15 Quiz Questions on Contact Center Operations (Part 2)

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This is Part 2 of our popular Quiz Questions on Contact Center Operations.

This article is part of our Contact Center Management Series — a collection of articles that bring together practical guidance and insights to help Contact Centers run better and deliver stronger results.

Over the years, I’ve found that one of the best ways to teach, deepen understanding, and test Contact Center Operations is through well-designed quiz questions.

Not theoretical questions — practical ones.

The kind that reveal whether someone truly understands how things work — or whether they’ve just been exposed to the terminology.

Here are 15 quiz questions to test your thinking on Contact Center Operations.

I’d recommend you do this with no book, no notes, and no phone. A Contact Center professional should know this content well — without having to look it up.

Every question below has one correct answer — either A, B, C, or D.

I’ve put the Answer Key at the end so you can check your own answers when you’re ready.

Have fun!

Question 1

Your Service Level performance drops during a half-hour interval. What will typically happen to Average Speed of Answer (ASA)?

A. It will decrease
B. It will remain unchanged
C. It will increase
D. It will become irrelevant

Question 2

Which of the following statements explain why Average Speed of Answer (ASA) should not be used as the primary Customer wait time metric?

I. Referring to an average can be misleading
II. It excludes certain call types
III. The result fluctuates based on queue size
IV. ASA should be used as the primary Customer wait time metric

A. I and III only
B. I, II and III
C. II only
D. I, III and IV

Question 3

If Agent Capacity increases while Call Load remains unchanged, what will typically happen?

A. Customer Wait Time increases
B. Customer Wait Time decreases
C. Occupancy increases
D. Abandon Rate becomes zero

Question 4

Which of the following best explains why Occupancy is not an agent-controlled metric?

A. Agents can choose when to take calls
B. Occupancy is determined by factors including staffing and workload
C. Occupancy is driven by how efficiently agents handle calls
D. Occupancy improves when agents reduce their Average Handling Time

Question 5

Which of the following best explains why shrinkage must be included when calculating staffing requirements?

A. Because it improves Service Level performance directly
B. Because not all scheduled time at work is available for handling customer contacts
C. Because it reduces Average Handling Time
D. Because shrinkage rates are always too high

Question 6

Which of the following is the most accurate interpretation of high Agent Occupancy?

A. Agents are highly productive
B. Customers are experiencing short wait times
C. Agents have little available time between contacts
D. Service Level must be high

Question 7

Which of the following best explains why Abandon Rate is difficult to forecast accurately?

A. It is calculated differently across systems
B. It is primarily driven by Agent performance
C. It is influenced by multiple behavioral and external factors
D. It is directly controlled by staffing levels

Question 8

A Contact Center experiences a sudden increase in Abandon Rate. What is the best first step for a manager?

A. Increase staffing immediately
B. Review Service Level performance and queue conditions
C. Reduce Average Handling Time targets
D. Escalate the issue to senior leadership

Question 9

Two Contact Centres are identical except for their Service Level objectives:

Centre A: Higher Service Level target
Centre B: Lower Service Level target

All else being equal, what is the expected difference in Occupancy?

A. Centre A will have higher Occupancy
B. Centre B will have higher Occupancy
C. Both will have equal Occupancy
D. Occupancy cannot be determined

Question 10

Which of the following best explains why True Calls per Hour is a more accurate productivity calculation than raw calls handled?

A. It increases the number of calls attributed to each agent
B. It normalizes for different occupancy rates
C. It reflects Customer satisfaction levels
D. It removes the impact of Average Handling Time

Question 11

An agent handles more calls than their peers during the same time period. What must you evaluate before concluding they are more productive?

A. Their Adherence to Schedule
B. Their Occupancy Rate
C. Their Call Quality
D. Their Customer Satisfaction Score

Question 12

Which of the following is the most accurate interpretation of Average Handling Time (AHT)?

A. Lower AHT always leads to better Customer Experience
B. AHT is a standalone measure of Agent productivity
C. AHT is one component of Call Load and must be forecasted
D. AHT should be minimized at all costs

Question 13

Which of the following actions will typically have the greatest long-term impact on reducing workload in a Contact Center?

A. Reducing AHT by a few seconds
B. Increasing staffing levels
C. Eliminating unnecessary contacts
D. Increasing Service Level targets

Question 14

Consider the following statements about Service Level objectives:

I. There is a universal industry standard for Service Level
II. Service Level should reflect Customer expectations
III. Service Level decisions are influenced by cost considerations
IV. Service Level is independent of organizational strategy

Which combination is correct?

A. I and IV only
B. II and III only
C. I, II and III
D. II, III and IV

Question 15

Which of the following best describes the Pooling Principle?

A. Smaller queues naturally achieve higher occupancy than larger queues
B. Larger queues naturally achieve higher occupancy than smaller queues
C. Queue size has no impact on occupancy
D. Pooling reduces the need for Service Level targets

The Answer Key

Here are the correct answers:

Explore More Contact Center Operations Articles

If you’d like to go deeper into some of the concepts covered in this quiz, these articles will help.

15 Quiz Questions on Contact Center Operations Management (Part 1)

True Calls Per Hour: Balancing Quality and Productivity

Implementing Appropriate Contact Centre Wait Time Metrics

What To Know About the Pooling Principle in Contact Centers

Thank you for reading

I regularly share stories, strategies, and insights from our work in Contact Centers, Customer Service, and Customer Experience. If this resonates, I’d love to stay connected.

You can drop me a line anytime, or subscribe on our site.

Daniel Ord
[email protected]
www.omnitouchinternational.com