What to count
- messages sent by the rep, broken down by hour
- calls with their duration
- events in the system: records created, stages changed, fields filled in
- gaps longer than an hour inside working hours
What not to count
- keystrokes and mouse movement
- screenshots
- time spent in applications
That is unpleasant and pointless at the same time: a rep can spend an hour reading product documentation and that is useful, or spend an hour «being active» with no customer contact at all.
We set up a separate engagement report for exactly this reason: it used to be a matter of trust. Now it is a chart, and the conversation with a rep starts from specific hours rather than from «it seems to me».
How to read the chart
- Even engagement, low conversion is a question about skill, not about effort.
- Dips at the same hours every day is a question about the rota or the daily routine.
- High engagement, few enquiries handled means a lot of time on aftercare for customers who already bought.
- Activity only under supervision is a question about the comp plan.
How to introduce it without a row
- Say in advance what gets counted and what does not.
- Show the first chart to the rep before you show it to the manager.
- Do not use it as the only basis for a decision: only paired with results.
- Look at weeks rather than days.