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SubscribeCall center agents’ performance is directly proportional to the customer experience, and a good customer experience brings in more money to the business. It can help you attract new customers and keep existing ones coming back for more. According to statistics, 81% of customers repeat purchases when they experience positive customer service. Your brand loyalty depends on it.
But how do you know you’re delivering an exceptional customer service experience? You monitor your performance and make necessary adjustments.
So if you’re operating a call center, you need to track call center agent metrics. This way, you’ll be able to identify your strengths and make the most out of them, as well as find your weak spots and bottlenecks and fix them.
But which contact center metrics and KPIs should you focus on? In this blog, we will help you identify which of them matter the most.
Metric vs. KPI — what’s the difference?
A metric and a KPI (Key Performance Indicator) are both used to measure and track performance, but they serve different purposes.
Metric:
A metric is a quantifiable measure used to track and assess the status of a specific process or activity.
It provides raw data on various aspects of a business or operation, like the number of calls received in a call center, website traffic, or total sales in a month.
Metrics can be seen as pieces of data that give insight into the performance of different areas but don’t necessarily tie directly to the strategic goals of the organization.
KPI (Key Performance Indicator):
A KPI are a specific type of metrics. They’re the most important ones, directly linked to your strategic objectives.
KPIs are used to measure the performance that is critical for the success of an organization. They help in understanding how effectively the company is achieving key business objectives.
KPIs are more actionable and often set as targets that teams or individuals aim to achieve. They are used to track progress towards specific goals and guide decision-making.
In summary, while all KPIs are metrics, not all metrics are KPIs. Metrics give you the data, whereas KPIs align that data with your business goals and objectives, helping you focus on what matters most for success.
The 30 most important metrics for call centers
When it comes to measuring call center metrics, a number of factors play an important role. The best way to approach this is to track a combination of metrics and KPIs rather than prioritizing a single one.
Here’s a list of all the important metrics for call centers you need to look out for.
1. First Call Resolution
First contact resolution or first call resolution (FCR) measures contact center agents’ performance pretty well. FCR measures the percentage of customer issues resolved during the first interaction, eliminating the need for follow-up calls or contacts.
A high FCR contributes to creating better customer satisfaction. People call up customer service teams with the expectation of getting their queries addressed. The longer it takes for agents to resolve customers’ queries, the more frustrated your customers will be. So, the key to a better customer experience lies in improving the first call resolution rate.
How to calculate the first contact resolution rate?
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2. First Call Close Rate
The first call close rate is a metric that measures the efficiency and effectiveness of sales teams or contact center agents in converting inquiries or leads into sales or closed deals during the first interaction.
Outbound calling campaigns involve a lot of hit and trial. Closing new leads at the first point of contact can be difficult, but it isn’t impossible. A higher first-call close rate contributes to better revenue generation for your business.
Monitoring the first call close rate helps you understand which factors favor conversions and which ones don’t. Track the patterns and trends that lead to better first-call close rates. This will help you achieve a better success rate.
How to calculate your first call close rate?
- Identify Successful Closures: Define a successful closure based on your business model. It might be a completed sale, signed contract, or scheduled appointment.
- Track Total First Calls: Record all the first calls or interactions with potential customers during a specific period.
- Determine First Call Closures: Count the number of interactions that resulted in a successful closure during the first call.
- Calculate the Rate: Divide the number of first-call closures by the total number of first calls and multiply by 100 to get the percentage.
| 1. Identify Successful Closures: Define a successful closure based on your business model. It might be a completed sale, signed contract, or scheduled appointment. 2. Track Total First Calls: Record all the first calls or interactions with potential customers during a specific period. 3. Determine First Call Closures: Count the number of interactions that resulted in a successful closure during the first call. 4. Calculate the Rate: Divide the number of first-call closures by the total number of first calls and multiply by 100 to get the percentage. |
3. First Response Time
First response time (also known as lead response time) refers to the average time it takes agents to respond to a customer support request, like the time it takes for them to answer customer calls.
Serving customers right from the get-go pays off. Responsive agents leave a positive impression on customers and improve call center operations. It shows your customers that addressing their queries as quickly as possible remains their first priority.
But if speed is key, can you just rely heavily on automation? Automation is a great tool when used wisely, but it’s good to remember that customers expect personalized responses to their queries.
How to calculate your first response time?
| If you want to calculate the average first response time, all you need to do is sum up the individual response times, then divide that figure by the number of queries. |
4. Call Abandonment Rate
Your call abandonment rate is a percentage that shows how many customers hang up before they manage to connect with an agent. A high value means fewer satisfied customers and might indicate that your call-handling processes need improvement, signaling potential issues like inefficient routing.
It’s an essential service level KPI call center managers can’t overlook.
To lower the call abandonment rate, focus on managing active waiting calls efficiently. Optimize staffing to handle peak times, enhance your IVR to quickly route calls, and offer callbacks to avoid long waits. Regularly analyze call data to identify and address issues swiftly, ensuring a smooth experience for customers on hold.
How to calculate the average call abandonment rate?
| Simply divide the number of abandoned calls by the total number of inbound calls received in the same time period. |
5. Call Volume
Average handling time, or AHT, simply refers to the typical length of time spent on each customer call. This includes the time it takes to start the call, interact with the customer, and wait for any necessary responses.
Average handling time is a good indicator of how well a contact center operates and how efficient its agents are. Keeping an eye on AHT helps ensure that customer inquiries are addressed swiftly.
Having a lower AHT is beneficial because it means agents can manage more calls within the same time frame. This is crucial for customer satisfaction, as customers highly value quick and efficient service.
How to calculate the average handling time?
| To calculate the average handling time (AHT), you add up the total time spent on all calls, including talk time, hold time, and the time spent on after-call tasks, and then divide that by the number of calls handled. |
6.Average Time in Queue
In contact centers, incoming calls are routed through the automatic call distributor system. When agents are unavailable to attend to calls, the callers are put in a queue.
The average time in queue is the duration of time that callers have to hold before speaking with an agent. More than 70% of customers feel that it takes too long to reach an agent.
Measuring the average time in queue for your call center will help you lift up the customer experience. Keeping an eye on the average time in queue is important for maintaining high standards of support to customers.
A high average waiting time shows poorly managed customer service.
How to calculate the average time in queue?
| As with all the other average time metrics, you simply sum up all the recorded times and divide that value by the number of recorded times you counted. |
7. Average After-Call Work Time
Agents are required to perform a range of actions besides making calls to customers. Once they hang up, lots of tasks get lined up. This includes saving call details, scheduling follow-ups, and other post-call tasks.
How much time are your agents spending on post-call tasks? Is it hampering their productivity? Tracking average after-call work time is vital for improving call center productivity.
It’s useful to check the value for inbound and outbound calls separately. If one of them is significantly higher, that might indicate an area where your processes could be optimized. For example, if your inbound call after-work time is much higher, there could be a need to streamline customer information access or automate certain tasks. Similarly, a high after-call work time for outbound calls might suggest that agents spend too much time on follow-up scheduling or data entry.
How to calculate after-call work time?
| Calculate the average after-call work time for each agent by adding up the time consumed in tasks after each call. Then divide this number by the total number of calls for the day. You can go even further and calculate the average from a longer time period by adding up daily values and dividing them by the number of days. |
8. Call Transfer Rate
Call transfer rate is one of the most important call center metrics to capture. It gives you the percentage of calls that were transferred from one agent to another at least once.
Call transfers are essential for connecting customers to the right agents. But keeping the call transfer rate low is an unwritten rule to go by. Why?
Constantly transferring calls from one agent to another can put off customers who are looking for a quick resolution to their problems. It can also be a sign of inefficiency within the call center if agents are frequently passing calls to others because they lack the knowledge or authority to deal with the issues themselves.
A high call transfer rate could indicate training gaps, misrouted calls, or inadequacies in the initial customer interaction. Therefore, monitoring this metric closely helps you understand how effectively your team is handling customer inquiries and whether they are routing calls correctly.
How to calculate the call transfer rate?
| All you have to do is divide the number of calls that were forwarded internally at least once by the total number of calls in that time period and multiply that by 100%. Here’s the formula: |
9. Customer Satisfaction Score
When measuring call center metrics, the customer satisfaction score is one of the most straightforward indicators of the quality of your support. The average customer satisfaction score helps you understand whether your services are living up to your customer’s expectations or not.
Call centers can obtain CSAT scores (Customer SATisfcation) through customer feedback forms and surveys. You can pose questions on important parameters such as responsiveness, professionalism, timely resolution, and so on.
This will give you clarity as to which areas call for improvement. CSAT scores tend to vary for different industries and companies. Nonetheless, call center agents should aim for an average CSAT score of at least 75%.
10. Lead Conversion Rate
The lead conversion rate is another crucial metric, especially for businesses focusing on turning prospects into paying customers. This rate shows the percentage of leads that have been converted into clients or customers after interacting with your sales or customer service team.
Understanding your lead conversion rate is key to evaluating the effectiveness of your sales strategies and customer engagement efforts. It helps you to identify how well your team is performing in terms of converting interested prospects into actual customers.
How to calculate the lead conversion rate?
| To calculate it, you first define what a “converted lead” means for your business, like a sale or a signed contract. Then, count the total leads and how many of those leads were converted within a specific period. Divide the number of conversions by the total leads and multiply by 100 to get the percentage. |
11. Peak Hour Traffic
Peak hour traffic highlights the busiest time in a typical business day when your call center experiences the highest call volume. Understanding peak-hour traffic is crucial for effective workforce allocation, ensuring sufficient agents are available to manage the increased demand efficiently.
Having more agents on duty during peak hours helps in handling calls promptly, enhancing the overall customer experience. By monitoring call center traffic consistently, you can identify peak times (and how much traffic they bring in) and adjust agent shifts accordingly. This proactive approach allows for optimized performance and improved customer service during those critical hours.
12. Customer Retention Rate
Customer retention rate is a key indicator of your customer service effectiveness, representing the proportion of customers that remain with your company over time. High retention rates are indicative of successful support efforts by your team and the strength of your call center technology.
Retaining customers is generally more cost-effective than acquiring new ones, underscoring the importance of a strong retention strategy for contact centers (and good call center software). Regularly tracking this metric provides insight into customer loyalty and service success. We suggest checking in on it every month.
How to calculate customer retention?
| To calculate your customer retention rate, you need to know three key figures: – end-of-month customers (EMC): how many customers you had at the end of a given month – start-of-month customers (SMC): the number of customers you had at the beginning of that same month – new customers acquired (NCA): how many customers you acquired during the month |
The customer retention rate (CRR) formula is:
13. Customer Churn Rate
At the other end of the spectrum from customer retention is customer churn. The churn rate refers to the percentage of customers who stopped using your service or didn’t renew their subscription to your business.
Businesses with recurring revenue models, like SaaS and subscription services, need to track these rates. Those with one-time sales, like car dealerships, typically don’t.
As we said, acquiring new customers comes at a higher price than maintaining existing customers. Analyzing your customer churn rate is essential for keeping it low. You can only reduce the customer churn rate by identifying the reason why customers are withdrawing from your service subscription.
How to calculate customer churn?
| To calculate the customer churn rate, start by identifying the number of customers at the beginning of a specified period and the number who left during that period. Divide the churned customers by the total at the start, then multiply by 100 to express it as a percentage. This gives you the churn rate, showing the proportion of lost customers. |
14. Adherence to the Schedule
Adherence to schedule (or schedule compliance) is about how well call center agents stick to their work times, including breaks and work tasks. It’s important to make sure there are enough agents ready to take calls, especially during busy hours.
Keeping to the schedule helps the call center run smoothly and ensures quick response to customer calls, improving both customer happiness and the center’s efficiency.
For example, if you have an 80% schedule adherence, it means you’re expecting that at any given time, only 80% of your scheduled agents are actually working as planned. So if you need 10 agents online to handle call volume, you should actually plan to have around 12 or 13 agents scheduled (since 80% of 12.5 is approximately 10).
This way, even with the expected non-adherence, you have enough agents available to manage the call traffic effectively, ensuring timely customer service and maintaining operational efficiency in the call center.
How to calculate schedule adherence?
| Add up the total time an agent actually worked during their shift. Determine how many hours the agent was supposed to work according to their schedule, including breaks and work hours. Divide the actual working time by the scheduled working time and multiply by 100%. When calculating schedule adherence, it’s important to get a larger data sample (not just one day). Like with any metric for that matter. |
15. Customer Effort Score
Customer effort score (CES) measures how easy it is for your customers to get the service they need from your company. It’s an important metric because it reflects the customer’s experience in terms of how much effort they have to put in to interact with your services or products.
A low effort score indicates that customers can achieve their goals easily, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty. Conversely, a high effort score suggests that customers are struggling, which could lead to frustration and potential churn.
To calculate CES, you typically survey customers after an interaction, asking them to rate the ease of their experience on a scale (like 1 to 5 or 1 to 7, where 1 means “very easy” and 5 or 7 means “very difficult”). The CES is then determined by averaging these ratings.
Understanding and improving your customer effort score can greatly enhance customer experience, leading to more repeat business and positive word-of-mouth.
16. Net Promoter Score
Your net promoter score, or NPS, is one of the most vital call center metrics. It measures how likely customers are to recommend your service to others, serving as a direct indicator of your customer experience quality.
The higher your NPS score, the more positive word of mouth your service is going to generate.
To determine your NPS, ask customers a key question: “How likely are you to recommend our company to a friend or colleague?” Customers respond on a scale of 0 to 10, categorizing them as:
- Promoters (9-10): These are your most satisfied and loyal customers.
- Passives (7-8): Satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who are vulnerable to competitive offerings.
- Detractors (0-6): Unhappy customers who can damage your brand through negative word of mouth.
Calculate the NPS by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters.
17. Channel Mix
Channel mix measures the percentage of customer interactions across different channels like phone, email, chat, or social media. This metric shows which channels customers use most to reach your contact center.
This way, you can understand customer preferences and decide how to distribute your support team across different channels. Simply put, keeping an eye on the channel mix helps ensure you’re offering support where your customers most want to reach you.
18. Agent Utilization Rate
Agent utilization rate is a key call center metric to track. It measures how much time call center agents spend on actual work tasks, like calls and after-call duties, compared to their total work hours.
This metric rate shows how efficiently agents are using their time. Higher utilization means agents are actively working and helping the call center meet its goals. By tracking it, you can also see if your agents are overburdened or don’t have enough work.
This rate is different from schedule adherence, which checks if agents work their planned hours. Utilization rate looks at how much of this time is spent doing productive work.
How to calculate agent utilization rate?
| 1. Add up all the time agents spend on work tasks. 2. Note the total hours they’re supposed to work. 3. Divide the work time by the total planned time and multiply by 100% to get the percentage. |
19. Agent Attrition Rate
The agent attrition rate in a call center measures the percentage of agents who leave the company over a certain period, indicating the turnover level within the workforce. This rate is crucial for understanding employee retention and identifying potential issues within the organization that might be causing staff to leave.
A high attrition rate can signal problems like poor working conditions, inadequate pay, or lack of career advancement opportunities, which could negatively affect the remaining staff and overall productivity.
How to calculate the agent attrition rate?
| – Count the number of agents who have left the company during the period (monthly, quarterly, or annually). – Determine the total number of agents at the start of that period. – Divide the number of agents who left by the total number at the start and multiply by 100%. |
20. Occupancy Rate
The occupancy rate in a call center measures the percentage of time that agents spend in active customer engagement, such as handling calls, chats, or emails, against their total logged-in time. It reflects how effectively the agents are utilized during their work hours and is a key indicator of operational efficiency.
A high occupancy rate indicates that agents are consistently busy handling customer interactions, suggesting good use of resources but also highlighting the risk of overwork and potential burnout.
Conversely, a low occupancy rate might mean agents are underutilized, pointing to possible staffing inefficiencies or overstaffing.
How to calculate agent occupancy rate?
| 1. Add up the time agents spend on direct customer interactions. 2. Sum the total time agents are logged into the system, ready to work. 3. Divide the total engagement time by the total logged-in time and multiply by 100%. |
21. Average Speed of Answer
The average speed of answer (ASA) is one of the most important call center metrics.
What is ASA? It measures the average time it takes for agents to answer incoming calls. It’s a key performance indicator that reflects how quickly customers are connected to an agent, directly impacting customer satisfaction and perceived service quality.
Low ASA means that calls are answered quickly, leading to a better customer experience.
High ASA could indicate that customers are waiting too long, which might lead to frustration and dissatisfaction.
How to calculate ASA?
| To calculate the average speed of answer (ASA) in your call center, total the time taken to answer a set of calls and then divide by the number of those calls. This gives you the average time it takes to answer a call. |
22. Callback request count
A callback is a feature in call centers where customers can choose to have an agent return their call instead of waiting on hold. This function not only improves customer satisfaction by respecting their time but also helps in managing call center traffic more efficiently.
The callback request count measures the number of times customers opt for this feature over a certain period. Tracking this metric is important for understanding how often customers prefer to use the callback option and can indicate the overall demand on the call center’s resources.
By analyzing the callback request count, call centers can better schedule staffing, reduce peak load on agents, and optimize their service processes to meet customer preferences for communication.
23. Cost Per Call
Cost per call shows the average cost to handle one call in a call center. It’s an important KPI because it helps figure out how money-wise the call center is running and is key for planning budgets and using resources wisely.
Knowing the cost per call (and what contributes to it) helps managers find ways to work more efficiently, spend less money, and use resources better to keep the call center running smoothly and affordably.
How to calculate the cost per call in a call center?
| 1.Determine Total Costs: Add up all operational expenses within a specific timeframe. This includes: Salaries and benefits for call center staff. – Operational expenses like rent, utilities, and equipment. – Technology costs, including software subscriptions, hardware, and maintenance. – Training and development expenses for agents. 2.Count Total Calls Handled: Record the exact number of calls your call center has managed during the same timeframe. 3.Calculate Cost per Call: Divide the total operational costs by the number of calls handled to find the average expense for each call. |
24. Call Type Mix
Call type mix is a metric indicating the proportion of various call categories managed by a call center. It highlights the diversity of customer interactions, including:
- claims or refunds
- account-related inquiries
- technical support
- campaign-related engagements
Understanding this distribution helps in tailoring staffing and training to meet the specific demands of each call type.
25. Longest Hold Time Rate
As the name indicates, the longest hold time rate tells you the longest duration a customer was put on hold. Naturally, you must try to keep this at a minimum. The longer the hold time, the greater the probability that the customer will eventually abandon the call.
26.Percentage of calls blocked
The percentage of calls blocked is an important call center metric that quantifies the proportion of incoming calls that fail to connect to an agent. This typically occurs when the call center experiences high call volumes that exceed its handling capacity or when there are insufficient agents on duty.
Key aspects to consider include:
- System Capacity: If the call center’s phone system or network can’t handle the surge in call volume, more calls will be blocked.
- Staffing Levels: Adequate staffing is crucial to manage the flow of incoming calls. Understaffing leads to higher blocked call rates.
- Peak Times: Identifying when call volumes peak can help in planning better resource allocation to minimize blocked calls.
How to calculate this metric for call centers?
| 1. Count the total number of calls that were blocked during a specific period. 2. Divide this number by the total number of incoming calls attempted during the same period. 3. Multiply by 100% to convert the result into a percentage. |
27.Service level
Service level is a key performance metric in call centers that measures the percentage of incoming calls answered within a specified time frame, reflecting the center’s ability to provide timely customer service. It’s often set as a target, like answering 80% of calls within 20 seconds, indicating the efficiency and responsiveness of the call center operations.
Service level can also be calculated for specific time periods, such as hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly. This allows call center managers to monitor performance over time and make adjustments as needed to meet goals.
How to calculate the service level in a contact center?
| 1. Define the time threshold for answering calls (e.g., 20 seconds). 2. Count the number of calls answered within this time frame. 3. Divide the number of calls answered within the threshold by the total number of incoming calls. 4. Multiply by 100%. |
28. Repeat calls
Repeat calls measure the number of times customers call back about the same issue within a given period, often indicating unresolved problems or dissatisfaction. This metric is important for understanding the effectiveness of the call center’s problem-solving and customer service quality.
To track repeat calls:
- Identify calls from the same customer about the same issue within a specific timeframe (e.g., within seven days of the first call).
- Count these instances to determine the total number of repeat calls.
- Analyze the data to identify trends, common issues, and potential areas for improvement.
Reducing repeat calls is essential for improving customer satisfaction and operational efficiency, as it reflects directly on the success of issue resolution and the overall customer experience.
29. Successful call connection rate
The successful call connection rate is a metric that indicates the proportion of outbound calls that successfully connect to a customer, as opposed to being dropped, unanswered, or reaching a wrong number. This rate is crucial for assessing the effectiveness of outbound call campaigns and the efficiency of the call center’s dialing system.
To calculate the successful call connection rate:
| Count the total number of outbound calls that successfully reach the intended recipient. Divide this number by the total number of outbound calls attempted. Multiply the result by 100%. This will give you the percentage value. |
30. Average revenue per call
Average revenue per call is a financial metric used in call centers, especially those involved in sales or account management, to measure the income generated from each call. This metric helps in assessing the profitability of call center operations and the effectiveness of sales strategies.
To calculate the average revenue per call, simply divide the total revenue generated by the call center activities in a specific period by the total number of calls handled during that period.
If your call center handles different types of calls (e.g., sales, support, etc.), you might want to calculate the average revenue per call for each segment to understand the profitability of different service lines.
Which call center metrics should be KPIs?
To select KPIs for a call center, focus on metrics that align with business goals and customer service quality, such as:
- first call resolution (FCR)
- customer satisfaction score (CSAT)
- net promoter score (NPS)
- average handling time (AHT)
- service level
- agent utilization rate
- customer effort score (CES)
- average revenue per call
These KPIs provide insights into efficiency, customer satisfaction, and financial performance.
Use call center agent metrics to your advantage
Being at the frontline of dealing with customers, it’s important to track call center operations effectively. These metrics do not exist in isolation from one another.
Tracking metrics for call centers in correspondence with one another will help you give the best results. So, start tracking your call center metrics now!
