CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE TEST BATTERY

Transcription

1 CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE TEST BATTERY Testing Brochure Copyright 2001 by Edison Electric Institute (EEI) (updated August 2017). All rights reserved under U.S. and foreign law, treaties, and conventions. No part of this work may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems without prior written permission of the publisher.

2 Customer Service Representative (CSR) Test Battery The CSR test battery is a set of tests administered and scored in a computer-based format. The CSR test battery was developed to aid in the selection of Customer Service Representatives who deal with the public at either company telephone call centers or at public payment offices. The CSR battery was developed and validated for EEI by AccuRater Inc. Thirty-eight EEI member companies nationwide participated in the validation project. As part of the research effort, several hundred job incumbents took the test battery, and supervisors provided ratings of their job performance. Incumbents completed a Job Analysis Questionnaire which focused on the work activities performed and the skills and abilities required for successful performance on the job. In addition, about one hundred job applicants drawn from the companies' applicant pools were also administered the tests. This research resulted in a comprehensive test battery which can estimate candidates' chances of success in Customer Service Representative jobs. The CSR test battery consists of two sections: a Job Skills Test (which has three subcomponents) and the Interactive Test. The test takes approximately four hours to complete if all sections and subcomponents are administered. 1. Job Skills Test - This section of the CSR test battery consists of three subcomponents that measure different aspects of the job of a Customer Service Representative. Depending on the requirements of the job, a candidate may be administered one, two or all three subcomponents. For each, candidates will be required to listen to customer calls and respond by typing their answers into the software program. Each subcomponent is explained in more detail below. A. Basic Work Station. This subcomponent assesses the speed and accuracy with which an examinee enters spoken information from a customer into a computer database. An example test screen is below.

3 B. Customer Order. This subcomponent assesses the skills associated with taking applications for service, disconnecting service, and responding to customer inquiries regarding power outages. An example test screen is below.

4 C. Bill Inquiry. This subcomponent assesses the skills associated with handling customers' bill inquiries, including high bill complaints, and granting or denying payment extensions. An example test screen is below. 2. Interactive Test This test consists of two software programs that each control one side of an interaction between an examinee and a "live" customer. The focus of this test is on the skills associated with the customer relations component of the CSR job, including professionalism, communications, confidence, and efficient call handling. The examinee must engage in fact finding, communicate with the customer by phone, and behave in a professional manner in addition to listening carefully, performing calculations, and problem-solving activities.

5 Scoring of the CSR Test Battery The Job Skills portion of the test battery is automatically scored by the computer program. The following test scores are computed: 1. Basic Work Station - The program calculates the total number of keystrokes entered in the fields that are correct and incorrect divided by the time it takes to complete the fields yielding a keystrokes per minute score. 2. Customer Order The program records the text entered by the examinee on each of the fields of the test screen. A score is calculated based on the accuracy of information entered. 3. Bill Inquiry This score is computed in the same manner as the Customer Order score. The Basic Work Station, Customer Order, and Bill Inquiry scores are combined to yield a Job Skills Test Score. The Interactive Test produces two test scores. The first score is derived from the examinee's responses entered into the computer system via the keyboard. The second score is derived from ratings provided by the "live" customer. These ratings assess the following performance areas: 1. Technical/Procedural Quality 2. Customer Relations Quality a. Control and Efficiency b. Professionalism c. Communications The scores from all test portions administered are then combined to form a total test score. Interpreting Scores The scoring program provides a "Skill Profile" that presents percentile equivalents of test scores. Persons achieving high scores on the CSR Battery can be expected to possess the office skills (i.e., spelling, keyboarding, reading skill, and accuracy), listening and interpretative skills, problem-solving skills, and customer relations skills to perform successfully in a Customer Service Representative position.