LOB = line of business (customer service, tech support, collections, sales, retention, back-office, travel, healthcare...). Write it down: it changes which metric weighs most.
Weekly or biweekly, but sacred: it's not canceled, it's rescheduled. The 1:1 belongs to your agent, not a task status in disguise.
1 · Check-in
0 to 5 minStart with the person, not the number. In a bilingual overnight operation serving the United States, fatigue and life outside work can affect performance. Listen before discussing metrics.
How are you doing, in and out of work?
Note one word-for-word line: it helps you follow up next time.
2 · Scorecard review
5 to 12 minRead the metrics together, never on their own. A number alone just says "look here"; the leader's judgment is understanding the why. Note the data and, next to it, your reading.
| Metric | Value | Target | Your reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| QA | |||
| Adherence | |||
| AHT | |||
| CSAT / FCR |
Low QA combined with very low AHT may indicate rushed closures without resolution. Before correcting adherence, determine whether the cause is behavior, a scheduling issue or incorrectly coded auxiliary time. Never reduce AHT at the expense of QA or CSAT.
3 · One win + one focus
12 to 20 minName something concrete that went well this week (reinforce it with facts, like "in the 10:15 chat you kept your calm..."). Then choose one single focus for improvement. One, not ten.
The win of the week (situation + behavior + impact)
The focus (a single thing, measurable)
Ex.: raise QA on the identity verification criterion; reduce hold time.
4 · Blockers
20 to 26 minAsk what's holding the person back that you aren't seeing: slow tools, an outdated knowledge base, escalations that never come back, a confusing process? Separate what's the person's from what's the system's.
What's blocking you? Is it the person or the system?
5 · Agreements and next steps
26 to 30 minClose with 1 to 3 concrete commitments, yours and the person's. What's said in a 1:1 counts for more if it's written down. In the next 1:1 you start by following up on this: that builds trust.
| Agreement | Owner | By when |
|---|---|---|
✓ · Reminders for talking about metrics
QA
Look for the pattern, not the average. If everyone fails on the same criterion, it's process or training, not one person.
Adherence
It's not how much they work, it's whether they're where staffing needs them. Check the cause before correcting.
AHT
It's an indicator, not a goal. Read it against QA, CSAT, and first-contact resolution.