Summary
One of Australia’s largest telecommunications providers identified a strong relationship between scores on Onetest’s Cognitive Ability Test (OCAT) and subsequent job performance, employee turnover and absenteeism amongst call centre Customer Service Representatives (CSRs).
Business Problem
This well known Australian telecommunications provider is seeking to improve its customer service. As the company’s call centre is responsible for the majority of customer interactions, they needed to identify the recruitment method that would most accurately predict the best performing CSRs.
A large study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of screening call centre applicants using the Onetest Cognitive Ability Test compared to traditional selection methods, such as interview ratings.
Results
A total of 259 employees formed the sample group for this study, which was conducted over a six month period. The study found that the Onetest Cognitive Ability Test accurately predicted:
- Job performance – CSRs rated as 'exceeding expectations' scored 28% higher on the OCAT than those who 'did not meet expectations'.
- Involuntary turnover – The number of employees dismissed was significantly higher amongst those who scored lower on the OCAT. Specifically, CSRs who were still employed at the end of the study scored 12% higher on the OCAT than those who were dismissed.
- Absenteeism – Those rated 'below average' on the OCAT were responsible for 55% more unplanned absences than those rated 'above average' (average of 13.2 vs 8.5 days of unplanned leave).
Business Implications
These findings provide additional support for the large body of research that clearly demonstrates the strong association between cognitive ability scores and job performance compared to other more time consuming and expensive recruitment methods.
The results of this study provide this Onetest client with clear evidence that adopting the OCAT to screen call centre applicants is the most efficient, cost effective and reliable method for identifying those who are likely to succeed.
This client expects to improve their bottom line by reducing recruitment costs, cutting down time to hire, reducing turnover and absenteeism while simultaneously improving customer service.
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