Quality Contact Framework 111-22100000

The Quality Contact Framework establishes a single set of quality expectations to ensure services delivered by Services Australia:

• are of a high quality, and
• meet the expectations of customers and government

It is an integrated approach to quality checking through the consistent assessment of national Quality Contact Standards.

Embedded in the Quality Contact Framework is the guiding principle that it will enhance customers' experience and achieve the right outcome for customers and government.

The Quality Contact Framework's evaluation model sets out a specific set of standards that define the components of a quality interaction. These components are used to measure the quality of the interaction between the agency and its customers. A standardised process and evaluation form gives accredited quality checkers the ability to evaluate each interaction objectively and consistently.

All staff who undertake customer interactions including inbound or outbound phone calls across Services Australia will have their work evaluated within the evaluation model.

The model is made up of 3 Quality Contact Standards which include:

• Customer experience
• Business outcomes
• Compliance adherence

Within each of the 3 standards, there are elements and criteria that help define that standard and support the evaluation of the interaction. All 3 of the Quality Contact Standards form part of every quality check.

See also Quality Contact Standards.

Sampling for the Quality Contact Framework is:

• conducted by settlement period, and
• based on the business rules for sampling

See the Process page for details about sampling policy business rules.

All staff who undertake customer interactions including inbound or outbound phone calls across Services Australia will have their work evaluated within the framework, regardless of:

• classification
• employment status (such as ongoing, non-ongoing, casual), or
• work type

Evaluations can be undertaken by listening side-by-side/remotely or by recordings.

As per Part I of the Services Australia Enterprise Agreement 2024-2027 the following applies to the Quality Contact Framework sampling policy.

• Clause 15.2, staff phone calls may be monitored for quality evaluation. See Resources page for a link to the Enterprise Agreement
• Clause I5.3, all monitored calls require feedback to be sent to the staff member. See Quality Contact Framework quality checking
• Clause I5.4, Staff must be notified in writing of any additional calls that are being evaluated outside of the Quality Contact Framework. See the Process page for Business Rule: Out of scope listening

The Quality Contact Framework requires Service Australia to evaluate the calls of staff to:

• ensure quality of service
• identify areas of improvement

See Resources page for more details on Quality Contact Framework reference to the Enterprise Agreement.

Oversampling occurs when a staff member has had more 'in scope' evaluations completed than is required under the Quality Contact Framework sampling policy.

As per the Enterprise Agreement, Clause I 5.2 - Call Monitoring - Staff can expect that 'A fixed number of calls will be randomly selected and the individual employee's interactions with the customer will be assessed.'

The fixed number of calls for Quality Contact Framework is determined by the application of the sampling rules and must be adhered to. Quality checkers have a responsibility to adhere to the sampling rules when performing quality checking under the Quality Contact Framework.

In and out of scope interactions

Understanding what is 'in scope' or 'out of scope' and how this interacts with oversampling is one way to avoid oversampling staff. When evaluating interactions, checkers should take care to ensure they are correctly choosing if the interaction is 'in or out of scope' for Quality Contact Framework, if the interaction should have been marked out of scope but is incorrectly marked as in scope, this will result in oversampling.

In Scope

Interactions including inbound and outbound calls that are 'in scope' for Quality Contact Framework evaluations are where an interaction takes place between a Services Australia staff member and an external caller/customer. The sampling requirements for staff are based on 'in scope' interactions, and listed on the Agency Quality Contact Requirements dashboard.

Out of scope

When evaluating interactions for an individual outside of Quality Contact Framework sampling, for example strategically focused listening exercises, identified performance issues such as a back on track or performance support plans, the evaluation must be marked as 'out of scope'. See the Resources page for FAQs on Oversampling.

Staff seeking to become quality checkers must undertake an accreditation program to make sure they have the right skills, attributes and knowledge. Quality checkers are selected by their business team based on operational need.

Aim for Accuracy provides assurance of the integrity and reliability of quality checking results. Business teams facilitate an Aim for Accuracy exercise where it is possible to re-evaluate an end-to-end interaction that has been previously quality checked. Aim for Accuracy employs:

Check the Checker (CtC)

A quality assurance exercise that consists of an independent review of work previously quality checked. This involves objectively obtaining and evaluating point in time evidence to determine whether quality checking business rules have been applied consistently and correctly.

Quality assessors:

• are chosen by business teams to compete the checks
• as a minimum must:
• meet the accreditation standards and hold a current accreditation status
• successfully completed assurance exercises for the business area in the last 12 months. such as, Calibration for QCF
• demonstrated understanding of the CtC process
• have had recent experience in undertaking relevant quality checking

Calibration

Calibration measures the variation in the application of the Quality Contact Standards. Calibration exercises and activities provide business teams with information to facilitate continuous improvement and drive consistent outcomes.

All quality checkers must complete a calibration activity within 3 months of completing accreditation or annual reaccreditation. If calibration has not been completed within the required timeframe, accreditation/reaccreditation will be revoked and access to online evaluation forms will not be available.

Business teams can complete additional targeted calibration exercises as needed.

Business teams are responsible for:

• coordinating the national accreditation program for quality checkers
• ensuring only accredited quality checkers undertake quality checking
• facilitating Calibration and Check the Checker activities and exercises including nominating who will undertake the quality assessor role
• using management information and quality reports to:
• identify, assess and evaluate the impact of errors
• ensure corrective action is taken as needed
• adhering to the sampling policy
• seeking approval for any variation to the sampling policy and maintaining records of these
• engaging with the business owner of Smart Tools as needed
• making sure all staff are aware of the Operational Blueprint messaging, which advises that their calls may be monitored for quality assurance

Quality checkers are responsible for:

• evaluating the interaction against the Quality Contact Standards
• complying with the Quality Checking Feedback Policy by:
• providing feedback that focuses on aspects of the interaction that were done well, and
• identifying areas for improvement
• capturing the results of the evaluation in the system
• ensuring evaluation has been flagged in order to share the results of the evaluation to the staff member
• maintaining privacy and secrecy when handling customer and staff information, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988
• not completing checks on their own work
• undertaking a calibration activity within 3 months of completing accreditation or annual reaccreditation
• participating in Aim for Accuracy as required

Quality assessors are responsible for:

• quality assuring the original quality check against the Quality Contact Standards
• complying with the quality checking Feedback Policy
• capturing the results of the Check the Checker (CtC) assessment in the system
• maintaining privacy and secrecy when handling customer and staff information, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988
• not completing checks on their own work
• undertaking a CtC calibration activity as required