Whenever we set a volume target on our Scorecard, like client support tickets resolved or outbound calls completed, employees hit the number by rushing through low-quality work. How do we design paired counter-metrics to stop team members from gaming activity numbers?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

People naturally optimize for how they are measured. If you measure raw activity volume in isolation, your team will find the shortest path to hit the target, often by cutting corners and degrading the client experience. The solution is not to eliminate volume targets, but to balance every speed or activity metric with a quality counter-metric.

Paired metrics ensure that hitting the quantity goal cannot come at the expense of operational integrity. For every volume-based Scorecard number, introduce an adjacent constraint metric on the same seat:

- Pair tickets resolved with ticket re-open rate or first-contact resolution percentage. A rep who closes 100 tickets with a 30 percent re-open rate has failed their seat expectation.
- Pair outbound sales dials with qualified meeting conversion rate. Logging 80 superficial calls that yield zero genuine discovery conversations turns the metric red.
- Pair total client onboardings completed with 30-day client onboarding satisfaction scores or initial delivery error rates.

When you review these numbers in your Level 10 Meeting™, both metrics must be green for the week to count as successful. If an employee hits the volume target but breaches the quality constraint, the number is red and drops straight to the Issues List for IDS®. This operational pairing eliminates gaming, protects customer outcomes, and preserves clean leading data.