Call Center Metrics

First call resolution means that if the customer has any problems using the product of the company, the problem should be resolved in the first call itself. In the first call, the employee should be able to identify the problem, and all the other associated problems, and fix them so that the customer need not call the call center again.

If the customer has his problem resolved in the first instance itself, it is fairly obvious that the customer will be satisfied. Hence, the first call resolution (FCR) is said to be one of the most important metrics.

Customers want fast service, and the call center wants to attend more calls and not have the customers waiting in line to have their call answered. The answer to both these problems is a low service level time.

The company sets a service level time which is the amount of time within which an employee is expected to attend the call. The service level is the amount of calls which the employee attends to in less than the set service level time.

Adherence to schedule is something which relates to the amount of time that the employee is at his workstation attending calls or doing after call work.

The adherence to schedule is basically the percentage of time within the work hours that the employee is logged in, attending calls, or is available to take calls, or is making the necessary outbound calls to get the information he's looking for.

The management forecasts the expected amount of calls coming into the call center, and the expected service level. If the forecast for calls is too high, i.e., the management expects more calls to come in, it will lead to over-staffing and a lot of people being idle at work.

If the forecast is too low, i.e., the management expects too few calls to come in, then this leads to the call center being understaffed and many customers in line to get their calls answered. Hence, forecasting for calls needs to be done accurately to ensure optimal service levels.

This metric is measured based on several other very key metrics such as use of appropriate greeting, first contact resolution, capturing the required data about your customers, and accuracy in data entry.

Contact quality is very important, as if the customers' problems are addressed properly, only then will they be more satisfied using your product. If the executives are rude, then the customer will be discouraged from using the products of the company.

Call center metrics are very often used by the management personnel to assess the success of their employees and their call center.