[Live Webinar] Top CX Leader, Michael Mattson talks EQ

Call Center Productivity: The Ultimate Guide to Metrics, Importance, and Strategies (2024)

Richard James
Richard James
Director of CX, Web | AmplifAI
Call Center Productivity: The Ultimate Guide to Metrics, Importance, and Strategies (2024)

As a contact center manager, are you struggling to maintain your call center productivity?

Are agents often failing to serve customers, and as a team lead, do you spend time resolving queries they cannot handle?

You have come to the right place.

In this detailed guide, we will discuss everything you need to know about call center productivity - from key productivity metrics to tools and strategies you can leverage to improve productivity. This essential Call Center Productivity Guide was put together by a team of researchers and customer service practitioners with over 25 years of contact center experience, so you know you're in good hands.

“The way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel. And if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your customers.”

~ Sybil F. Stershic

What is Call Center Productivity?

Call center productivity refers to the efficiency with which a call center operates. Productivity in the contact center displays how well agents handle customer interactions while ensuring customer satisfaction and meeting organizational objectives.

Depending on your call center's objective, that output can be the number of outbound calls agents make, ticket resolutions, appointments set, etc. By improving call center productivity, you can enhance customer satisfaction, reduce costs, and achieve better business outcomes.

Tracking and maintaining call center productivity looks like a daunting task. But knowing what and how to track along with actionable strategies can help you enhance call center productivity. 

Tracking the right key performance indicators (KPIs) will give you valuable insights into how to make your agents more productive. These KPIs will help you quantify your agents' performance and guide you to areas where they lack and require support to enhance their productivity. 

Various call center KPIs exist, such as average speed of answer (ASA), first call resolution (FCR) rate, average handling time (AHT), service level, agent utilization, etc. These KPIs will help you track your agents' productivity and provide insights into their performance.

How Important is High Call Center Productivity to Your Business? 

Maintaining a high call center productivity ratio is crucial to keeping your customers satisfied. Even one negative experience with a call center agent can push your customers to move to a competitor brand or even post about their experience on social media.

This leads to losing credibility amongst existing and prospective customers, ultimately reducing your revenue.

The health of your call center's productivity KPIs directly impact costs, customer satisfaction, wait times, resource utilization, SLA compliance, employee satisfaction, and data-driven decision-making. 

Below are 6 key benefits highlighting the importance of productivity in the contact center:

1. Reduce operational costs

Call centers generally have a large workforce, and the productivity of the contact center agents impacts operational costs. The more efficiently agents can handle calls, the lower the cost per call, which is vital for maintaining profitability.

Call centers can reduce the cost per interaction by maximizing the number of inquiries handled and resolved per agent and by implementing productivity-enhancing strategies such as efficient call routing systems, streamlined call scripts, and targeted agent training programs.

2. Enhance customer satisfaction

To maintain call center productivity, ensure that customers spend less time waiting in queues and receive timely assistance from agents. Customers always appreciate quick responses and resolutions, which positively impact their perception of your company and boost loyalty. 

This will increase customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores and drive repeat business and brand loyalty.

3. Reduce wait times

A highly productive call center will automatically have shorter customer wait times and respond to inquiries swiftly. Long hold times and extended queues can cause customer dissatisfaction, potentially resulting in lost business or negative reviews.

For instance, longer wait times can be a matter of life and death in a healthcare call center. Hence, it is critical to optimize agent schedules, implement call prioritization algorithms based on urgency, and provide self-service options for routine inquiries so that the call center can ensure that patients receive timely medical advice or assistance in emergencies.

AI-driven, in-the-moment recommendations can guide agents to get through the call and provide accurate information quickly. 

4. Maximize resource utilization

Improving productivity allows call centers to maximize their resources, including staffing levels, technology, and infrastructure. It also ensures that all resources are utilized efficiently to meet customer demands.

By leveraging workforce management software to forecast call volumes and schedule agents accordingly, the call center can minimize idle time and maximize agent utilization, ensuring customer needs are met without overstaffing, thus saving dollars.

5. Boost agent's morale and retention

Employee burnout is a common concern in the call center's highly competitive environment. 

High call center productivity levels can contribute to a positive work environment by reducing stress and workload for call center agents. Leadership can help boost agent morale and reduce agent turnover rates by implementing incentives for top performers, providing training & development opportunities, and promoting a healthy work-life balance. 

Healthy competition among support agents can improve productivity and motivate them to perform to their best abilities.

Satisfied and happy employees will stay with the company longer, reducing turnover rates and associated recruitment and training costs.

6. Maintaining client relationships 

Consider a business process outsourcing (BPO) call center which provides customer support services for multiple clients. Meeting service level agreements (SLAs) is critical for maintaining client satisfaction and retaining contracts. 

SLAs specify the expected level of service in terms of response times and resolution rates. Meeting or exceeding these SLAs is crucial for maintaining client relationships and contracts.

By closely monitoring KPIs that impact call center productivity, we can proactively address any performance issues the agents face and ensure compliance with SLAs.

How to Calculate Call Center Productivity?

Calculating call center productivity involves measuring various KPIs reflecting the efficiency and effectiveness of the operations. 

Let’s look at some formulas that provide insights into how efficiently your contact center agents handle calls and resolve customer issues.

1. Overall call resolution rate

Call Resolution Rate measures the percentage of customer calls that are resolved during the first interaction, reflecting a call center's efficiency. This rate is calculated by dividing the number of resolved calls by the total number of calls handled, highlighting the effectiveness in managing customer issues.

The formula for calculating Call Resolution Rate:

First Call Resolution Table
Metric Formula Benchmark
Call Resolution Rate Total number of resolved calls / Total number of handled calls* 100 N/A

  • The total number of resolved calls has been closed end-to-end and does not require any follow-up 
  • Total number of handled calls entertained by the agents and distributed across talk, hold, and after-call work times

For instance, if your agents handled 100 calls and resolved 80 of them, your productivity would be 80%.

Call Resolution Rate is the most high level overview of a call center's productivity and is meant to be a leading indicator to dig further into individual agent performance metrics covered later in this guide.

2. Ratio of output to input

The Ratio of Output to Input in a call center measures the proportion of time agents spend actively handling calls compared to their total work time. This metric evaluates agent productivity by dividing the total time spent on calls, including talk, hold, and post-call work, by the total time they are scheduled to work. It helps managers understand how effectively agents utilize their working hours, aiming to maximize productive time and minimize idle time.

The formula for calculating Ratio of Output to Input:

First Call Resolution Table
Metric Formula Benchmark
Ratio of Output to Input Total output time / Total input time * 100 N/A

  • Total output time: Time spent on calls, after-call work, and other productive activities
  • Total input time: Total scheduled shift time for all agents

If your agents worked a 10-hour shift and worked 8 hours out of this, their productivity would be 80% [(8/10) x 100]. This means 80% of the agent’s work shift was spent on work and the remaining 20% on non-work-related tasks.

Ratio of output to input is another high level metric to get an overview of your contact center's productivity.

If after assessing your 'Overall Call Resolution Rate' and 'Ratio of Output to Input' metrics yields less than satisfactory results, it's time to dive deeper into the call center productivity metrics listed below.

10 Best Metrics for Measuring Call Center Productivity

Call center productivity metrics are key performance indicators (KPIs) that help evaluate and measure the effectiveness of your call center's operations.

These call center productivity metrics support businesses to determine the quality of customer service, agent productivity, and overall call center performance. There are many more call center metrics we could mention, our focus is on measuring overall call center productivity.

Call Center Productivity Metrics
Call Center Productivity Metric Formula Benchmark
First call resolution rate Call resolved in first interaction / Total number of calls x 100 above 70%
Call abandonment rate Number of incoming calls - Number of calls handled / Total Number of incoming calls x 100 6.9% - 7.4%
Average time in queue Total time customers spent waiting in queue / Total number of customers served x 100 4.3 sec to 5.5 sec
Customer Satisfaction Score Number of Satisfied Customers / Total Number of Customers Who Rated x 100 75% - 85%
Average handle time Combined total talk time, hold time, and post-call work / Total Number of calls 1:02 to 4:05
Service level Number of calls answered within a target time / Total number of incoming calls x 100 80% of inbound calls within 20 seconds
Percentage of blocked calls Number of blocked calls / Total number of incoming calls x 100 N/A
Cost per call Total cost of handling calls / Total number of calls handled $2.70 - $5.60
Average speed of answer Total waiting time of all answered calls / The total number of answered calls 8 - 9 seconds
Occupancy rate Total Handle Time / Total Available Time x 100 80% - 90%

1. First call resolution rate

First Call Resolution (FCR) is a call center productivity metric that measures the percentage of customer issues resolved during the initial interaction, without the need for any follow-up. High FCR rates indicate efficient customer service, leading to higher customer satisfaction by minimizing repeat contacts, reducing the workload on agents, and improving overall operational efficiency.

If a customer has to contact you multiple times regarding the same issue or her calls are often transferred or passed on to the manager, your customers could be dissatisfied.

Call centers that focus on FCR reduce the number of follow-up calls, boost customer experiences, and enhance operational productivity.

The formula for calculating First Call Resolution (FCR):

First Call Resolution Table
Metric Formula Benchmark
First Call Resolution Call resolved in first interaction / Total number of calls Target: ~70%, Exceptional: >80%

For instance, a customer service center received 100 inquiries, and 75 were resolved during the first interaction. The first call resolution comes out to be 75% (75/100*100).

Higher FCR showcases better efficiency in handling customer queries. Generally, any call center's first call resolution target should be around 70%, and anything above 80% is considered exceptional. 

* It's important to note: focusing on FCR as a singular metric, or pushing too hard to improve this metric, can impact CSAT as agents may not be able to deliver the best customer experience while trying to wrap up calls to increase their FCR.

2. Call abandonment rate

Call Abandonment Rate is a call center productivity metric that measures the percentage of inbound calls abandoned by callers before they are connected to an agent. This rate is important as it reflects the efficiency of call handling and can indicate issues such as long wait times, understaffing, ineffective call routing systems, and overall agent productivity. Monitoring and managing this rate helps your call center improve customer service and operational efficiency.

Measuring the call abandonment rate is crucial for call centers as it points to:

  • how long customers need to wait before getting assistance 
  • the possibility that the call center is understaffed
  • ineffective call routing systems
  • low productivity levels of contact center agents 

The formula for calculating the Call Abandonment Rate:

Call Abandonment Rate Table
Metric Formula Benchmark
Call Abandonment Rate Number of incoming calls - Number of calls handled / Total number of incoming calls x 100% By sector: Government 7.44%, Transportation 7.40%, Healthcare 6.91%

For instance, if a call center agent receives 200 calls a particular month and only 175 are handled, the call abandonment rate is about 12.5% (200 - 175 = 25; 25/200 = 12.5%).

As per Talkdesk, the average abandonment rate for call centers in the government & public sector should be 7.44%, for transportation & logistics be 7.40%, and for healthcare is 6.91%.

The call abandonment rate fluctuates throughout any working day and is affected by service level performance and queue strategy. 

3. Average time in queue

Average Time in Queue is a call center metric that measures the average duration customers wait in a queue or on hold before being connected to a customer service representative. This metric is important for assessing the efficiency of call handling and the level of customer service provided. It helps identify potential issues with staffing levels, call routing efficiency, and overall call center management. Minimizing the Average Time in Queue is important for improving customer satisfaction and operational effectiveness.

The formula for calculating Average Time in Queue:

Average Time in Queue Table
Metric Formula Benchmark
Average Time in Queue Total time customers spent waiting in queue / Total number of customers served 4.3 to 5.5 seconds

Here's a breakdown of the components:

  • Total time customers spent waiting in the queue: the cumulative time customers spent waiting in the queue before being connected to a call center agent
  • Total number of customers served: total number of customers who received service during the specified period

For example, a customer service center served 200 customers over a given period, and the total time customers waited in the queue was 1000 minutes.

The Average Time in Queue is 5 minutes per customer (1000 minutes/ 200 customers). 

Lower Average time in queue means shorter wait times for customers, leading to improved CSAT scores.

The average hold time across various sectors lies between 4.3 and 5.5 sec.

4. Customer satisfaction score

The Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) is a metric used in call centers to gauge customer satisfaction with service interactions. It is typically measured through post-interaction surveys where customers are asked to rate their satisfaction on a scale from 1 (highly dissatisfied) to 5 (highly satisfied). The score is then calculated as the percentage of customers who respond with the top satisfaction ratings (usually 4 or 5), providing insight into overall customer satisfaction and service quality.

Customers generate a rating scale after their interaction with an agent. After the call, the call center agent generally asks customers to rate their conversation on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being “highly dissatisfied” to 5 being “highly satisfied”).

Collecting responses from several customers can help measure the overall satisfaction rate.

The formula for calculating Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT):

Customer Satisfaction Rate Table
Metric Formula Benchmark
Customer Satisfaction Rate Number of Satisfied Customers (rating 4 and 5) / Total Number of Customers Who Rated * 100 75% - 85%

If 150 out of 200 respondents indicate they are "Satisfied" or "very satisfied" with a product or service, the CSAT score in this example is 75%.

CSAT provides valuable insights into customer sentiment and satisfaction levels, helping businesses identify areas for improvement and enhance customer satisfaction over time. 

A higher CSAT implies high employee productivity, which leads to more satisfied customers.

A CSAT score of 75%-85% is considered good for call centers.

5. Average handle time

Average Handling Time (AHT) is a call center productivity metric that measures the average duration a customer service representative spends on a single customer interaction, from the beginning to the end of the call. This includes the time spent talking to the customer, resolving their issues, and completing any related administrative tasks.

AHT is used to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of agents in handling customer inquiries and support requests.

The formula for calculating Average Handle Time (AHT):

Average Handling Time Table
Metric Formula Benchmark
Average Handle Time Combined total talk time, hold time, and post-call work / Total Number of calls 1:02 to 4:05

Let’s understand each aspect of the customer-agent interaction:

  • Talk time: actual duration of the conversation between the agent and the customer
  • Hold time: time during a call when the customer is on hold
  • After-call work: tasks a call center agent does after the call, which includes updating customer records, processing requests, or administrative work related to the call

AHT is an important KPI reflecting the efficiency of the contact center team in resolving issues and providing support.

Lower AHT values generally indicate faster resolution times and more efficient operations, although balancing speed with quality of service is essential. 

When defining the industry standards, AHT time depends on the type of industry and call complexity. Across industries, the average handling time varies from 1:02  to 4:05.

* It's important to note: As with First Call Resolution over-focus on the Average Handle Time metric could yield a quantity over quality situation yielding lower CSAT. Balance is key.

6. Service level

Service Level is a call center productivity metric that measures the percentage of incoming calls answered within a specified target time frame. It reflects the efficiency of a call center in managing customer demand and providing timely service. This metric is important for assessing the responsiveness of the call center and ensuring that customer inquiries are addressed promptly, which is vital for maintaining high customer satisfaction and operational effectiveness.

The formula for calculating service level:

Service Level Table
Metric Formula Benchmark
Service Level Number of calls answered within a target time / Total number of incoming calls *100 80% of calls answered within 20 seconds

Let’s understand each component:

  • Number of calls answered within target time: The total number of incoming calls answered by a customer service agent within the specified target time frame
  • Total number of incoming calls: The total number of calls received by the call center during the specified period

The KPI is often accompanied by a target response time. An industry-wide standard service level target is to answer 80% of inbound calls within 20 seconds.

Maintaining a high service level is crucial for ensuring customer satisfaction and loyalty. It indicates that customers are being served promptly and their needs are being addressed promptly. 

Call centers often set service level targets based on call volume, staffing levels, and customer expectations. 

7. Percentage of blocked calls

The Percentage of Blocked Calls is a call centers productivity metric used to measure the proportion of incoming calls that are blocked or disconnected before reaching an agent. This scenario often occurs due to high call volumes or insufficient resources to handle the calls, leading to customers receiving a busy signal or an automated message. Monitoring this metric is important for assessing call center capacity and responsiveness, ensuring that adequate resources are available to manage customer demand effectively and improve overall service quality.

Blocked calls occur when customers cannot reach a call center agent. They are then greeted with a busy signal or an automated message indicating that all agents are busy.

The formula for calculating the percentage of blocked calls:

Percentage of Blocked Calls Table
Metric Formula Benchmark
Percentage of Blocked Calls Number of blocked calls / Total number of incoming calls * 100 N/A

The number of blocked calls refers to the total number of incoming calls that were not connected to an available agent due to high call volume or other resource constraints.

For instance, if a call center receives 1000 incoming calls in a day and 50 are blocked due to high call volume, then the percentage of blocked calls is 5%.

A high percentage of blocked calls indicates:

  • understaffing 
  • inefficient call routing
  • inadequate technology infrastructure 

This can lead to poor customer experience, increased frustration among callers, and potentially lost business opportunities.

8. Cost per call

Cost per Call is a key call center productivity metric used in call centers to measure the average cost incurred by a company for handling each customer call. This includes expenses like employee salaries, infrastructure costs (such as phone lines and equipment), technology costs (such as call center software), and other overheads. By calculating Cost per Call, companies can assess the economic efficiency of their call center, and overall profitability while maintaining high-quality customer service.

The formula for calculating cost per call:

Cost per Call Table
Metric Formula Benchmark
Cost per Call Total cost of handling calls / Total number of calls handled $2.70 to $5.60

Let's say for example the total cost of handling calls is $14,000, which has the following breakdown:

  • Total salaries of customer support agents: $10,000
  • Total cost of phone lines and equipment: $2,000
  • Total cost of call center software subscription: $1,500
  • Other overhead expenses directly related to handling calls: $500

During that month, the company handled 2,000 customer calls. The cost per call is $7, which means that, on average, the company incurs $7 in expenses for each customer call it handles.

If the cost per call is high, it could be because your employees are taking fewer calls, which means they are less productive.

Reasons for low productivity could include a lack of effective coaching, outdated support documentation, or a lot of manual post-call work. 

According to industry benchmarks, the cost per call could range between $2.70 and $5.60.

9. Average speed of answer

The Average Speed of Answer (ASA) is a call center productivity metric that measures the average time taken by agents to answer a customer's call. ASA is indicative of the efficiency and responsiveness of a call center, reflecting how quickly agents are able to address customer needs. Monitoring ASA helps ensure that customer wait times are minimized, which is essential for maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

The formula for calculating Average Speed of Answer:

Average Speed of Answer Table
Metric Formula Benchmark
Average Speed of Answer Total waiting time of all answered calls / Total number of answered calls :08 - :09 sec

Suppose a call center receives 100 calls in a day, and the total time customers spend waiting in the queue before their calls are answered is 500 minutes.

The average speed of the answer is 5 minutes per call. This means that, on average, customers wait 5 minutes in the queue before a support agent answers their calls.

A lower ASA generally indicates better performance, meaning customers are getting their issues addressed more quickly.

According to industry standards, 8-9 seconds is a decent average answer speed for call center agents across industries.

10. Occupancy rate

Occupancy Rate is a call center productivity metric that measures the percentage of time agents spend actively handling customer interactions against their total available time. This metric is important for assessing how effectively agents utilize their working hours.

A higher Occupancy Rate indicates that agents are spending a larger portion of their time on productive work, such as taking calls or completing related tasks, which is key for optimizing workflow and improving the overall efficiency of the call center.

The formula for calculating the occupancy rate:

Occupancy Rate Table
Metric Formula Benchmark
Occupancy Rate Total Handle Time / Total Available Time * 100 80% - 90%

Where:

  • Total handle time is the time agents spend on calls, including talk time, hold time, and after-call work
  • Total available time is the time agents are scheduled to be available for handling calls

Suppose an agent spends 6 hours handling calls during an 8-hour shift. The occupancy rate for this agent would be 75%.

If the occupancy rate is high, the agent portrays better utilization of time, but excessively high occupancy rates can often lead to burnout and decreased agent effectiveness.

To optimize call center performance, always balance the occupancy rate while considering the agents' well-being and service quality. Call centers consider an 80%- 90% occupancy rate decent.

What are the Reasons for Low Productivity in Call Center Agents?

There can be various causes of low productivity among call center agents. Although a call center manager must understand and pay attention to all the factors that can negatively impact agent performance, spotting factors for every agent can be taxing.

Addressing these factors requires investing in training and development programs, updating technology and processes, promoting a positive work culture, and providing effective leadership and support to agents. We will discuss strategies further in the blog.

Let’s first understand what factors lead to low productivity in a call center.

1. Inadequate training and development for agents

Imagine starting a job without getting proper onboarding and not knowing exactly what you're supposed to do or how to do it. 

Ineffective training for call center agents is one of the primary reasons for their low productivity.

Unstructured training programs can hamper the growth of your existing employees, while entry-level agents may feel lost, impacting morale and retention. Such programs often leave agents ill-prepared to handle customer issues and inquiries efficiently, which leads to longer call durations and decreased productivity.

2. Distracting work environment

Can you concentrate on a conversation with a customer while someone's blasting music or chatting loudly nearby? 

Call center agents usually work in noisy and distracting environments that can hinder agents' concentration and focus, impacting their ability to handle calls effectively. 

Loud coworkers, malfunctioning equipment, or uncomfortable seating distractions can make it difficult for agents to focus on their calls and deliver quality service.

3. Outdated technology

Another critical reason for call center agents' low productivity is outdated technology. 

Call centers that are poorly equipped and lack tools to monitor and improve agent performance efficiently suffer from low productivity. Managers still depend on manual processes instead of high-quality performance enablement tools to equip their teams.

Using outdated technology in call centers can slow agents' workflow, making it harder for them to assist customers efficiently. If the call center's software needs to be fixed or integrated well with other systems, agents may spend time troubleshooting instead of helping customers.

4. Inefficient processes

Complex or outdated call-handling processes, such as cumbersome scripts or multiple systems that agents must navigate, can increase call-handling times and reduce productivity.

A lack of automated and modern processes leads to slower responses, which impacts call center productivity. 

5. High agent turnover rates

A call center with high turnover rates creates a cycle of training new agents, which takes time and resources away from handling calls efficiently. 

If experienced and productive agents keep leaving due to job dissatisfaction or burnout, it can disrupt the call center's productivity and affect service quality.

6. Low staffing levels

If a call center manager expects an agent to handle calls equivalent to the bandwidth of two agents, it would automatically lead to low productivity and burnout for the agent. 

Understaffing makes agents feel overwhelmed by a flood of incoming calls and long wait times for customers. If more agents are available to handle the call volume, it can lead to distressed employees and satisfied customers.

7. Lack of motivation and low morale

Working in an atmosphere where one doesn't feel appreciated and motivated for a long time is challenging. Agents become disengaged and less productive without a sense of purpose or recognition for their efforts. 

If contact center agents don’t have a clear path for career advancement or don't receive feedback on their performance, they may lose motivation to excel in their roles. Agents who feel undervalued or disengaged will likely perform at their lowest levels, decreasing productivity and job satisfaction.

8. Lack of support from leadership

Poor leadership and lack of support, guidance, and direction from supervisors and managers negatively impact agents' morale and productivity. Ineffective leadership in call centers can leave agents feeling adrift and unsupported.

Managers should proactively address their team's concerns or provide resources to help agents succeed. Failure to do so can create a hostile work environment and hinder performance.

If expectations aren't communicated or agents don't receive constructive feedback on their performance, it can lead to uncertainty and decreased productivity.

Strategies to Boost Call Center Productivity 

To run your call center successfully, your contact center agents must feel motivated in their work environment. 

Improving call center productivity requires a holistic approach. It has to be achieved from all aspects, such as boosting morale or providing technology and human resource strategies. 

Below are some of the strategies you can use to boost call center productivity:

1. Providing comprehensive coaching and training

By providing the right type and form of coaching to your call center agents, you will equip them with the skills and knowledge to do their jobs efficiently. 

Training and development of call center agents helps improve their performance in handling customer interactions. Coaching call center agents involves more than conducting sessions or making them take courses; it also provides feedback and personalized guidance.

It is crucial to teach them from real-life, day-to-day situations, support them in dealing with different types of customers, and focus on satisfying their customers. To do this efficiently, managers should opt for a performance enablement platform that enables team leaders with the tools to effectively coach their agents. 

Chewy, an online pet food retailer, transformed its coaching processes by leveraging an AI-driven platform. Before using the coaching software, managers manually spent hours from their working day on report preparation and documentation for conducting the coaching session. The AI-driven software helped save 30% of the time each week and only took 5.8 hours instead of 8.25 hours.

2. Implementing the right technology

Gone are the days when managers manually handled, stored, and documented everything or used outdated technology. Upgrading to modern, efficient call center technology can automate and streamline processes and improve agent and manager efficiency. 

By choosing the right contact center tools, you're equipping your agents with the ability to serve your customers on the channels they use most.   

Contact center software solutions come in various types, each designed to address different needs within a contact center environment.

Below are some types of contact center technologies often used:

  • Automatic Call Distributors (ACDs)
  • Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems
  • Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
  • Outbound Dialing Solutions
  • Workforce Management (WFM) Software
  • Quality Management Software (QMS)
  • Cloud-Based Contact Center Platforms
  • Speech Analytics
  • Chatbots and Virtual Agents
  • Performance Enablement Platform

Choosing the correct type of contact center software depends on various factors, such as the size of the contact center, the nature of interactions, budget constraints, and specific business requirements.

3. Setting clear goals and expectations

Establish clear performance goals and KPIs for each contact center agent that are aligned with organizational objectives. Managers and supervisors should transparently communicate these goals and expectations to agents and provide performance feedback at frequent intervals to keep them motivated and focused.

To maintain visibility into agent productivity, keep track of call center productivity metrics such as handle times, resolution rates, and first call resolution.

4. Prioritizing employee engagement and morale

Leaders should promote open communication and recognition opportunities for career development and advancement to build a positive work environment.

Always encourage teamwork, collaboration, and a sense of belonging among agents to enhance morale and reduce turnover rates.

Never compare the KPIs of high-performing agents with low-performing employees. This will demotivate the call center agent. When evaluating their performance, include them in the process, allowing them to self-reflect. Provide them avenues to get coaching and emulate the behavior of your best agent. 

You can ask agents who are performing well and share their routines, tips, and experiences with other team members, boosting overall call center performance. Always appreciate both top performers and agents who are working on their shortcomings. This motivates them to continue with good work and ultimately boosts productivity. 

5. Gamify coaching and learning

When planning the training and development programs for your call center agents, opt for a performance enablement platform that makes learning fun and not dull. 

By choosing credible call center gamification software, you can make coaching and learning more engaging and motivating, ultimately boosting agent productivity and customer satisfaction.

Implement gamification techniques such as leaderboards, badges, challenges, and rewards to boost motivation and increase agent engagement. Gamification integrated with AI-powered insights helps managers monitor and evaluate agents on essential KPIs.

This method allows leadership to use those insights to provide personalized coaching.

How Can AmplifAI Improve Your Call Center Productivity? 

Before exploring how AmplifAI has transformed contact center productivity for industry leaders like The Home Depot, GoDaddy, Cox, Chewy, and Discover, let's address what typically doesn’t solve productivity issues:

Call center productivity solutions that just won't cut it:

  • More software tools? A common search yields countless products that promise to solve productivity issues. However, many of these tools are designed to enhance customer reach—not agent productivity. While these tools help agents connect with customers, they don’t address the underlying inefficiencies in agent performance or workflow management.
  • Another analytics tool? Adding yet another analytics platform can lead to information overload, complicating rather than simplifying the productivity equation. These tools often end up under-utilized because they fail to integrate effectively with the agents’ and team leaders’ real needs.
  • Manual data analysis? This approach might seem beneficial, but it's costly and time-consuming. It requires team leaders to divert their focus from coaching to data crunching, which can stagnate rather than spark productivity improvements.

AmplifAI's Approach to Call Center Productivity

Effective Coaching Through Data-Driven Insights
The key to call center productivity lies in effective coaching. AmplifAI doesn’t supplement your existing tools—it transforms the data you already have into actionable insights. This empowers your team leaders to focus on what matters: coaching with precision to enhance productivity and engagement.

Designed for Productivity and Performance
AmplifAI leverages AI to streamline workflows for team leaders and agents, enabling them to focus on critical issues and customer satisfaction. By automating routine tasks and minimizing errors, AmplifAI not only boosts efficiency but also tailors the coaching experience to individual needs, driving performance from the ground up.

Employee-Centric AI: Empowering Team Leaders
What sets AmplifAI apart is our employee-centric approach. Unlike other tools that merely collect data, AmplifAI provides team leaders with real-time, AI-driven insights into each agent’s performance, guiding them toward the next best action. This enables leaders to engage effectively with their teams, addressing productivity issues at their core by fostering an environment of continuous improvement and recognition.

Boost Agent Potential
By analyzing data from your highest-performing agents, AmplifAI offers customized guidance across your team, identifying strengths and areas for improvement. Our platform gives team leaders the tools to motivate agents with gamified experiences, maintaining high engagement and driving productivity enhancements.

An All-in-One Productivity Powerhouse for Your Call Center
AmplifAI isn’t just another tool—it's a comprehensive call center productivity solution that enhances the capabilities of your agents and team leaders alike. As the most advanced tool on the market, AmplifAI is uniquely capable of empowering and engaging your call center staff to reach their fullest potential.

Conclusion

By closely tracking these key productivity metrics, your call centers can gain valuable insights into agent performance and customer satisfaction. However, improving call center productivity is an ongoing process that must be tackled holistically. 

From providing the proper training and development opportunities to refining processes and leveraging advanced technologies, call center productivity hinges on cultivating a supportive work environment where agents have the tools to improve and grow.

See what AmplifAI can do to boost your call center productivity, Schedule your demo now!

Call Center Productivity FAQs

What is productivity in a call center?

Productivity in a call center refers to the efficiency and effectiveness of agents handling customer inquiries or requests. Call center productivity maximizes operational efficiency, enhances customer satisfaction, and drives business success.

What is the KPI for a call center?

While there is no 'one' KPI to track the productivity of your call center, there are several call center productivity KPIs that work cohesively and depending on the industry, and your particular contact center's overarching productivity goals you can expect to be tracking any one or all of the following call center KPI's:

  • Average Handling Time (AHT) 
  • First Call Resolution (FCR) 
  • Occupancy Rate
  • Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) 
  • Service Level 
  • Abandonment Rate

By monitoring and optimizing these metrics, call centers can enhance customer satisfaction, maximize agent productivity, improve service levels, and drive business growth.

Share with your network!

Benefit
Result
💯
Improved Performance & Customer Experience
Month over month gains in Issue Resolution,
FCR and NPS;
Month over month reductions in Handle times,
ACW and Hold
👥
Winning additional client headcount
30% improvement in sales conversion
💪
Retaining talented people
8-point reduction in turnover
💰
Improving financial performance
10% increase in utilization

Summary

The future of success in your contact center is contingent on how you impact performance in ways that are both immediate and sustainable. And it doesn’t matter whether your agents are on-site, at-home, full-time, part-time, or temporary – you must deliver on performance.

Coaching is one of the most significant tools we can use to deliver on the engagement and performance of our people – but we must develop our processes, our people and leadership skills, and our technology tools, in order to overthrow the pervasive challenges to achieving greater coaching effectiveness and supercharging contact center performance!

Unlock the potential of your employees and skyrocket your ROI with cutting-edge coaching.

call center coaching cta@0.5x

Connect with the authors:

Melissa Pollock Customer Success at AmplifAI

Jim Rembach President at CX Media

schedule demo CTA 2

Call Center Coaching

The Comprehensive Guide to Improving Agent Performance

Start Learning
Improved Call Center, Contact Center Coaching
Improving CSAT at Your Contact Center or Call Center
Improving FCR at Your Contact Center or Call Center
Improving Sales at Your Contact Center or Call Center

Learning Library Preview

The AI-Driven Performance Enablement Platform Built for Enterprise Teams
Sales
What Is Upselling?
The AI-Driven Performance Enablement Platform Built for Enterprise Teams
Collections
Pre Call Preparation
The AI-Driven Performance Enablement Platform Built for Enterprise Teams
Soft Skills
Vocal Confidence
The AI-Driven Performance Enablement Platform Built for Enterprise Teams
Coaching
Preparing for Coaching
Access The Learning Library for Free
Richard James

Richard James

Director of CX, Web | AmplifAI
AmplifAI on LinkedIntwitter x

With over a decade of experience in web development and a deep passion for understanding how things work, Richard James researches customer experience (CX) technologies and the people who use them. His background in research and continuous learning fuels his unique insights into the solutions that genuinely improve the lives of both customers and support agents. Richard's work explores the balance between customer experience, performance, innovation and empathy. When not immersed in the digital world, you might find him exploring trails with his wife Tara and their dogs, or experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.

Stay Connected

Join the other leaders who receive our posts by email
Recommended Reading