Feature
The Gist
- Elevating customer expectations. Today's customers have significantly higher service expectations, demanding quick and accurate resolutions.
- Critical performance metrics. Call center metrics are essential for gauging service efficiency, effectiveness and customer satisfaction.
- Analytics benefits. Tracking call center metrics can significantly improve customer interactions and operational efficiencies.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated on March 12, 2024 to include new data and information. The original content was authored by Tom Regan.
Today's customers have high expectations. In fact, according to a Talkdesk report, 58% of consumers polled said their customer service expectations increased. And 84% said they expect their questions or concerns to be solved quickly and accurately. That's where call center metrics come in.
Call center metrics help organizations better understand and respond to customer needs. But which metrics should organizations track?
What Are Call Center Metrics?
Call center metrics are key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure various aspects of a call center's operations and performance. These metrics are crucial for understanding the efficiency, effectiveness and overall quality of the customer service provided. These KPIs can also help organizations gauge how happy or satisfied their customers are, along with the likelihood of them becoming loyal customers or recommending the brand to others.
How to Monitor Call Center Performance
Using call center metrics to measure performance effectively boils down to three phases:
1. Collection
Collect as much applicable data as possible from all channels, and avoid siloes by ensuring each department shares data with other departments. For instance, call center agents often can't track resolution rates. However, centers can use customer relationship management (CRM) or analytics software to provide that data.
2. Analysis
Data by itself is just data. Organize and present it in a way that makes it easy for your team to understand and act on. Call center analytics software often includes templates you can use to create visual reports.
3. Action
Take your call center metrics calculations and use them to improve the performance of your agents and fill gaps in your customer response plan. Consider each metric you want to use to improve your call center and think about how to get the most benefit from it.
Related Article: What Is a Call Center? How They Work
Top Call Center Metrics
A lot of different factors can impact the experience a customer has with your call center. Here are some key call center industry standards metrics that every organization should track.
Average Time in Queue
The average duration that callers wait on the line before getting connected to a service agent. A lower average time in queue indicates more efficient call center operations.
Average Call Abandonment Rate
The percentage of calls abandoned by the customer before reaching an agent. Callers typically abandon a call if they've been on hold for too long, which can lead to dissatisfaction and even prompt customers to move on to a competitor.
Average Speed of Answer (ASA)
The average time it takes for an agent to answer inbound calls, which indicates the level of accessibility of the service to customers.
Percentage of Calls Blocked
The percentage of people who call in to the center but receive a busy tone or are routed to leave a voicemail or callback number. A high percentage of calls blocked can frustrate customers, and indicates to companies that they may need to reconfigure staffing levels during certain days or times.
Average Handle Time (AHT)
Average handle time is the average duration of a single transaction, including talk time, hold time and time spent on related tasks after the call ends. Many businesses allow some flexibility in this metric, as some problems are more challenging to handle than others.
First Call Resolution (FCR)
First call resolution is the percentage of calls resolved during the first interaction between an agent and customer, without the need for follow-up from either side.
Occupancy Rate
The percentage of time agents spend handling calls or completing work related to calls versus waiting for calls to come in.
Average After-Call Work Time
The average amount of time an agent spends on post-call tasks after the end of a conversation with a customer. These tasks might include updating customer records, entering transaction details, sending follow-up emails or other administrative or documentation work.
Call Center Customer Experience Metrics
Many call center metrics can help organizations pinpoint what type of experience their customers have when they call in and interact with agents.
First Call Resolution
First call resolution, mentioned above, measures the percentage of calls resolved during the first interaction between an agent and customer. A high first call resolution is a sign of excellent customer service and one of the most important ways to ensure customer satisfaction. A high number also indicates a well-trained and knowledgable team of agents.
Customer Effort Score (CES)
The customer effort score specifically looks at the amount of effort it takes a customer to accomplish a specific task or find an answer to their query. A CES survey is typically deployed at the end of a call, and might ask the customer: "Do you agree or disagree that [brand] made it easy for you to handle your issue?"
Customer effort score is one of the most important metrics for measuring how a customer feels about the brand, as customers are often satisfied when they're able to get resolution without much effort involved. On the flip side, if a caller has to put in a lot of work to do something simple, it often leads to frustration and a poor experience.
Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
The customer satisfaction score is a metric that measures how satisfied a customer is with the service they received. This score is often gauged through post-call surveys and may ask callers to use a ranking from 1 to 10 or 1 to 5, where 1 indicates the person is "Very Unsatisfied" and 5 or 10 means they are "Satisfied."
Time on Hold
This metric measures how long a caller waits on hold before they speak to an agent. A high time on hold could mean people are more likely to abandon the call and move on to a competitor. Combining this metric with the call abandonment rate can help you determine if agents are answering questions efficiently and point to potential staffing issues.
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Net promoter score gauges how likely a person is to recommend the company to others. NPS is calculated based on the response to a single question: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our company/product/service to a friend or colleague?”
Based on their ratings, respondents are classified into three categories:
- Promoters (Score 9-10): Loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying and referring others.
- Passives (Score 7-8): Satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who are vulnerable to competitive offerings.
- Detractors (Score 0-6): Unhappy customers who may spread negative word-of-mouth.
NPS is then calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. The score can range from -100 to 100.
Related Article: What Is Average Handle Time (AHT) and Does It Impact Customer Experience?
Call Center Agent Productivity Metrics
Agents are at the heart of the call center and the front line interacting with customers. A variety of metrics can help organizations determine how agents are performing and pinpoint any problems that may need addressed.
Service Level
The percentage of calls answered within a predetermined amount of time, indicating an agent's productivity level. This metric is often set as a target, like answering 80% of calls within 20 seconds.
Average Handle Time (AHT)
The average time it takes to handle a call, from speaking to the caller to the end of after-call tasks. Many companies want agents to resolve calls as quickly as possible. And shorter AHTs tend to point to answering customer queries quickly and efficiently. Still, the danger with promoting short AHTs is that some agents will intentionally keep calls short to hit the desired standard without solving customer problems.
Average Speed of Answer (ASA)
This metric determines how long it takes an agent to answer inbound calls. Higher ASA times signify a greater risk of customer dissatisfaction and possible agent problems. It can also point to efficiency and accessibility issues.
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Active Waiting Calls
This metric is the number of calls currently in the queue waiting to be answered by an agent. It's a real-time indicator of the call center's incoming call volume versus its capacity to handle calls without making customers wait too long.
First Call Resolution
The percentage of calls resolved by an agent during the first interaction with the customer. FCR is a critical metric for assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of the agent's offering customer service.
Agent Utilization Rate
The percentage of time agents spend handling calls or performing call-related work compared to the total logged-in time. It's a measure of how effectively an agent's time is utilized for productive work, with a high utilization rate suggesting agents that are actively engaged in work and a low rate indicating idle time or inefficiencies.
Peak Hour Traffic
Peak hour traffic measures when call center agents receive the highest volume of incoming calls. This metric helps companies determine when they need to schedule more agents to continue answering calls quickly and efficiently.
Contact Quality
A measure of the effectiveness of an agent's communications and interactions, which assesses factors like adherence to scripts, product knowledge and communication skills. This metric is often evaluated through call monitoring and scoring by supervisors.
Call Center Performance Metrics
Understanding and optimizing key metrics is crucial for ensuring operational efficiency. Let's take a look at the essential KPIs that drive call center performance.
Number of Calls
The number of calls (inbound and outbound) handled by an agent or the call center during a specific timeframe. This metric helps companies understand the volume of calls and is fundamental for workforce planning, forecasting and assessing the overall demand for customer service.
Call Arrival Rate
The frequency at which calls are received in the call center within a given timeframe, typically expressed as calls per hour or minute. It's a crucial metric for understanding call volume patterns throughout the day or week.
Average Call Lengths
The average duration of the call, including talk time and hold or transfer time. It's an indicator of how quickly agents are able to handle customer inquiries or issues.
Repeat Calls
The number of times a person calls back about the same issue within a certain timeframe after the initial call. A high number of repeat calls can indicate issues with first call resolution, customer satisfaction or the solutions provided by agents.
Cost Per Call (CPC)
The total operational cost divided by the total number of calls handled. This is one of the top call center efficiency metrics to help determine if the organization is operating in a cost-effective way.
Average Age of Query
The average time that elapses from when a customer calls or a ticket is opened until it's resolved. A lower average age of query indicates a quicker resolution time, which typically contributes to higher customer satisfaction.
Callback Messaging
Some call centers allow customers to request a callback rather than waiting on hold until an agent becomes available. This metric tracks the number of callback requests received, the average time before a callback is made and potentially the customer satisfaction associated with the callback service.
Agent Turnover Rate
The rate at which call center agents leave and need to be replaced. A high turnover rate can indicate dissatisfaction among employees and impact the quality of service provided to customers.
What Are the Industry Standards for Call Center Metrics?
Understanding and adhering to industry standards for call center goals and metrics is crucial for achieving operational excellence and customer satisfaction. These benchmarks serve as a compass for setting realistic objectives and gauging performance against industry norms.
| Call Center Metric | Industry Standard |
| Average Handle Time (AHT) | 6 minutes and 3 seconds |
| Average Speed of Answer (ASA) | 80% of calls within 20 seconds |
| First Contact Resolution (FCR) | 70% to 75% |
| Call Abandonment Rate | 12% to 20% |
| Service Level | 80% of calls answered in 20 seconds |
| Occupancy Rate | 85% to 90% |
| Net Promoter Score (NPS) | Above 20% |
| Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) | 75% to 85% |
| Agent Turnover Rate | 30% to 45% |
Related Article: What Is Net Promoter Score (NPS)?
How to Improve Call Center Metrics
Improving call center performance can help organizations meet and exceed customer expectations, as well as streamline operational efficiencies. What steps can companies take to improve essential KPIs?
Prioritize First Call Resolution
Achieving a high FCR rate is a critical goal for call centers because it directly impacts customer satisfaction and efficiency. To improve FCR, make sure your agents have access to comprehensive training, up-to-date knowledge bases and the right tools to resolve customer issues quickly during the first interaction.
Enhance Agent Training and Support
Investing in continuous training and support for your agents can significantly improve their ability to handle calls. Focus on developing their product knowledge, communication skills and problem-solving abilities. Regular feedback and coaching sessions can also help identify areas for improvement and boost overall performance.
Implement Advanced Call Routing
Advanced call routing can help direct customers to the most appropriate agent or department based on their specific needs. This technology reduces wait times and increases the chances of first-call resolution, which in turn improves customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Monitor and Analyze Call Center Metrics
Regular monitoring and analysis of call center metrics are crucial for understanding performance levels and identifying trends. Employing call center metrics analytics and reporting tools can provide valuable insights into areas that require attention and help in making data-driven decisions to enhance performance.
Focus on Customer Feedback
Listening to customer feedback provides direct insights into where service could be improved. Implementing regular surveys and feedback mechanisms can help organizations understand customer satisfaction levels and pinpoint specific areas where your call center metrics could be enhanced.
Encourage a Customer-Centric Culture
Fostering a customer-centric culture within your call center encourages agents to go above and beyond in providing exceptional service. Recognizing and rewarding agents for high performance in customer satisfaction metrics can motivate the entire team to strive for excellence.
Pros of Using Call Center Analytics
Analyzing calls, texts, emails and surveys — any form of communication you receive from a customer — will allow you to make needed changes to your call center and achieve consistent customer service. Some benefits provided by call center analytics include:
Quantifiable Measurements
Data is much easier to quantify than what your customer service representatives might glean from customers' attitudes. Focus on the essential metrics you can collect and interpret.
Consolidated Data
Most good call center software offers built-in analytics. Even small businesses can use data from customer interactions. Plus, your service representatives won’t need to develop coding skills or learn how to use a system such as structured query language (SQL) to extract the critical data they need.
Achievable Goals
Metrics should help improve customer interactions and allow agents to achieve desired results. When you select the most appropriate metrics for your business, those metrics should also be the ones your service agents have significant control over.
Cons of Using Call Center Analytics
While it might not seem possible, call center analytics can have some downsides, including:
Impersonal Interactions
It would be nice if employees solved customers’ problems as quickly as possible. However, that’s not always possible, and you should be wary of metrics discouraging agents' communication with customers. For instance, don't use the amount of time handling a call to stifle employees' meaningful interactions with customers.
Take a story from online retailer Zappos as an example. One employee handled a customer service call that lasted 10 hours and 43 minutes, only taking one break during the call to use the restroom.
From a metrics standpoint, that call length might look like a bad thing, and it's not feasible to do with every single caller. But there are exceptions. In this instance, the customer had a genuine interaction with an employee, a memorable (in a good way) experience and even bought a few products.
Manipulative Tactics
On the other hand, not every store has the kind of customer service Zappos offers and some call service representatives learn how to game the system.
For example, if a company has a strict rule about call handle times, such as a goal of keeping calls under three minutes, some representatives will cut calls short at the expense of resolving a customer’s problem. If this issue continues, call handle times will look great, but satisfaction and retention rates might drop significantly.
Inattention to Detail
The calls that come into a call center sometimes don't reach far beyond the center itself. If company executives aren't paying attention, they will never understand what customers are trying to tell them or why customer satisfaction rates are dropping.
The key is to focus on the numbers and metrics most important to your company and to train your team to respond with the right behaviors. Provide your agents with feedback about performance and give them training if needed.
Improve Customer Experience With Call Center Metrics
Call centers are no longer just organizational afterthoughts. Changes in how people shop and look for information have transformed call centers into critical elements of any business operation. The better your call center, the happier customers will be and the more likely they’ll remain with your company and buy more of your products or services.
