When chat first emerged as a customer support channel, the communication assessments used to hire voice or email agents were once used as part of the chat hiring process. However, companies 
have since learned that a good voice agent does not necessarily make a good chat agent, and therefore finding good chat agents may require the use of tests created specifically for the chat channel.
With more and more businesses making chat support channels available to customers, screening tools designed specifically to test chat skills are becoming increasingly important.
So if you are ready to take on a chat-specific screening or if you are looking for a better solution, here is some information about the BUPLAS Chat Assessment – what it is, what it measures, and why it may make sense to use it in your organization.
What is the BUPLAS Chat Assessment?
The BUPLAS Chat Assessment is a 30-minute online test that measures the communication skills required for chat support. In the test, applicants respond to 3 scenarios that is designed around authentic chat scenarios. They submit their responses and the assessment is then scored by a Chat Assessor. The assessment is hosted on our online system, QUARTO [Quality Analysis of Recruitment, Training, and Operations], which is part of the BUPLAS Recruitment license.
What does it measure?
The BUPLAS Chat Assessment measures four areas of communication that cover the range of skills needed on the job as a chat support agent:
- Language (grammar and vocabulary)
- Discourse (awareness of chat-specific discourse, coherence, cohesion)
- Interactive (ability to control tone and manage emotions)
- Task fulfilment (ability to address customer needs in full)
At the end of the test, applicants get scored on each of these areas, on a scale of 0.5 (very limited) to 5.0 (excellent).
Why is it effective?
While some companies use generic language tests to assess suitability for a chat support role, the BUPLAS Chat Assessment is tailored to workplace scenarios, and tests not only grammar but other, more important, communication domains that affect chat performance, such as probing and chat management.
As with the other BUPLAS Assessment products, the Chat Assessment makes use of best practices in task design to ensure that the applicant’s communication skills are fully and systematically elicited during the test:
- The three chat tasks progress in level of difficulty in order to stretch the candidate’s skills
- The test is authentic and contextual, simulating actual chat interactions with a customer
- The test is scored by a human assessor, so that the key chat skills can be accurately and reliably assessed
The test adheres to the essential principles of assessment, which are:
- Validity – The test is valid as it measures the exact skills needed by agents to perform as chat support agents
- Reliability – the test makes use of detailed descriptors for scoring, and standard procedures and scenarios are specified for Chat Assessors scoring the tests
- Practicality – the test is done online, whether offsite or onsite, takes only 40 minutes, and operates on a license, and not per user, basis
- Fairness – standards ensure that test-takers are all scored objectively. The test treats both experienced or inexperienced applicants equally as it does not assess on product knowledge but only on the skills needed for them to communicate effectively
What comes with the BUPLAS Recruitment license?
When you purchase a BUPLAS Recruitment license, a bundle of support services and tools will be set up for you so that you can run the test in your organization:
Accreditation Training
You will receive a 3-day accreditation training for your recruitment team to conduct and score the Chat Assessment according to standards.
Audit and BUPLAS Chat benchmarks
Future Perfect consultants will conduct an audit to help you set the proper BUPLAS Chat benchmarks for your accounts and advise you on how to integrate the chat test to the recruitment process for maximum efficiency and results.
Monthly calibration and observations
Your assessors will receive regular calibration sessions to support their development and ensure team alignment in scoring.
Your team will also get regular remote observations to ensure chats are run consistently.
Access to other BUPLAS assessments
You will have access to other BUPLAS assessments such as the BUPLAS Online Screen Test, which further supports your organization’s recruitment effectiveness.
You will also benefit from having recruitment data tracking and analytics with the QUARTO Online System.
Don’t want to do a license approach? You can alternatively outsource the assessment, for a fee.
Conclusion
Now that you have a better idea on what the BUPLAS Chat Assessment is about, you can contact Future Perfect for a discussion on how the BUPLAS Chat assesment can help you drive business results. Simply click on the button below to schedule a demo walk-through.
