Assessing customer service operations and satisfaction levels requires an understanding of call center metrics and KPIs. These metrics are invaluable for both managers and call center clients. For managers, these metrics can help assess and improve agent performance and also streamline processes across the board. For clients, these metrics can help them assess the service quality provided by their call center. In the end, the goal is greater customer satisfaction, and with the right metrics, you can confidently chart your path toward that goal!
Why do Call Center Metrics and KPIs Matter?
Call center metrics paint a clear picture of performance within the organization and their impact outside of it. These can be measured across processes to identify any pitfalls, delve into the relevant reasons, and apply fixes as required. With the right metrics, call center managers can make data-driven decisions to augment workflows and ultimately improve customer satisfaction.
For a client, these metrics provide transparency, allowing them to see if service quality from their customer support partner a.k.a the call center is up to the mark or not. A declining trend can be a signal of bad customer experience which can hurt customer satisfaction and brand value. Something that can have a ripple effect on the rest of your business.
KPIs: The Driving Force Behind Performance
When we say metrics, we are primarily talking about KPIs or Key Performance Indicators. There are KPIs for contact centers and individual agents. These KPIs help help managers assess internal performance while giving clients a clear insight into customer sentiment.
KPIs like First Call Resolution (FCR), Average Handle Time (AHT), and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) directly influence operational success and customer loyalty. Robust KPIs with periodic monitoring helps keep employees and contact centers accountable. These help make contact centers efficient with several satisfied clients.
Top-Level Metrics for Managers
As a manager and customer service leader, you are performing 2 roles. You are managing client expectations along with the expectations of your team. You must ensure that you hit the required targets without overwhelming your team. Monitoring these top-level metrics can help you maximize in both of your roles.
Customer Effort Score (CES): Measuring Customer Friction
Customer Effort Score or CES is a measure of how easy or difficult it is for a customer to complete a service interaction i.e. resolve their issue. Instead of simply focusing on issue resolution/close rate, CES evaluates the overall effort required by a customer. Think of that time when you had to manually enter your card info on the t9 keypad of a phone, thankfully voice IVRs have reduced that friction. A low CES means that the overall effort needed was lower, which means that the experience was seamless/effortless. A high score, on the other hand, suggests possible obstacles which can frustrate customers; even if their issues were resolved.
Post-interaction surveys can be excellent to measure how easy it was for a customer to resolve their issue. This can be a rating or a scale ranging from “very easy” to “very difficult”. You can collect this data over email, through post-resolution IVR systems, or via customer feedback tools within your software. As a manager, CES can help you find areas of friction and make targeted improvements. These can come in the form of simpler IVRs, shorter wait times, or a wide array of self-service options. Staying up to date with customer expectations is important. If something is becoming an industry standard, you too must incorporate the same practices.
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): Gauging Success
CSAT (such a fun acronym) stands for Customer Satisfaction Score. When it comes to contact center metrics, there’s nothing that comes close to the impact of this one. The higher the CSAT, the better the business. This metric measures customer satisfaction for specific interactions and the overall service provided. A simple survey question about the experience with a star or number rating as an answer is enough. These can serve as a direct indicator of success when facing clients, if you have satisfied customers; there’s nothing more to say.
Most contact centers gather CSAT right after the customer interaction is completed. SMS, email, and quick IVRs after the call are great. CSAT must be tracked in real-time so that when a negative trend appears, you can proactively address it. Trends may include specific agents, teams, or time slots that may be impacting customer satisfaction. You can then see where the pitfall is, and immediately plug it!
Net Promoter Score (NPS): Building Customer Loyalty
NPS or Net Promoter Score is a metric that measures customer loyalty by asking how likely a customer is to recommend the company to others from a scale of 0 to 10. This is more of a long-term metric. Customers who give a score above 9 are promoters, 7 and 8 are passives and 0 to 6 are the detractors. To calculate the NPS subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters (NPS= % of Promoters – % of Detractors). A high NPS indicates greater loyalty and a likelihood of positive word-of-mouth referrals. A low NPS on the other hand points to a churn risk (loss of long-term customers/subscribers).
NPS is particularly useful for understanding long-term customer sentiment rather than what they are feeling in the moment. By analyzing NPS, the manager can see how the call center contributes to overall loyalty and make strategic adjustments to boost the same. This can be done by improving training, refining scripts for calls, or offering proactive customer service before a customer needs them. This metric is invaluable to your clients since the reasons for the low NPS can also point toward a product failure. In this case, they need to work on fixing it as well.
Metrics to Evaluate the Workforce and Teams
Understanding call traffic patterns and balancing agent availability for any point of the day is crucial, especially in high-demand situations. This is where effective workforce optimization and call volume management can help avoid long wait times and agent burnout. These are key to your performance as a team.
Managing Inbound Calls During Peak Hours
Managing inbound/incoming calls during peak hours is a balancing act for any contact center. Peaks in call volumes can lead to long wait times, which overburden agents and negatively impact customer satisfaction. Just imagine, a customer who spent several minutes in the queue, would rightfully be frustrated. The agent then handling that call will have to field the customer query and the negative emotions that come with it.
As a manager, you can use historical data and patterns to predict high-traffic periods. You can then adjust staffing levels and schedule more agents when required. Additionally, flexible shifts can help ease the load on employees, making sure that it’s not always the same people handling peak hours.
Self-service options or call-back systems are also great tools to reduce pressure during peak hours. You need to ensure that even during peak hours, customers aren’t frustrated by long waits or agent unavailability. They should have some way to either solve their problem by themselves or at a later time with the help of an agent.
Calls Answered vs. Calls Blocked
A telltale sign of your call center’s efficiency is the ratio of calls answered vs calls blocked. Calls blocked are the instances where customers tried to reach you but couldn’t due to capacity limits. This is a simple sign that your team isn’t adequately staffed. Your staff and infrastructure should be prepared to meet customer requirements at all times. Remember, these requirements can change during peak times like lunch breaks, holidays, server maintenance, and other predictable call times. Investing in remote agents and AI agents can reduce incidents of call blocking, and help maintain service standards, even during peak hours.
Active Waiting Calls and Call Abandonment Rate
Active waiting calls are the number of customers on hold, while the call abandonment rate measures how many of those “on hold” customers hung up before they reached an agent. A high call abandonment rate means that there is dissatisfaction, which affects customer loyalty. Alternate support channels like live chat can be a great boon here. Sharing the customer’s place in the queue or expected wait time can also improve the caller’s experience. The call-back option can also help customers retain their place in the queue without being glued to the phone.
Peak Hour Traffic and Call Volume Trends
Peak hours are those times when the inbound call volume spikes. This happens during lunch breaks, holidays, and promotional periods for a brand. Monitoring these patterns over time allows managers to adjust staffing levels and ensure that enough agents are available. Your call center software can provide real-time data on call volumes, helping you make quick decisions. This can include reallocating agents or having remote agents answer calls in peak times.
Measuring Performance at Agent Level
Call center KPIs also exist for individual agent performance. These will help you fix issues at the ground level, ensuring that your agents are empowered to handle customer calls with the highest level of confidence.
First Call Resolution (FCR): One-Call Solutions
First Call Resolution (FCR) also known as First Contact Resolution is an important KPI that measures how many customers had their issues resolved on the first call with no need for follow-ups. A high FCR means that problem-solving is smooth and efficient. This directly impacts customer satisfaction and loyalty. To track FCR, you can analyze customer call logs to see whether additional calls were made for a specific support ticket. If not, you have an FCR, with a talented and knowledgeable agent at the helm.
In the post What is First Call Resolution? We have covered key tactics to measure and improve FCR on the contact center and client end.
Repeat Calls: The Hidden Cost of Inefficiency
Repeat calls are exactly what they sound like. Repeat calls are calls to and from the same customer for the same issue. A high repeat call rate points to inefficiency and dissatisfaction. Tracking repeat customer calls helps you identify recurring issues and understand why customers reach out more than once. A high repeat call rate points to miscommunication and gaps in agent training. With the right agent support, clear communication, and an improved knowledge base; managers can improve overall performance and customer satisfaction.
Agent Productivity
Agent productivity is the measure of an agent’s performance. It measures how effectively an agent handles their tasks including the number of calls answered, tickets closed and customer feedback received. It’s usually a combination of metrics like average handle time (AHT) and first call resolution (FCR). Managers can track productivity using dashboards in call center metric software like Calabrio or RingCentral. Improving productivity often involves ongoing training, real-time feedback, and streamlining processes to limit time spent on non-essential tasks.
Agent Utilization Rate: Maximizing Efficiency
Proper agent utilization is key to business success for a call center. Agent Utilization Rate is a KPI that measures the time agents spend on productive tasks versus idle time. It is simply measured by dividing the active agent time by the total available time during the work day. A high utilization rate can indicate efficient use of resources whereas high utilization rates often lead to burnout.
Very high utilization rates across agents can signal that there is high pressure and perhaps your workforce is stretched too thin. As a manager, you should ensure that you optimize utilization with proper schedules, and support tools and balance workload with rest periods. It’s your job to ensure that agents are not overwhelmed and burnt out. Agent burnout is a major concern these days, due to this several industries have started using AI tools to avoid burnout.
Tools for Accurate KPI Tracking
Call Center Software
A strong tech stack is a non-negotiable for smooth operations. These tools provide real-time data and detailed analytics that help make key decisions both in the short and long-term. All the metrics we spoke about like First Call Resolution, Average Handle Time, and Customer Satisfaction can not be tracked manually. At least not for a sizeable contact center. Software solutions like TalkDesk and Genesys Cloud are some of the top tools for this.
The right call center solutions can drastically enhance agent efficiency by streamlining workflows and reducing manual tasks. Tools like customer relationship management (CRM) software, predictive dialers, and integrated communication platforms ensure that agents have the information they need at their fingertips. This reduces time spent searching for data, allowing agents to focus on resolving customer issues. Additionally, performance analytics tools can provide insights into individual agent metrics, helping managers identify top performers and those who may need further training.
Salesforce, NICE CXOne, and RingCentral are some of the best tools for call centers at all levels. These tools help agents focus on customer issues instead of wasting time on looking up data manually. With the right tools, you can ensure that agents meet internal requirements and client expectations consistently.
Self Service Options and Smart Call Routing
Automated IVR, FAQs, and chatbots allow customers to resolve their issues without needing to speak with an agent. They offer fast and convenient solutions while reducing call volumes that agents need to handle. Basic queries like password resets, software updates, and account modifications can utilize self-service options. These can also route customers to the right team member for their specific issue, which helps mitigate wait times and call transfers. You can monitor the success of these options with customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores and call volume reduction. In the long term, these tools provide efficiency gains with happier customers and agents.
Evaluating Call Center Performance as a Client
As a client, your standards for customer satisfaction are even more consequential because a lapse not only affects the bottom line but also your overall customer satisfaction. Evaluating your call center partner regularly helps you uphold brand standards. Tracking metrics he’s identified inefficiencies that can impact your reputation. These are also key talking points that ensure that your resources for customer satisfaction and success are being used properly. With an understanding of client-side metrics, you can make way for effective collaboration with your call center partner!
Key Metrics Clients Should Monitor
Many of the metrics for managers are also insightful for clients. First Call Resolution shows how often customer issues are resolved during the first call. This is critical if you are also spending resources in other customer support efforts like chatbots, live support, and FAQs. With a comprehensive approach, you should have low call volumes with many of them closing.
- Client Satisfaction or CSAT is a critical insight into your customers’ perspective towards call center interactions. Their satisfaction ensures that they are happy with their purchase and would become brand advocates. For subscription-based businesses, this is even more crucial, as the user can go to your competitor if your support experience is lacking.
- Net Promoter Score or NPS assesses customer loyalty. This is a metric that you must also monitor directly with your customers. A high NPS means that your customers are brand advocates who help you earn more business with the word-of-mouth route.
- Average Handle Time and Call Abandonment Rate can reveal inefficienes in customer service. These could be due to inefficient spending on the call center’s end; or the sign of a growing business that demands more resources.
Monitoring these metrics can help you problem-solve proactively and ensure that your brand reputation is bolstered in the process. It will also help you keep your call center partner accountable and ensure service standards are upheld.
Questions Clients Should Ask Call Center Partners
When looking for a partner for customer support, it’s essential to ask the right questions. Start by asking “What are your First Call Resolution and Customer Satisfaction scores for similar brands?” Follow up with, “How do you track and improve an agent’s performance?” Also, ask about how training takes place and what resources have they allocated for that. Next on the list of questions should be handling of high call volumes and reducing abandonment rate. This will help gauge their ability to handle incoming call peaks during outages and the holiday season.
These conversations would not be one-sided. Your partner of choice will have their own set of questions that will need to be answered. This would include the kind of knowledge base that you have about your product or service. They may also ask about key product issues, in which case, a thorough knowledge transfer needs to happen.
Clear, honest, and detailed communication is the bedrock of a long-term partnership. Make sure that you have meetings with multiple partners before deciding on who to give your business to.
Enhancing Current Call Center Partnerships
Call volume and performance metrics are critical in evaluating whether your call center partner can handle customer demands without sacrificing quality. Call Volume refers to the number of inbound and outbound calls handled, while metrics like Calls Blocked and Call Abandonment Rate indicate how well the center is managing that volume. High call abandonment rates or blocked calls signal that customers may be frustrated with long wait times or unavailability, which can damage your brand. Monitoring these metrics helps ensure that the call center is properly staffed and equipped to handle customer interactions, especially during peak times, without letting service quality slip.
Future of Call Center Solutions for Clients
Several advancements are happening within the contact center industry that promise to revolutionize customer support as we know it! Omnichannel support will be a must for organizations. Omnichannel support that encompasses phone, text, and web will also be important in removing friction. This will directly impact the Customer Effort Score.
Another shift would be the use of calling AI. At Phonely, we are building an all-encompassing AI calling tool that consolidates project management, customer relationship management, predictive dialer, and integrated communications. At its core, it has the smartest AI having the conversations for you! Something that will directly impact workflows within contact centers. We see Phonely and other similar tools taking on some of the calling load from agents, freeing them to handle complex customer queries that require more nuance. Clients will get AI-powered insights that promise detailed data analytics and real-time reporting to get clear insights into customer trends and agent performance.
Conclusion
Both managers and clients need to be on top of call center metrics and KPIs to get a holistic picture of customer service quality and overall customer satisfaction. You need to know what metrics like First Call Resolution, Customer Satisfaction, and Call Volumes mean. These metrics also serve as points of discussion between contact centers and clients to address specific issues with customer service and proactively fix these problems. Additionally, AI-powered solutions promise to mitigate wait times and call abandonment rates by reducing overall customer effort. A combination of AI-powered agents in conjunction with remote human agents will be the new benchmark for customer support and employee satisfaction!
