Does this data-driven (chaotic in my opinion) world make you feel dizzy or even frustrated? 😵
Are you spending hours and hours in front of a screen reading all these articles and surveys about how you suppose to measure your call center’s efficacy? (but all you can think is the new episode that just came up on Netflix) 🙄
or
Are you new to call tracking and you want a kick-start?🚀
If the answer to these questions is YES we have some good news for you!
We did our research and we collected the key call center metrics that will help you get started.
What is a Call Metric
Call metrics are data points gathered by your provider to assist you in better understanding the functioning of your call center.
KPIs measure the actual effectiveness of customer service teams. Metrics are used in many elements of call centers to track performance, agent productivity, and other tasks that boost customer satisfaction.
A call metrics report outlines inbound call statistics, a graphical representation showing the total number of calls by day and first-time callers, calls by source, and the number of new and repeated callers. Call monitoring metrics delivers online and conventional advertising call tracking information to assist marketers in monitoring ad and call agent performance.
Call Tracking and reporting are critical elements of any marketing campaign. You must learn about some crucial call tracking metrics.
Importance of call metrics
According to data collected by us in 2020 in the insurance and healthcare industries, nearly 85% of customers preferred to contact a firm via phone, compared to 15% who filled out a form.
Combining data for offline call conversions with online web-based conversions has become more crucial than ever in this digital world for digital marketers. They must provide businesses with a clear image of their advertisement’s efficiency and reliability. Whether your call center focuses on customer care or sales, the efficacy can be determined by examining a few key call center metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs).
Call center metrics aid in the creation of simple and specific targets for your agents and operations. Each statistic can be linked to one or more characteristics of a call center, such as the level of customer service or the call center’s operational efficiency. However, there is an extensive list to pick from, as with other domains.
Common call performance metrics
Agent Performance Metrics
Agent Performance MetricsAgent Attrition Rate
Agent Attrition Rate is defined as the percentage of contact center employees leaving an organization each year.
Agent Utilization
Agent Utilization is the percentage of time an agent spends attending calls and working on other call-related tasks. The measure of agent utilization represents how long an agent actually works during a day.
Adherence to Schedule
Adherence to Schedule is the amount of agent time actually spent in accordance with their scheduled tasks as a proportion of their total scheduled time.
Occupancy Rate
Occupancy is defined as the amount of time advisors are busy engaging with customers: on calls, waiting for calls, engaged in wrap time or on hold. High Occupancy Rate might indicate agent burnout.
Inbound Call Center Metrics
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)
Customer satisfaction is defined as the number of customers, or percentage of total customers, whose reported experience with a firm, its products, or its services (ratings) exceeds specified satisfaction goals.
First Call Resolution (FCR)
First Call Resolution or First Contact Resolution is a metric used to measure customer inquiries or problems resolved on the first call or contact with a representative or agent. FCR is one of the most commonly measured metrics in the call center industry.
First Response Time (FRT)
First Response Time is the number of minutes or hours passed from the time a customer first submits their case and a contact center agent responds to it.
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Net Promoter Score is a customer loyalty and satisfaction measurement taken from asking customers how likely they are to recommend your product or service to others.
Customer Effort Score
Customer Effort Score (CES) is a customer service metric that measures user experience with a product or service.
Customer Retention Rate (CRR)
Customer retention refers to the ability of a company or product to retain its customers over some specified period.
Customer Churn Rate
Customer Churn Rate refers to the percentage of customers who end their relationship with a business within a given period.
Percentage of Calls Blocked
Percentage of calls blocked refers to the number of callers that received a busy tone when they called. If this call center metric is too high, it means your agents are losing the opportunity to help customers.
Average Speed of Answer (ASA)
Average Speed of Answer refers to the time (usually in seconds) it takes for a call to be answered by the service desk.
Average Handle Time (AHT)
Average Handle Time or AHT is a metric used in contact centers to measure the average duration of one transaction. It usually starts from the customer beginning the interaction and covers hold time, talk time, and any other related tasks during the conversation
Average After-call Work Time
Average Talk Time (ATT) is the amount of time an agent spends talking to customers.
Average Age of Query
Average Age of Query measures how long the average case stays open that is not resolved during the first call.
Average Waiting Time
Average Waiting Time is the average time a call remains in the queue until an agent answers it.
Call Abandonment Rate
Call Abandonment Rate is the percentage of inbound phone calls made to a call center or service desk that is abandoned by the customer before speaking to an agent.
Call Transfer Rate
Call Transfer Rate is a metric used in call centers to determine how many calls are being transferred by an agent to their colleague.
Service Level
Service level measures the performance of a system. Certain goals are defined and the service level gives the percentage to which those goals should be achieved. (e.g. Percentage of calls answered in a call center).
Cost Per Call (CPC)
Cost per call measures the amount in dollars it takes to handle a single call. CPC refers to the average cost incurred by a contact center for each call it handles. This metric shows how much it costs a call center to run its operations. It also gives insight on whether a call center is operating cost-efficiently and allocating its resources well.
Call Arrival Rate
The Call Arrival Rate metric the average number of calls that are incoming, and gives them an idea of how many calls have to be handled or put on hold during a particular period.
Call Volume
Call volume refers to the number of telephone calls made during a certain time period.
Active Waiting Calls
Active Waiting Calls measure how well teams cope with call volume in real-time. It gives contact center leaders an idea about the number of calls their agents handle vs. those on hold. Too many calls that are being held lead to poor customer experience.
Longest Call Hold
The Longest Call Hold metric likes you measure the longest amount a time a caller was on hold for before a call agent was able to connect with them.
Callback Messaging
Callback Messaging refers to the number of callback requests from customers who’d rather avoid long holding times.
Repeat Calls
Repeat Calls shows types of problems that are difficult to resolve in the first call they are reported.
Peak Hour Traffic
Peak Hour Traffic refers to the excessive amount of calls that a call center receives during a particular time of the day from their customers.
Call Type Mix
Call Type Mix shows the relative share of the different call types handled by a call center. Call types can include:
- Account inquiries
- Upgrades
- Claims/refunds
- Tech support
- Campaign-related actions
- Complaints
- Change requests
- Applications
- Account terminations
Channel Mix
Channel Mix is the percentage of incoming tickets that arrive at the service desk through various channels.
To this extensive list, we come to attach some extra metrics that aim to enhance your marketing efforts by using a Call Tracking software.
Marketing Related Call Metrics
Call Source
Call Source help you identify which campaign, keyword and channel made each caller pick up their phone and call you.
Lead Conversion Rate
Lead Conversion Rate is the percentage of total calls that generated a positive outcome or reached a goal (e.g. sale, payment received).
First Call Close Rate
First call close is the number of customers who book on the first call. The first call from a customer is the most important so this metric not only help you identify your product’s/service’s success but also help you measure your agent’s performance.
Key Call Metrics
As you just read, there are numerous call center metrics to track, but just a few key performance indicators (KPIs) should be monitored regularly.
Below is a list of the 3 most important and relevant call metrics you must keep track of.
1. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)
It is probably the most important call center KPI. This indicator assesses how satisfied your consumers are with your service. According to a poll of 350 professionals, 93.1 percent of employees say CSAT is the essential overall data point for determining the success of their department.
CSAT is also one of the most straightforward measures to estimate. To collect results, send a follow-up survey to your customers through text or email. Then you’ll compute your score using a simple equation: the number of satisfied customers divided by the total number of customers evaluated.
There is no “cutoff point” for the CSAT score that you should obtain. Finally, your team should use this number to keep track of milestones and performance. In an ideal scenario, your CSAT would always be 100 percent; if not the case, you should consider what you can do to improve your score. Assume for a moment; your CSAT score is approximately 90 in a month; then, you should work on improving that score and take it to 95 in the next month, and then from there, strive to improve on a regular basis.
2. First Call Resolution (FCR)
The capacity of your staff to handle a customer’s issue the first time they call is referred to as first call resolution (FCR).
Customers want their concerns resolved fast, and they don’t want to waste a day or more time on hold with your contact center employees. They would prefer to call your staff only once in a while and have their problem fixed without having to hang up, redial, or be transferred.
You can also get FCR statistics by asking how many calls it needed to address an issue in a follow-up survey or by looking at customer data to see how often a customer called about the same issue until it was tagged as resolved.
3. Call Source
Knowing which campaigns and ads generate the most calls allows you to allocate your marketing budget and efforts where they are most effective.
But how can you get this information if your phone number appears on your website, in newspapers, on a social media platform, or in advertisements?
You should utilize unique tracking numbers to advertise in various channels to ensure a successful call tracking and reporting strategy. Instead of using a static monitoring number for online activity, you should use dynamic phone numbers.
You can see which of your advertising channels produces the most calls by looking at detailed information for the dialed number. With a quick setup, you can easily track the performance of each campaign.
When you choose Dynamic Number Insertion (DNI) over average static phone numbers, you receive many benefits. Dynamic phone numbers provide the user with a tracking number based on their online journey trip and reveals which ad, keyword and campaign they clicked to get to your website.
Conclusion
Call metrics are one of your company’s most vital and influential aspects that should not be overlooked. It affects your company’s performance to a significant extent. To get a more transparent idea of your team’s efficiency, set KPIs and track these call center indicators. After you’ve achieved a baseline number, you may begin defining improvement targets at regular intervals. Every change takes time. Hence, if you wish to maintain a stable agent turnover rate, make sure to set realistic and short-term goals and implement changes gradually.
