Measuring call center metrics is a delicate balancing act.
It involves weighing three key measures of performance—quality, quantity, and efficiency.
Finding the right mix isn’t always easy.
But call centers are the “front door” to your business—the keyway customers contact your business.
So it’s imperative that you measure the performance of your after hours call center regularly and accurately.
Measure Metrics That Matters
The secret to gauge call center performance is to measure what matters—not just to you but to your customers as well.
That means cutting right to the chase—wading through the information glut and zeroing in on things that matter to your customers.
And while this may differ from industry to industry, some things matter to all target audiences.
Below are 5 metrics that measure key factors that matter to all target audiences:
1. First Call Resolution
Nothing makes more of an impact on customers than FCR. Research shows that for every 1% improvement in FCR, you get a 1% increase in customer satisfaction.
Top-ranking call centers have FCR ratings as high as 86%. High FCR ratings also generate lower operating costs and higher employee satisfaction. Lower-ranking call centers have FCR ratings of about 67%.
2. Service Level/Response Time
These are classic measures of call centers. That’s because they’re key to effective call center operations. They tell you how accessible your agents are to customers. They also tie the results you need to the resources you want.
But be careful. The solid performance here isn’t perfection. Call centers with good service levels and response times can still be wasting resources, increasing workloads, and providing poor quality.
3. Self-Service Accessibility
This metric has recently emerged as one of the most critical metrics. That’s because more and more businesses are shunting callers to IVR systems and interactive web applications.
Self-service capabilities cut costs and enhance efficiencies. They also free up agents to assist customers with more complex issues. But keep an eye on how well your self-service systems treat customers.
4. Contact Quality
This is another critical performance metric for all call centers regardless of industry, size, or function. Top ranking call centers measure quality as both a high-level center-wide metric and an individual agent performance measurement.
Quality assurance specialists and managers use evaluations forms that spell out key criteria critical to customer satisfaction. These criteria focus on things like courtesy, professionalism, capturing key customer data, and first call resolution.
5. Customer Satisfaction Metrics
The most critical of all call center metrics is customer satisfaction is a win-win for everyone. Studies reveal a direct correlation between customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, corporate revenues, and employee morale/performance.
Many call centers use telephone surveys to check on customer satisfaction. Savvy businesses also use e-mail and chat.
But make sure you’re measuring customer satisfaction precisely and consistently. Also, make sure you analyze and act on the findings. Many companies don’t.
These aren’t the only call center metrics to review. But they are some of the most critical, if not the most critical of metrics.
That’s because they measure what really matters to customers. So make sure they’re included in your measurement scorecard.
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