I am currently looking at setting up the selection process for a new contact centre. I am interested in finding out about off-the-shelf testing tools which would be approporiate for contact centre staff and your experiences of using them. I'm specifically interested in tests which measures skills. I hope you can help.

Hi Carolyn,

Welcome to CCV. It is a pleasure to see that new members are actively participating in discussions. Coming to your question of effectiveness of off-shelf products- let me give you few insights.

1. All these products need customization to your requirements.
2. Skill assessment instruments less told the better - let me share an experience. I had two typing tutor pacakges. Both claiming they are the best. individually when operated they seemed so. In camparison it was a disaster. I put a new hire on software and his keyboard skill was -30wpm. I put him on the other and his keyboard skill was 25wpm. Now do you call both vendors and ask for explanation or stick to one and ignore the other? Well life is not as easy as we think and these products are made by human beings. perceptions differ hence product performance differs.
3. So please be satisfied with what you have and customize it -feel and think how you want rather than rely on these products 100%.

Vedula

Click here to visit my download page and then download the Call Center Survey sample report as well as the Customer Service Survey sample reports. Both instrumetns will help you select future good performers. Be sure to download the sample reports for the Profile Asssement since it is an even better predictor of future job success.

Hi Carolyn

I was very interested to read your comments, and I thought you might want to contact me. I work for E-validator and we supply online screening and skills testing software into the Call Centre market. We have standard tests and also create specific screening interviews and assessments for clients. The idea is to reduce the amount of time your recruiters spend telephone interviewing and screen and assess your candidates at the front end, before any direct contact.

We create the screening interviews for you, using your own "killer questions" and can associate any of our tests to it. In other words, you will automatically screen the candidates, and then test them at the next level, but all before you speak to them on the phone!

Please go to www.e-validator.com or email me at lee@e-validator.com

Thanks

Lee