Looking to improve First Contact Resolution (FCR) rates?
If not, you should be.
Improving FCR is among the best things you can do for customers.
It’s also among the best things you can do for your company.
For every 1% increase in FCR Measurements, you get a 1% boost in customer satisfaction. And that can grow revenues significantly.
But to enjoy the benefits higher FCR rates produce, you must turn FCR measurements into actionable improvements.
That’s not easy. In fact, it’s a challenge for most companies. But it’s a challenge you can meet using key best practices.
Measuring FCR Rates Accurately
Before you can turn FCR data into improvements, you must first measure FCR rates accurately. Several tracking methods exist for doing this.
Key among them are customer management systems (CRM and CIS), call quality monitoring forms, and customer surveys. Each method has its pros and cons.
Ultimately, though, measuring FCR performance boils down to tracking the agent. Measuring agent activities provides actionable data useful for training and development. It also stimulates accountability and makes agents aware of FCR’s importance.
Below are 4 ways to turn FCR data into actionable improvements:
1. Share Metrics With Key People
Analytics-driven quality monitoring applications can help you target your FCR improvement efforts. The data from these applications can help you boost FCR rates and contact center performance.
To get the most from an application’s data, you need to: (1) distribute key FCR metrics to agents and managers, (2) share best practices with others to enhance training, and (3) automate delivery of repeat interactions for quality monitoring and root cause analysis.
2. Use Target Coaching And eLearning Content
Usually, you can trace low FCR rates to several reasons. Often, the biggest reason is that agents simply lack the skills and know how to resolve customer issues quickly on first calls.
Target coaching, eLearning content, and quizzes can help you close the skills gap by providing the information agents need to attain key FCR goals. This also builds an agent’s confidence.
The key when using these tools is to get agents to view service from the customer’s perspective. Doing this in turn enables agents to quickly determine how to best service customers.
3. Link FCR Measures To Compensation Plans
A third way to improve FCR rates is to tie FCR performance to an agent’s monthly and annual review and use it as a basis for compensation and rewards. (You can also do the same for managers and supervisors.)
If you use this method, however, you need to make sure you balance FCR performance with other measures. You want to make sure agents deliver effective all-around performances and that they don’t compromise service in trying to achieve high ratings on one measure. Work with agents to find the right balance.
4. Be Proactive With FCR Notifications And Alerts
A fourth way to turn FCR data into actionable improvements is to automate the delivery of notifications and alerts. You can set up early warning alerts to be triggered based on pre-defined thresholds. The alerts can then send automatic notifications of negative outcomes or trends to individual agents or teams in a timely fashion.
Focused and tactical reporting like this helps you resolve problems and manage exceptions significantly quicker. More important, they help you pinpoint where you need to focus your time and energy to improve FCR rates.
FCR is the “home run” of performance ratings. No contact center metric has as much impact on performance as FCR—but only if you can turn FCR data into actionable improvements.
Use the 4 methods above to do that and you’ll boost FCR rates. Improving FCR performance is among the best things you can do for your customer and your company.
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