Posted by on January, 10 2020 8:29 pm
Metrics are an important part of success in the world of contact centers and BPOs. However, determining which metrics to keep an eye on can be tricky, since they can vary from center to center based on a variety of factors.
Which are the most important inbound call center KPIs - and how are they relevant to your center’s daily operations? Here are some suggestions for which KPIs should be your priority in the coming year:
How long as your callers waiting to speak to a live agent? IF they are not waiting for the initial connection, how long do they spend waiting during transfers and redirection? How much of their total call time is taken up by waiting and dead air time?
This metric measures the answers to all of those questions and provides a clear picture of where your agents can improve to lessen waits.
An abandoned call is one that a consumer has terminated. This can happen for a variety of reasons. The most common is frustration due to long wait times, but consumers can drop calls for almost any reason.
Regardless of why it happens, it is an important inbound call center KPI to keep track of, since it shows the failure rate of your agents to quickly and accurately address consumer concerns. More importantly, it shows whether your technology is making the quick connections that need to be made in your center.
ASA - or average speed of answer - is an important metric because it measures how quickly live agents are being connected to consumers. This may be the literal time it takes for agents to answer a call or the time it takes for call direction technology to connect them, but either way, the consumer only experiences a wait.
Decrease your ASA to improve consumer satisfaction and keep the pace of daily operations moving quickly.
Perhaps one of the most important inbound call center KPIs to keep track of is first call resolution. This metric measures the percentage of calls in which the issue at hand is resolved during the first call or conversation.
Why is this important? Because when people contact your call center, they expect to have their questions and concerns addressed promptly - and accurately. No one wants to have to sit through multiple transfers and be forced to call back again and again to find a solution. While this may be unavoidable in rare situations, there are few scenarios that can’t be handled in a single call - and working with that goal in mind is an important part of keeping your callers happy.
Beyond wait times, it is important to track the overall handling time of calls in your center. Why? Because it shows how long consumers are truly on the line. You may have low wait times, but your consumers may spend a lot of time on calls waiting to receive the level of quality service they expect.
This is a problem. Your customers; time is valuable to them and they want to feel like it is valuable to you, too. To do this, shorten handling times where possible, and ensure that your staff is trained to thank each caller for their time and patience along the way to finding a solution.
Arguably the most important of all inbound call center KPIs, customer satisfaction is critical when it comes to determining the success of your agents and your company overall. After all, if you aren’t serving your customers adequately, you aren’t living up to the expectations of the industry. In essence, you aren’t doing your job!
If you find that your customer satisfaction rates are lower than you would like them to be, work on improving them through training and upgrading technology. There are plenty of ways to approach low satisfaction rates, but any that you choose should be geared toward creating am ore pleasant, productive experience for your callers.
Arguably the most important of all inbound call center KPIs, customer satisfaction is critical when it comes to determining the success of your agents and your company overall. After all, if you aren’t serving your customers adequately, you aren’t living up to the expectations of the industry. In essence, you aren’t doing your job!
If you find that your customer satisfaction rates are lower than you would like them to be, work on improving them through training and upgrading technology. There are plenty of ways to approach low satisfaction rates, but any that you choose should be geared toward creating am ore pleasant, productive experience for your callers.
Your agents can’t be of service to your company and their callers if they aren’t at work.
While you don’t want to join the ranks of companies that routinely make the news for pushing their employees too hard, it is important to enforce a logical and practical attendance policy. To do this, you will first need to examine the rate of employee absences you are experiencing. That way, you can make scheduling adjustments and tailor your approach toward helping employees be at work and be productive.
Why is turnover rate one of the more important inbound call center KPIs to track? Because the problem of high turnover rates is so common in this industry. There are so many people who take jobs in the call center setting, only to be overwhelmed by their work or the expectations set for them. While you can address these concerns on a staffing level, it is important to first understand how many of your employees are leaving each year. That way, you can also make adjustments to your hiring procedures so that you can offset these losses while building a better work environment for the staff you do retain.
Agent occupancy rate in your call center is one area where it is critically important to strike balance. While a high occupancy rate is good - meaning that agents are usually engaged and productive while on the clock - it can also lead to agent turnover due to workplace stress.
Minimize these issues by finding the right occupancy rate for your center. Use today’s technology to help you find that balance and keep your agents working smoothly without hiccups - and without being overwhelmed by their workload.
For the tools and technology our center needs to maximize all of your inbound call center KPIs, talk to the experts at ChaseData. Our software solutions will help you improve all of your metrics. Give us a call today to learn more!