🏗️ Programme Guide

How to Build a Call QA Program
from Scratch

Building a call QA programme is not about buying software. It is about creating a systematic process — from defining standards, to reviewing calls, to coaching that changes behaviour. This guide gives you that process in seven phases.

Most contact centre operations have some version of call monitoring. Very few have a programme — a repeatable system that improves quality over time rather than just flagging problems. The difference is structure, and this guide provides it.

The 7-Phase Call QA Programme Build

1

Define the Purpose and Scope

Week 1

Before building anything, answer three questions: What call types will be covered? What is the primary goal — compliance, sales performance, or customer experience? Who is the QA programme ultimately accountable to?

  • List all call types (outbound sales, inbound support, collections, retention, escalations)
  • Rank them by regulatory risk and business impact
  • Start with 1 to 2 call types — do not try to audit everything at once
2

Define Quality Standards for Each Call Type

Week 1–2

Document what a perfect call looks like for each call type in scope. This becomes the basis for your scorecard. Use your best agents as the reference point — what do they do that others do not?

  • Interview top performers: ask them to walk through their process
  • Review 10 to 15 calls from each call type to identify consistent quality markers
  • Separate mandatory items (compliance) from preferred items (quality)
3

Build the Scorecard

Week 2

Convert your quality standards into a weighted scorecard. Compliance items should carry higher weight than communication style items. A scorecard with 6 to 8 dimensions and 3 to 5 items per dimension is practical to use; 30-item scorecards are usually abandoned.

  • Weight: Compliance 30–40%, Discovery 15–20%, Pitch Quality 15–20%, Objection Handling 10–15%, Closing 10–15%
  • Score each item as 0 / 1 / 2 (not met / partial / met)
  • Define the fail threshold — typically 65% triggers a coaching conversation
4

Set Coverage Targets and Sampling Logic

Week 2–3

Decide how many calls per agent per week will be reviewed. For manual QA, 5 to 10 calls per agent per week is realistic. For AI-assisted QA, 100% coverage is achievable. Your sampling logic should also include: new agent intensive review (10+ calls per week in month 1), complaint-triggered review, and random sampling.

5

Run Calibration Before You Start Scoring

Week 3

Before scoring agent calls, have 2 to 3 reviewers score the same 5 calls independently. Compare results. Where scores diverge by more than 10 points, discuss the criteria until aligned. Calibration ensures the QA process is fair and consistent.

  • Run calibration sessions monthly, especially after new criteria are added
  • Document calibration outcomes — these are your interpretation guidelines
6

Launch with Transparency

Week 3–4

Communicate the programme to agents before the first scored call. Share the scorecard. Explain that the goal is improvement, not surveillance. Agents who understand what is being measured and why are more receptive to feedback from it.

7

Use AI to Scale Coverage from Day One

Ongoing

Manual QA covers 2 to 5% of calls at best. Pair your human QA process with AI transcription and analysis to extend coverage to 100% of calls. Use human review for coaching conversations; use AI for coverage, trend data, and compliance flagging.

💡 You do not need a QA platform or a QA team to start. A manager reviewing 5 calls per agent per week using Bolo Aur Likho transcripts can run a basic call QA programme for a 10 to 15 agent team in under 3 hours per week.

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