[one_half]By definition, performance management is the application of scientific behavior analysis to the workplace. It is not a one-time management solution to a single problem with one of your employees. Done correctly, performance management provides a precise way of defining the work to be done, analyzing results, and implementing solutions that will not only deal with inadequate performance, but will provide practical ways to maximize performance of every individual on your team.

The best way to explain how the performance management process works is to use a metaphor to present the concept. The metaphor for this concept is a visit to the doctor and an attempt to diagnose a medical problem. There are many similarities between the performance management process and the medical diagnostic process, including:
Symptoms alert someone to the possibility of a problem.

• A process is used to analyze symptoms and determine cause of the problem.
• The diagnostic procedure begins with small tests and builds to more complex (and expensive) ones depending upon severity of the problem.
• A plan or method of treatment is established.
• Intervention is planned and communicated once the cause is determined.
• Progress is monitored and corrections or adjustments in treatment are made when necessary.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these steps:

The first step in the diagnostic procedure is to define what is “healthy.” The “norms” are determined by scientific research and in the medical world might include normal ranges for body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol levels, and so on. Individual doctors have the same basic definitions about what constitutes “good health” versus a medical variation or abnormality.

The link to the call center is similar. Within the call center, “healthy” is determined by management strategy and goals and not opinions of individual supervisors or team leaders. Your management team has likely determined performance standards and your job as a supervisor is to translate the information from management into workable behavioral standards for your agents — how you expect them to perform each day.

Knowing what the “healthy” or ideal performance looks like enables you to identify when an agent’s performance is “unhealthy” and in need of some type of intervention to facilitate improvement. Defining these specific standards and behaviors will be discussed in more detail in the next chapter.

Doctors don’t treat symptoms without diagnosing their cause. They know the presenting problem is not always the cause of the ailment. Doctors first analyze the symptoms and conduct tests to make sure of an accurate diagnosis or to establish a baseline. And in some cases, symptoms may not be present. For example, before beginning a new exercise program, a patient would want to check with the doctor to determine the “health” of his heart. In other words, not all diagnoses are driven by presenting problems; some are precautionary and preventative.

In the call center, you should analyze performance information to see if symptoms of performance problems exist. In some cases, you will review performance based on a certain incident or a concern, but in other situations the “check-up” is merely a routine one that assesses performance on a regularly scheduled basis.

The process of comparing what is “healthy” or “what you want” versus “what you have” is sometimes referred to as a performance gap analysis. Here you will compare an existing performance situation against a set of performance standards. Performance will either be in the acceptable range, or out of range either as exceptional or below expectations. Performance below expectations is then evaluated and analyzed to determine a root cause for the problem.

Doctors use a systematic diagnostic process to correctly determine the cause of symptoms or to assess general health. When a presenting problem arises, there is a diagnostic system in place that employs various types of tests (examination, blood tests, x-rays, etc.) to obtain information needed to correctly identify the cause of the problem. The severity of the symptoms will dictate the complexity of the test administered.

The link to the call center is similar. Instead of relying on your “gut” feeling, a systematic process to guide diagnosis and decision-making should be used. Some presenting problems are simple and don’t require sophisticated analysis to identify or correct. Others are more complicated. Having a performance management model allows you to get to the real root cause of a problem.

Often supervisors make mistakes in diagnosing a performance problem. Misdiagnosing a problem can waste money, lower performance, and create mistrust or lack of respect. Money may be spent on additional training when the real cause may have been an issue of feedback or conflicting goals. As a result, the agent’s behavior doesn’t change, even though time and money were spent on additional training or some other corrective intervention. Sometimes a misdiagnosis results in lowered morale and lessening of respect.
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Doctors plan interventions once the cause has been determined. Once the cause has been established, they can plan a specific intervention, requiring the least invasive process necessary to deal with the problem. A doctor’s credibility would surely be affected should the patient learn the doctor performed unnecessary surgery or prescribed incorrect medication, not to mention the risk to the patient’s health.

In applying a treatment to a call center performance problem, you will sit down with your team member to communicate the gaps in performance and the steps that will be needed to improve performance. This intervention must focus on the root cause. Focusing on the root cause helps establish the most effective long-term solution rather than a “quick fix” remedy.

In many cases, misdiagnosing and treating a symptom creates a more difficult problem that must be dealt with later. While your misdiagnosis of a problem may not impact the agent as drastically as a medical one does, there is still a negative impact. Improper interventions are costly in time and performance and sometimes make the situation so much worse it becomes impossible to repair the damage.

When medical treatment is prescribed, a process for monitoring the patient’s progress is established to make sure the treatment is effective and there are no side effects. The more complicated the situation and intervention, the more formal or elaborate the monitoring process is. Monitoring could be as simple as “take two aspirins and call me if the pain continues,” or as complex as a hospital stay and observation after major surgery. In either case, the process serves the same purpose — to ensure the intervention has been effective.

In some cases the intervention may not be effective. The doctor may change a medication if desired results are not achieved with the first one. Anytime a treatment is not effective, the doctor goes back to the drawing board and tries another method.

As a supervisor, you should follow the same process. When an intervention is planned, monitoring should be included as part of the follow-up to assess the effectiveness of the action. In many cases, a simple change in behavior is needed and the employee can accomplish it easily. In some cases, the prescribed treatment doesn’t work, and you will need to work closely with the agent to try another solution until the desired performance is achieved.

Preventative maintenance plays a major role in today’s emphasis on managed care. With the shift to managed care programs, medical personnel have discovered it is more cost effective to intervene in the health process before negative symptoms are presented. The emphasis is shifting from treatment to prevention, which includes proactive measures to change unhealthy behaviors and habits before they can create bigger medical problems.

The link to the call center is similar. It is always better to correct simple performance situations before they manifest into complex problems. By using processes to continuously monitor and diagnose performance issues, you can prevent simple errors or misunderstanding from becoming widespread problems.

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