When you’re building a more successful outbound contact center, which KPIs are really worth your time when it comes to tracking? Which ones mean the difference in success and failure for your facility and which ones are just nitpicking for the sake of perfectionism?

Here, we’ll examine the most important outbound call center KPIs and help you and your team make sense of how - or if - they apply to your center. Spoiler alert: if they made this list, they’re worth paying attention to!

Calls Per Agent

A busy agent is a productive agent. The more calls each of your agents are making, the higher the likelihood that they will be landing sales, too. However, too many calls can result in an overwhelming workload for agents. Track the number of calls being made by each employee to find out who could be doing more - and who might need to take a break and do a little less!

Hit Rate

What is an agent’s hit rate? An important metric, that’s what it is! More importantly, it is the rate at which calls being made are answered or otherwise connected to a live person.

This is important because a low hit rate can indicate a contact list that needs major adjustments. Look at your hit rate to find out how frequently calls are being answered and what kind of tweaks your lead list may need.

Conversion Rate

When it comes to outbound call center KPIs, one of the most important - and most commonly tracked - is the conversion rate. That’s because the conversion is the heart of what your business does; making calls is all well and good, but if you’re not turning those leads into paying customers at least part of the time, you’re not making any money.

Average Call Length

Why is it important to know how long the calls your agents are making average out to? Because in the world of outgoing calls, longer calls can lead to a higher likelihood of payment or purchasing commitment. Agents who are regularly making longer calls may also be achieving better sales rates - but only an examination of these KPIs can tell you if that’s true for your team!

Average Hold Time

How long are your consumers on hold when on a call with your agents? This is an important KPI because it indicates how much time is being wasted with holds - holds that could lead to call abandonment or frustrated consumers. Both of these situations are avoidable by reducing your average hold time. But first, you need to track it so see exactly what adjustments need to be made!

Call Abandonment Rate

Many instances will cause a consumer to hang up the phone - especially if the call they are receiving is for marketing or debt collection purposes. However, a successful outbound call center should have only a 2%-5% call abandonment rate. If your center’s rate is higher than this, you should examine what is causing your consumers to hang up at such a high rate and what can be done to resolve the issue.

Occupancy Rate

Another main focus for many facilities when it comes to outbound call center KPIs is the occupancy rate of agents on-site.

To find an agent’s occupancy rate, managers compare the amount of time spent on calls and the amount of time between calls. The more time spent on calls, the more potential there is for profit. However, there is a delicate balancing act to be performed that keeps agents from becoming overwhelmed.

Be sure to factor in the need for breaks throughout the day for the sake of agent mental and physical health. These breaks are critical for the continuing success of your center. If agents are too tired or overworked, they won’t be able to achieve their goals - and won’t be a valuable part of your team. Always measure occupancy rate, but remain lenient when it comes to the need for time off!

First Call Close

Just as the first call resolution is important in an incoming call center, the first call close is critical for outbound centers. First call close is indicative of how many consumers make a purchase or commitment during the agent’s first call or attempt at contact. This KPI is one that may be harder to achieve high numbers in, simply because many consumers require repeated contacts to make a purchasing commitment. It is still important to track, though, since it helps you understand which agents are doing well and which may need more training.

Call Quality Analysis - The Most Important Outbound Call Center KPI

Call quality is almost indisputable as the most important of all outbound call center KPIs. Call quality analysis is simply that - a measure of the quality of your outgoing calls. While this may seem too abstract for some, it comes down to answering some very simple - and very important - questions about each of your calls.

• Did you meet your goals?
• Were your consumers happy or interested in what you had to say?
• Did your consumer seem satisfied with the interaction you provided?
• Were the agents in these calls confident and secure in their understanding of the material?
• Were questions or concerns raised, and how were they addressed, if so?

All of these factors help to determine the success of a call. Determining that level of success can give agents a goal to shoot for that makes sense in real-world terms - or give you a starting point to work from for ongoing growth and improvement.

Regardless of which route you take, it is important to have the technology you need to conduct these analyses. When you’re looking to boost the outbound call center KPIs that matter, consider speaking to the industry experts at ChaseData. Our software solutions are designed from a place of knowledge and experience - a place of success for you and your team! Hit all of your metric goals and keep those conversion rates high with the right technology. Give us a call today to learn more!