and supervisors handle customer conversations more efficiently—and more effectively.