How to handle a low performing agent in a call center is the question that lands on every team leader's desk by month three, usually with a QA report attached.
The agent in question has missed the quality target for six weeks. Their AHT is 90 seconds over. Your operations manager asks, "Have you put a PIP in?" and you realise you are about to sign a document without knowing what it is supposed to fix.
I was that team leader once. In my first leadership role I wrote a performance improvement plan for an agent on a Friday evening, handed it over on Monday, and watched the agent resign by Wednesday. The PIP was not the problem. I had written it for the wrong kind of problem.
An underperforming call center agent is an agent who has missed quality, productivity or attendance targets for a sustained period, usually four to six weeks, despite normal coaching. The label tells you nothing about the cause. Cause decides everything.
This guide shows you how to handle a low performing agent in a call center by telling a skill problem from a will problem in two coaching sessions, what to put in the plan for each, and what the other 14 people on your team learn from how you handle it.
How to Handle a Low Performing Agent in a Call Center: Skill or Will First
Before you write a call center agent performance improvement plan, decide whether the agent cannot do the work or will not do the work. A skill problem needs training and practice. A will problem needs clarity, consequences and sometimes an exit. The same document fixes one and accelerates the other.
Vendor blogs answer every performance issue with more coaching and better software. That is true for skill gaps. It is useless for an agent who knows exactly what to do and chooses not to.
Here is how the two compare:
| Signal | Skill problem | Will problem |
|---|---|---|
| Performance pattern | Low across the board, improves slowly with help | Uneven, good on some days or on observed calls |
| Response to coaching | Asks questions, tries the technique | Agrees, then does not change |
| Knowledge check | Fails or hesitates on process steps | Passes easily on the same steps |
| Attitude | Anxious, apologetic | Disengaged, defensive or blaming |
| Best fix | Training, call shadowing, practice | Clear expectations, consequences, exit if needed |
If you cannot tell which one you have, you are not ready to write the plan yet.
How to Diagnose an Underperforming Call Center Agent in Two Coaching Sessions
You can separate skill from will in two sessions of 30 minutes each, a few days apart. The first session tests knowledge. The second tests behaviour.
Coaching low performers in call center teams starts with evidence. Dashboards show the gap, not the reason.
Session 1: Test the Knowledge
Sit with the agent and ask them to talk you through three live scenarios from their own recorded calls. Ask what they would do at each step, and why.
If they hesitate, mix up process steps or cannot explain a policy, the gap is skill. If they answer quickly and correctly but their calls do not reflect it, the gap is not knowledge.
Also ask one open question: "What makes this job hard for you right now?" Listen for the answer. A personal issue, a night-shift problem or a broken tool changes the picture completely.
Session 2: Test the Behaviour
Choose one behaviour to change, such as using the hold script or completing the after-call wrap on time. Agree on a specific target and observe five calls over three days.
An agent who tries and improves partially has a skill gap and wants to learn. An agent who makes no attempt, or improves only while you are listening, has a will problem. Do not guess. Count.
I used a simple tally on a sheet: five calls, three checkpoints. By day three the pattern was nearly always obvious.
Coaching Low Performers in Call Center Teams When It Is Neither Skill Nor Will
Sometimes the cause is outside the agent: a shift that does not suit them, a health issue, a family crisis, or a toxic peer. Check this before you label anyone.
In 23 years of leading BPO teams, I found that roughly one in five low-performance cases traced back to something outside the job. A shift swap or a seat move fixed many of them in a week.
How to Write a PIP for a Call Center Agent That Works
A call center agent performance improvement plan is a written, time-bound plan that names the gap, the target, the support provided, the review dates and the consequence of not improving. It is a tool for clarity, not a punishment.
The structure is the same for both problems, but the content differs.
For a Skill Problem: Build a Learning Plan
An underperforming call center agent with a skill gap needs a learning plan, not a warning. Name two or three specific behaviours, not "improve quality." For example, "Use the verification script on every call" or "Reduce hold time from 90 seconds to 45."
Add support that you will actually deliver: a nesting session twice a week, shadowing a top performer for two hours, a refresher on one process. Set review dates every two weeks, over 30 to 45 days.
The test is whether the agent could read the plan and know exactly what to do tomorrow morning.
For a Will Problem: Build a Clarity Plan
Name the standard, the gap, and what happens if the gap does not close. Avoid long support lists. The agent already has the tools.
Be direct. "Your quality score has been below 80 percent for six weeks. The required score is 85 percent. If it is not at 85 percent by the 30-day review, we will move to the next stage of the process."
Document each conversation the same day. HR will ask for it later, and your own memory will not hold.
Call Center Agent Performance Improvement Plan Mistakes
Most plans fail for predictable reasons. As you learn how to write a PIP for a call center agent, check your draft against this list:
- Vague goals. "Show improvement" cannot be measured.
- Too many targets. More than three behaviours overwhelm the agent.
- No support promised. A plan with only demands reads as a paper trail for exit.
- No review dates. Without checkpoints, the plan expires unnoticed.
- Surprise delivery. An agent who first hears about the problem in a PIP meeting feels ambushed, and your credibility drops with them.
For more on delivering the conversation, read how to give feedback to call center agents.
What the Rest of Your Team Learns From How You Handle a Bottom Performer
The other 14 agents watch how you treat the weakest person on the floor. They do not read the PIP, but they read your behaviour, and they draw conclusions about how they would be treated on a bad month.
If you ignore a clear will problem, your top performers conclude that effort is optional. If you humiliate a struggling agent in front of the team, everyone concludes that asking for help is unsafe.
Neither response shows up in a dashboard, but both show up in attrition. According to ICMI's contact center research, agent turnover is a persistent cost across the industry, and one of its drivers is how people experience management decisions. Your handling of one case shapes the next ten.
Here is what I did on my own teams:
- I kept every conversation private, including with the agent's friends on the floor.
- I never discussed the plan with other team members, even to correct rumours.
- I told the team the standard once, in a huddle, without naming anyone.
- I recognised effort aloud when an agent on a plan improved, even by a small margin.
This tells the team that standards apply to everyone and that improvement is noticed. It is the cheapest retention move I know.
Anticipated Objection: "I Do Not Have Time for This"
A team leader running 15 agents is stretched, and two coaching sessions plus a plan can sound like a lot. It is. But one unresolved low performer costs more: dragged team averages, a client escalation, and the slow loss of your best people who resent carrying the gap.
The time you invest in the first two weeks usually saves the next two months.
The Exit Conversation That Keeps a Person's Dignity Intact
Some plans end in an exit. When the review date arrives and the standard is not met, the conversation must be short, honest and respectful. It should never come as a surprise.
Follow this order:
- State the outcome in the first sentence. "We have reviewed the plan, and the targets were not met."
- Acknowledge effort where it existed.
- Explain the process and the timeline, including notice, final pay and the reference you can provide.
- Allow silence. The person may need a minute.
- Offer a private moment to leave, not a walk across the floor.
I once exited an agent who had missed targets for ten weeks despite real effort. We spent 20 minutes on what skills she did have. She later sent me a message from her next job, in a different industry, where she was doing well. That outcome mattered more to me than any dashboard.
For related reading, see how to handle absenteeism in a call center, since attendance often shows up before performance does.
When to Escalate and When to Hold
Escalate to your operations manager or HR when you see attendance fraud, repeated policy breaches, or behaviour that harms others. These are not performance issues. They are conduct issues and follow a different route.
Hold the line on performance issues for the full plan period unless the agent asks for a change. Early exits for performance reasons weaken the process and invite legal and trust problems.
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Handle a Low Performing Agent in a Call Center
How do I handle a low performing agent in a call center?
Start by deciding if the problem is skill or will. Run two coaching sessions to test knowledge and behaviour, then write a plan that matches the cause. Review every two weeks and document each conversation.
What is a PIP in a call center?
A call center agent performance improvement plan is a written, time-bound document that names the performance gap, the target, the support given and the consequence. Most run 30 to 60 days with reviews every two weeks. It is meant to create clarity and, ideally, improvement.
How long should a call center agent performance improvement plan last?
Thirty to 45 days is common for a skill problem, with checkpoints every two weeks. Some companies use 60 days for complex cases. Shorter plans can feel unfair, and longer plans lose urgency.
How do I handle coaching low performers in call center teams who know the process?
This usually points to a will problem or an outside factor. Ask open questions about what is getting in the way, then set a clear standard and observable behaviour. If nothing changes in two weeks, move to the consequence stage.
Should I tell the team that someone is on a PIP?
No. Keep it private. Communicate the standard to the whole team in general terms and leave individual cases between you, the agent and HR.
What if the agent says my coaching is unfair?
Listen without defending. Ask for specific examples, review the call evidence together and involve your QA or operations manager if the concern is about scoring. Fairness complaints are common in PIP cases and must be taken seriously.
How many underperforming call center agent cases on a team of 15 are normal?
One or two agents below target is common at any time. More than three suggests a process, training or hiring problem rather than an individual one. Check the data before you blame people.
Can I terminate an agent without a PIP?
Policies differ by company and country. In most BPOs, performance exits need documented coaching and a plan, while conduct exits can be faster. Confirm with HR before you act.
What metrics should a PIP include?
Pick two or three measurable behaviours linked to quality, productivity or attendance, such as QA score, AHT or adherence. Avoid blending too many metrics. Clear beats long.
How do I prevent low performance in new hires?
Strengthen nesting, shadow calls and weekly check-ins in the first 60 days. Most new-hire performance problems are skill gaps that appear early and fix quickly with support.
What should I do if a low performer is also well liked by the team?
Treat the case on the evidence, not popularity. Keep the process private and consistent. Teams respect fairness more than favours.
The Plan Is a Mirror
The agent on the plan is not the only person being evaluated. Your team is watching how you handle the weakest link, and they are deciding how safe it is to be human on your floor.
How to handle a low performing agent in a call center is a test of your honesty before it is a test of your process.
Write the plan you would want to receive.
