Policy drift is when the documented rules for handling customer interactions (scripts, disclosures, verification steps, escalation criteria, and prohibited statements) slowly stop matching day-to-day call behavior. The policy may stay the same on paper while agents adapt to new tools, changing customer expectations, or informal coaching.
Operationally, drift matters because it creates inconsistent customer experiences and makes compliance performance unpredictable. It can lead to missed required disclosures, incorrect identity verification, improper promises, or inconsistent handling of regulated topics, which increases audit findings, complaints, and rework.
Policy drift is often hard to spot because it develops gradually and can look like “normal variation” across teams or sites. Detecting it requires comparing current call behavior to the latest approved policy and updating either the policy or the operating practice so they align.
