Will Post-Call IVR Surveys Replace QA?

< Will Post-Call IVR Surveys Replace QA?
Dr. Jon Anton recently responded when asked what he thought call centers would look like in five years. Among his responses was this opinion:

2. I see a major move to use the caller in the call quality monitoring process through post-call IVR surveys with the results linked immediately back to the agent via an agent-specific dashboard indicating caller feedback in real-time, including a verbatim response from the caller indicating (by the callerâ€™s voice) what the agent could have done better in handling the call. I see this new technology, replacing some, if not all, of the currently expensive and ineffective call monitoring software using internal quality teams.

While I agree that we will see an increase in the use of post-call survey technology, I think it will ultimately backfire if companies try to replace their QA efforts with it. Here's why...

1.Post call IVR surveys have a built-in bias issues. Instead of getting a random sample of customers, you tend to get customers who either have a very positive or very negative experiences. Don't get me wrong, we've seen post-call IVR surveys provide some value - but the value of the information you receive is limited.
2.Post call surveys may tell you what customers thought of the experience, but they don't provide any context for what did or did not happen within the phone call to elicit that result. Without quantifying what CSRs are and are not not doing/saying - how can they make improvements? A CSR may consistently get negative comments from customers - and that might motivate the CSR to want to improve - but it doesn't necessarily provide a road map for what they need to do to improve.
3.While I agree that call monitoring software is expensive and ineffective, my experience tells me that the problem lies in the user - not in the technology. The answer is to apply better methodology to make QA more effective and less expensive. Post-call IVR surveys have the same issue. It's expensive technology that requires expertise within the call center to effectively program the questions, determine the methodology, and analyze the resulting data. Call centers that abandon call monitoring software for post-IVR surveys will find themselves in the same - if not worse - situation. "We have this cool technology, but we don't have any idea how to use it."
Dr. Jon may be right. Let's be real - companies tend to throw money and resources at the latest, greatest technology to jump on which ever bandwagon the industry is on at the moment. I just hope this time we look before we leap.