Did you know nearly 9 out of 10* customers say good customer service makes them more likely to purchase again? If you have a hunch that your service could be better but aren’t sure how, a few common problems might be holding you back — like inconsistent interactions, lack of standardized training, or unclear quality benchmarks.
The good news? Improving customer service doesn’t have to be complicated. By identifying key areas for improvement and using a simple customer service scorecard, you can enhance consistency, train your team effectively, and boost customer satisfaction. In this article, we’ll show you how.
What is a customer service scorecard?
A customer service scorecard is a structured evaluation tool that helps reps and managers assess customer interactions. It outlines key criteria — like empathy, tone, and solution accuracy — to measure performance objectively.
By using these insights, reps can refine their approach and managers can provide targeted customer service coaching. The result? Stronger service, happier customers, and increased loyalty over time.
5 key elements to include in a customer service scorecard
A well-designed customer service scorecard leads to evaluations that are consistent and objective. Here are five key elements to include in your reviews.
1. Names and dates
To stay organized, each scorecard should list the support rep’s name, the reviewer’s name, and the date of review. This helps track performance over time and creates accountability for the person who provides feedback.
Each scorecard covers a single customer interaction, so reviewing multiple interactions per rep — ideally 4-5 per week — gives you a clearer picture of their overall performance and areas for improvement.
2. Rating criteria
The criteria you choose will help define specific behaviors and performance areas to track. These will vary for each business, but common rating categories include:
- Greeting and closing: Did the rep use the customer service scripts to start and end the conversation? This sets the tone for a positive interaction.
- Compliance and security: Did the rep follow security procedures during the conversation? Following compliance rules helps protect customer information and keeps your business on the right side of the law.
- Empathy: Did the rep demonstrate an understanding of the customer’s concerns? This helps customers feel valued.
- Tone and professionalism: Was the rep’s tone friendly yet professional? A respectful tone helps build trust.
- Solution accuracy: Did the rep provide an accurate solution to the customer’s problem? Providing accurate information builds credibility.
- Spelling and grammar: Were there any spelling or grammar mistakes? Clear communication avoids misunderstandings.
- Efficiency and resolution time: Did the rep respond in a timely manner? Efficient customer service shows customers that you respect their time.
Rating key performance areas (ideally 7-10) makes it easier to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
3. Criteria weights
When it comes to rating criteria, some categories are more important than others. By giving more weight to the most critical categories — like security and compliance — you can ensure they have a bigger impact on the final score.
Here’s an example. Let’s say that solution accuracy is the most important criteria and receives a weight of 50%. Meanwhile, timely responses get 30% and professionalism gets 20%.
Each category receives a score from 1-10. For example:
- Solution accuracy: 7/10
- Timely responses: 5/10
- Professionalism: 1/10
The weighted score calculation looks like this:
- Solution accuracy: 7*.5=3.5
- Timely responses: 5*.3=1.5
- Professionalism: 1*.2=0.2
The total weighted score comes out to 5.2 out of 10.
The most important category (solution accuracy) had the most impact on the score. Even if professionalism increased by two points, it wouldn’t have the same impact on the score as solution accuracy increasing by one point.
A weighted score helps you focus on what matters most to your business.
4. Rating scales
When evaluating criteria, assessments are typically done using a binary or a point scale.
- Binary scales are yes-or-no answers to a question. For example, a category might be: “Did the representative use the professional script when greeting the customer?” In this case, the rep would either pass or fail.
- Point scales are more subjective. Respondents rate criteria on a 3- or 5-point scale, for example:
- 3-point scale: “How would you rate the reps’ professionalism?”
- 5-point scale: “How would you rate the interaction’s spelling, formatting, and grammatical correctness?”
5. Additional feedback
Adding context to scorecards can help reps understand the reviewer’s reasoning and get actionable insights. Providing one-line feedback on the overall interaction can highlight strengths and identify areas for improvement.
Holding 1:1 meetings can provide a space for deeper discussions about scorecard results and the rep’s performance. Managers can provide personalized feedback and help set goals with the rep.
How to create a customer service scorecard for small businesses
Creating an effective scorecard doesn’t have to take months. Just follow these six simple steps.
1. Start with a customer service scorecard template
There’s no shame in using a customer service scorecard template to get started. Our template has seven key categories: greeting and closing, compliance and security, empathy, tone, spelling, solution accuracy, and timeliness of responses.
The weighting percentages are already calculated, so all you need to do is listen to a call recording, grade the interaction based on the criteria, and calculate the score.
👉 Download the customer service quality assurance scorecard here
2. Customize the scorecard based on business goals
Remember, customers who receive good service are more likely to return. So, in addition to standard criteria like spelling and grammar, your customer service scorecard should be aligned with areas where your customer service quality may need improvement.
For example, if you notice customers need to contact support multiple times to resolve issues when troubleshooting a product, it might indicate you need to improve product training or update your internal knowledge base. Then, you could add a product knowledge category to your scorecard.
You could also start tracking customer sentiment using call tags, which are an AI customer communication tool that automatically labels phone calls for triggers like upset customers. If you find that reps aren’t following the proper escalation process when dealing with angry customers, you could hold a team-wide meeting to review escalation procedures and add this as a category to your scorecard.
3. Decide which customer service metrics to track
Choose the key metrics that will help you achieve your customer service goals. Tracking these key performance indicators (KPIs) over time will show you how customer service is improving and highlight areas for growth.
Some of the most common benchmark metrics include:
- Customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores This measures how satisfied customers are with their experience. It’s typically asked through a survey (on a scale of 1-5, how satisfied are you with the service?) after an interaction.
- Net promoter score® (NPS): NPS gauges customer loyalty by asking how likely they are to recommend your company on a scale of 1-10.
- First response time (FRT): This measures how quickly a rep responds to a customer’s initial message. A timely response can make a big difference on the customer experience.
- First call resolution (FCR): FCR (also known as first contact resolution) tracks how many customer issues are resolved on the first call. It’s a strong indicator of how efficient your customer service team is.
- Average handle time (AHT): AHT is the average length of a customer interaction. It’s important to balance this metric with service quality.
4. Select rating criteria
Rating criteria should reflect your business goals.
For example, let’s say your goal is to improve customer satisfaction. You might want to focus on rating criteria like getting solutions right, responding quickly, displaying empathy, and personalizing messages.
Combined with metrics like CSAT to track progress, these categories help reviewers focus on the elements that make a difference in customer satisfaction.
If your goal is to improve first call resolution (FCR), you might focus on criteria like ensuring reps display product knowledge, ask the right questions to quickly diagnose issues, and follow up efficiently.
Then, track FCR to see if reps are able to resolve customer issues on the first call, reducing repeat inquiries.
5. Decide on a scorecard rating system
To rate your reps fairly, you’ll need to select a rating scale for each category.
The simplest option is the binary scale, where reps either meet or don’t meet the criteria. While it’s straightforward and may work best for black-and-white criteria like using a greeting, it might not be nuanced for other criteria.
A point system, like a 1-5 scale, provides deeper insights into performance. For instance, a rep who fully resolves an issue might receive a five, while a rep who makes an attempt but doesn’t fully resolve it might receive a three. This allows for a more precise evaluation.
You can also assign weights to different categories based on their importance. For example, if your team struggles with slow responses or often forgets to follow security protocols, adding more weight to these areas ensures they have a bigger impact on the overall score.
6. Review and improve
Scorecards reveal what your team needs to work on to meet customer expectations. Here are a few other ways to help you improve:
- Monitor customer feedback. For example, customers may share their struggle to receive answers on product features. You can create targeted product knowledge training to help reps manage these situations better.
- Use call tags and call views. Call views in OpenPhone let you filter calls by date and category to see if certain issues keep popping up even after call shadowing or coaching. If they do, it could mean your training materials need a refresh.
- Allow reps to discuss their scores. Whether that’s flagging a score that doesn’t make sense or holding regular meetings to review scorecards, open communication is key to improving performance.
A key part of customer service management is taking accountability for low scores at times. As Drew Schuffenhauer, Senior Tech Customer Support Manager at OpenPhone with 11 direct reports, says:
“[If] we were seeing a decline in any given category, that’s usually a good indication that we need to do a training session or an up-leveling for the team in that category.”
Boost customer service quality with OpenPhone
Customer service scorecards are a powerful tool to help you identify areas where you need to provide training and support.
OpenPhone makes boosting customer service quality easier through AI tools like call recordings, call transcripts, and call tagging. These tools help you review customer interactions at scale without listening to hours of call recordings.
Make evaluating customer service interactions easier with OpenPhone — sign up for a free seven-day trial today.
*The Sixth Edition State of Service Report, Salesforce
FAQs
Scorecards provide a structured framework to evaluate the effectiveness of customer service interactions. Monitoring customer service call recordings is also useful for seeing a rep’s strengths and areas for continuous improvement. This allows your business to provide the necessary training and support to improve performance.
QA scorecards and customer service scorecards are terms that are often used interchangeably. Customer service scorecards and QA scorecards have criteria that overlap in many key areas, such as solution accuracy, tone, and timeliness of responses.
Small businesses should look for automation tools that can streamline managing and reviewing customer service interactions for quality assurance.
For example, OpenPhone’s call tags highlight key moments in calls and flag conversations that require attention. Additionally, automatic call transcriptions let you skim through conversations in a few minutes, helping you review at scale.
