KPIs and Metrics for a Call Center

Thomas Simon

To make sure your call center is running at maximum efficiency, it is important to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and essential call center metrics. By tracking these numbers you can identify areas in need of improvement which will ultimately lead to success for the business as a whole.

This article shares some of our favorites among different types of KPIs – but there are many more out there, chose the ones that will fit your business the best. Use these KPIs and metrics to track your performance through the busiest days.

What Do Call Centers Do?

Before reading what these centers do in detail, have a look at some interesting statistics:

• According to OED the term “call center” was created in 1973 by a Data Communications essay.
• The longest customer support call on record was made by Zappos employee Steven Weinstein, who spoke for 10 hours and 43 minutes.
• The longest recorded hold time lasted five hours and 40 minutes; a client was put on hold by Australian Airlines for this jaw-dropping duration.
• Call centers are currently the place of employment for 15 million individuals.

Call centers are responsible for handling a large volume of customer calls, often in a fast-paced and high-pressure environment. Call center representatives (CSRs) are responsible for providing information and customer support, taking orders, handling complaints, and more.

To be successful, these centers must be able to handle a high volume of calls without compromising on quality. This success is measured by call center KPIs or the metrics that we will discuss in detail below.

Functions of Customer Service Representatives (CSRs):

Persons working at a call center are titled “Customer Services Representatives” (CSRs). As described above, the representatives or customer service representatives perform the following major functions:

1. Providing Information:

CSRs must be able to provide accurate and up-to-date information about the products or services that they are representing. For example, when a customer calls to inquire about a product, the CSR must be able to give them the most current information.

In addition to being able to provide information about the products or services, CSRs must also be knowledgeable about the company policies. For example, contact center metrics would track the number of calls that are transferred to another department.

2. Answering Questions:

Customers will often have questions about the products or services that they are interested in. CSRs must be able to answer these questions clearly and concisely. For example, a customer may want to know about the features of a product, or how to use it. A customer effort score (CES) is a good way to measure how easy it is for customers to get their questions answered.

In some cases, the CSR may not have the answer to the question. In these cases, they need to be able to find the answer quickly or know to who to transfer the phone.

3. Taking Orders:

CSRs must be able to take customer orders accurately and efficiently. The orders include product orders, service orders, and cancellations. Accuracy in taking orders means that the CSR enters the customer’s information correctly into the system and that the product or service is shipped to the correct address. Efficiency means that the CSR can take orders quickly and accurately.

4. Handling Complaints:

Customers may also call to complain about a product or service. It is the CSR’s job to listen to the customer’s complaint and try to resolve it.

For example, if a customer received the wrong product, the CSR would arrange for the correct product to be sent out. He or she is supposed to de-escalate the customer’s anger and turn the complaint into a positive experience.

Which Businesses Have Call Centers?

Many readers might ask which businesses have centers? The answer is – almost any business that relies on customer support, whether it is a product or a service.

Common Types of Call Centers:

There are two main types of call centers, inbound and outbound. Inbound centers receive calls from customers, while outbound centers make calls to customers.

1. Inbound Call Centers:

Inbound call centers are responsible for handling customer calls, often in a fast-paced and high-pressure environment. Inbound call centers must be able to handle a high volume of calls without compromising on quality.

Popular Types:

There are three main types of inbound calls: customer service calls, sales calls, and technical support calls.

a) Customer Service Calls:

Customer service calls are received from customers who have questions or need help with a product or service. For example, a customer might contact to ask about the features of a product, or how to use it.

b) Sales Calls:

Sales calls are from customers who are interested in buying a product or service. For example, a customer might contact to inquire about the price of a product.

c) Technical Support Calls:

These calls come from customers who need help with a technical issue. For example, a customer might call to ask how to troubleshoot a problem with their computer.

2. Outbound Call Centers:

These centers are responsible for contacting customers, often in a sales or customer service capacity. They also must be able to make a high volume of phones without compromising on quality.

Popular Kinds:

There are three main types of outbound calls: sales calls, customer service calls, and telemarketing calls.

a) Sales Calls:

Sales calls are made by businesses to customers to sell a product or service. For example, a business might contact a customer to offer a discount on a product.

b) Customer Service Calls:

Customer service calls are made by businesses to customers to provide customer service. For example, a business might call a customer to follow up on a complaint.

c) Telemarketing Calls:

Telemarketing calls are made by businesses to customers to sell a product or service. For example, a business might call a customer to offer a discount on a product.

Telemarketing calls are often considered to be intrusive and unwelcomed. As a result, many countries have laws that regulate or ban telemarketing.

So what is the difference between Inbound and outbound centers? The main difference between the two is the type of calls they handle. Inbound centers receive calls from customers, while outbound centers call customers themselves.

The Importance of KPIs and Metrics

KPIs and metrics are important for centers because they provide a way to measure success and identify areas in need of improvement. By tracking KPIs and metrics, the call center managers can see how their employees are performing, identify areas where calls are being dropped or customers are not satisfied, and make changes to improve operations.

Important  Call Center KPIs

There are a variety of KPIs and metrics that can be used to measure the success of a call center. Some of the most important ones are discussed below.

1. Customer Satisfaction
2. Employee Productivity
3. Call Volume
4. Call Quality
5. First Call Resolution Rate

1. How to Measure Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is one of the most important Key Performance Indicators for the centers. There are a few different ways to measure customer satisfaction, but the most common method is to use customer surveys.

Do you know what information the surveys collect? Customer surveys are a great way to measure customer satisfaction. They can be used to collect data about the following:

(i). Quality

In a call center, you can measure customer satisfaction by the quality of the calls. There are a few different ways to measure the quality. The most common method is to use a quality monitoring system. This system can be used to measure the clarity of the CSR’s voice and the CSR’s ability to understand the customer. Incoming calls blocked, abandoned calls, active waiting calls, and customer effort scores are checked.

(ii). Customer’s Experience:

You can measure customer satisfaction by the customer’s experience. This can be done by surveying customers after they have interacted with your center. For example, you can ask them how satisfied they are with the service they received.

Experience is an abstract thing, however, there are a few ways to measure it. The most common method is to survey customers after they have interacted with your call center. You can ask them how satisfied they are with the service they received, for example.

(iii). Resolution

You can measure customer satisfaction by the resolution rate of the calls. 

There are a few different ways to measure the resolution rate. The most common method is to use a quality monitoring system. This system can be used to measure the clarity of the CSR’s voice and the CSR’s ability to understand the customer and provide the him or her with an answer to their question.

(iv). Time

You can measure customer satisfaction by the time of the conversation. This means that you track how long each conversation lasts, and how long it takes for the customer to get a resolution. The shorter the conversation, the better.

(v). Speed

Customer satisfaction can be measured by the speed of the calls. This means that you track how quickly each call is answered, and how quickly the customer can get a resolution. The faster these are, the better.

(vi). Clarity:

You can measure customer satisfaction by the clarity of the call. This means that you track how clear the conversation is, and how easy it is for the customer to understand the agent. The clearer the call, the better.

(vii). The Professionalism of the CSR:

If you are thinking that a customer services representative (CSR) should have strong communication skills, you are thinking right. The way a CSR handles calls reflects the company’s brand and reputation. That is why it is important to measure customer satisfaction through the professionalism of the CSR. This means that you track how polite and professional the CSR is, and how they handle difficult customer inquiries. The more professional the CSR, the better.

For example, if a customer is angry, the CSR should know how to diffuse the situation and turn it into a positive experience for the customer.

(viii). How Well the Problem Was Resolved:

Last but not least, you can measure customer satisfaction by how well the problem was resolved. This means that you track how satisfied the customer is with the resolution, and how likely they are to call back in the future. The more satisfied the customer, the better. For example, if a customer telephones to inquire about a product and the CSR can answer their question and provide them with the information they need, then the customers are likely to be satisfied. On the other hand, if the CSR is unable to answer the customer’s question or provide them with the information they need, then the customers are likely to be dissatisfied.

If you are not using customer surveys to measure customer satisfaction, you should start now. They are an essential tool for tracking this important KPI.

2. How to Measure Employee Productivity

Employee productivity is another important Key Performance Indicator (KPI). There are a few different ways to measure employee productivity, but the most common method is to use data from specific software.

Call center software can provide data on a variety of different factors, including the number of calls made, their average length and more.

(i). Number of Calls Made:

What is the measure of productivity for an employee? It is the number of tasks completed in a day. The same rule applies CSR’s. The number of calls an employee makes to his or her customers in a day is a good indicator of their productivity.

However, it is important to keep in mind that the number of calls an employee makes is not the only factor to consider when measuring productivity. Quality is also important.

(ii) Average Length:

The average length of a telephone conversation is the average amount of time an employee spends while talking on a phone. This metric can be used to measure employee productivity because it shows how efficient an employee is at handling calls.

The shorter the average conversation length, the more productive an employee is. This is because they can resolve the customer’s issue quickly and move on to the next call. 

(iii) Average Talk Time:

The average talk time is the average amount of time an employee spends talking on the phone. This metric can be used to measure employee productivity because it shows how much time an employee is spending talking to customers.

The shorter the average talk time, the more productive an employee is. 

You’re probably wondering is there any difference between average length and average talk time? The answer is yes. The average call length is the total time an employee spends on a phone talking with a customer, including time spent on hold, while the average talk time is the amount of time an employee spends talking to a customer.

3. How to Measure Volume

The volume means the number of calls per day. This metric is important because it shows how busy the CSRs are and how many customers they are working with.

The higher the volume, the more productive the employees need to be to handle all of the calls.

To measure volume, you can use data from your software. You can also use this data to measure the average length and the average talk time. This will give you a good idea of how productive the employees are. To improve volume, you can try to increase the number of incoming calls. This can be done by advertising your phone number more prominently on your website or in your marketing materials. 

4. How to Measure Call Quality

What does quality mean? The term “call quality” is used to describe how well a  representative handles a customer’s telephone conversation. The quality can be measured by the number of calls that are answered/ abandoned, the average length, the average talk time, and more.

There are a few different ways to measure call quality, but the most common method is to use data from the software.

The software can provide data on a variety of different factors, including the number of calls dropped/sent to voicemail, the average call length, and more.

5. How to Measure First Call Resolution Rate

The first call resolution means that the problem was solved during the first phone call.

This metric is important because it shows how effective the employees are at solving customer issues. A high-resolution rate means that the employees are doing a good job of solving customer issues.

To measure the first call resolution rate, you can use data from your center software. This data will show you the number of calls that were resolved on the first calls. You can also use this data to measure the average conversation length and the average talk time. This will give you a good idea of how productive the employees are.

Do you want to know which kind of software is often used in call centers?

Call center software is a type of software that helps businesses manage their customer service operations. This software can help businesses with a variety of tasks, including call routing, recording, reporting, and more.

How Can You Use Data Analytics to Improve Center Operations/ Performance?

In business, data analytics is defined as the process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data to discover useful information, suggesting conclusions, and supporting decision-making. Data analytics is used to help improve center operations in a variety of ways.

For example, data analytics can be used to identify center trends and issues, track employee productivity, and measure customer satisfaction. Additionally, data analytics can help you improve your call center performance by providing insights into what is working well and what needs to be improved.

There are a variety of data analytics tools available which can improve call center operations. Some of these tools include:

Tableau:

Tableau is a data visualization tool that can be used to create interactive dashboards and reports. Tableau can be used to track employee productivity, measure customer satisfaction, and identify call center trends and issues.

Google Analytics:

Google Analytics is a free web analytics tool that can be used to track website traffic and activity. Google Analytics can be used to track employee productivity, measure customer satisfaction, and identify call center trends and issues.

Hootsuite Insights:

Hootsuite Insights is a social media analytics tool that can be used to track social media activity and engagement. Hootsuite Insights can be used to track employee productivity, measure customer satisfaction, and identify call center trends and issues.

CallMiner:

CallMiner is an analytics tool that can be used to track call center data. 

Using data analytics to improve your call center operations can help you make better decisions, improve performance, and track employee productivity.

Data analytics can help you improve your call center operations and performance in several ways. First, it can help you identify trends and patterns in customer behavior. Second, data analytics can help you track employee productivity. Finally, data analytics can help you measure customer satisfaction.

Can Social Media Be Used As A Tool For Measuring Customer Satisfaction and Employee Productivity? 

The short answer is yes, social media can be used as a tool for measuring customer satisfaction and employee productivity in a call center. Using social media to collect data and feedback is becoming increasingly popular among businesses of all sizes.

There are a few different ways that social media can be used to measure customer satisfaction and employee productivity in a call center. One way is to simply track how many positive or negative mentions a call center gets on social media. This can be done manually or by using a social media monitoring tool.

Another way to use social media to measure customer satisfaction and employee productivity is to create a survey or poll and post it on social media. This is a great way to collect data from a large number of people in a short amount of time.

Finally, social media can also be used to directly contact call center employees and customers to get their feedback. This is a great way to get real-time feedback that can be used to improve call center operations.

So, as you can see, social media is a powerful tool that can be used to measure customer satisfaction and employee productivity in a call center. If you’re not already using social media to collect data and feedback, now is the time to start.

171