Inbound Call Center Metrics to Track in 2024

For several companies, contact centers represent one of the few avenues for establishing personal connections with clients. 

Improving the customer experience may have a significant impact on attracting and retaining devoted clients. But gathering data is the first step in improving things. 

To enhance your customer experience, you must track the metrics mentioned below.

First Time Response (FRT)

First Response Time is a contact center metric that indicates how long it takes your customers to reach your support representative after placing a phone call. 

Maintaining a low FRT is critical since, among other things, it directly impacts customer satisfaction. According to a HubSpot survey, 90% of customers consider it very important when they have a customer support query.

Average Speed of Answer (ASA)

This indicates the average time from the point at which a caller is put in a call queue to the time the call is answered by an agent. 

Although the industry standard for ASA in call centers is about 28 seconds, you want to maintain it as low as possible since if it’s too high, your call abandonment rate will skyrocket.

Call Center Helper reports that 43% of inbound contact centers say that the majority of their clients will hang up the phone after waiting in line for just one minute.

First Call Resolution (FCR)

The capacity of contact center representatives to address consumer concerns during the initial interaction is measured by First-contact Resolution. Among the important incoming call center indicators that are directly related to customer satisfaction is FCR. 

According to research by SQM Group, your CSAT scores increase by 1% for every 1% increase in your FCR. Additionally, they discovered that the average CSAT score decreases by 15% each time a consumer needs to call back to address the same problem.

Average Handle Time (AHA)

The average length of time an agent needs to handle a call from beginning to end is measured by the Average Handle Timeax This covers the actual conversation time as well as the hold and after-call work (i.e., follow-up tasks after the call). 

Although the industry average for AHT is a little bit more than six minutes, you should generally aim to make it as short as feasible. Naturally, though, it should never be done at the expense of the caliber of interactions as doing so would lower client happiness.

Call Transfer Rate

The percentage of calls to other departments or team members that are forwarded when an agent is unable to handle a customer’s issue is known as the average call transfer rate. Customer irritation may arise from transfers, even if they are essential for improving customer issue response. 

83% of consumers anticipate solving complicated issues with just one support agent, according to a Salesforce survey. Of course, by streamlining your call routing and IVR menus, you should strive to minimize your Transfer Rate.

Call Abandonment Rate

The percentage of calls that are dropped by callers before they get through to an agent is measured by the call abandonment rate. Extended wait times are often linked to dropped calls, which lowers customer satisfaction. 

According to Software Advice research, the majority of customers will not tolerate even a five-minute delay on hold. Fortunately, you may lower your abandonment rate by simply providing your consumers with a callback option (more on this later).

Repeat Call Rate

The percentage of inbound calls from customers with the same unsolved issue is measured by a call center metric called the Repeat Call Rate. Usually, it is measured over a predetermined time frame, such as the last five to ten days. 

Undoubtedly, your customer satisfaction and FCR rate will drop if you receive a lot of follow-up calls from your clients. Finding and addressing the underlying reasons behind follow-up calls is essential to lowering the repeat call rate. 

Furthermore, self-service alternatives can be implemented to allow consumers to take care of problems on their own.

Percentage of Calls Blocked

The number of incoming calls that get a busy signal or go directly to voicemail is tracked by the Percentage of Calls Blocked. Blocked calls can often be caused by several factors, including no call queues established and a shortage of agents owing to understaffing. 

Or perhaps the amount of incoming calls you get is too much for your call center software supplier to handle.

Considering that 83% of consumers want to speak with a representative right away when they call a business, it is obvious how aggravating this is for them, according to Salesforce.

After-call Work Time

“After-Call Work” Time is the amount of time it takes an agent to do all the responsibilities associated with the call after it ends. This might entail recording the conversation, making notes, arranging for follow-up actions, updating client information in the CRM system, etc.

The inefficiency of the call center tools that agents are utilizing is indicated by a high ACW rating. You may reduce it by purchasing call center automation solutions and integrating your call center system with CRM.

Cost-Per-Call

The average cost of each incoming call that your team handles is measured by cost per call. CPC is a crucial measure to monitor since it provides you with information about how cost-effective your call center operations are. Taking a calculated strategy is necessary to lower the cost per call. 

A few strategies include using remote agents, utilizing cloud-based call center software, and putting omnichannel assistance into practice.

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)

The Customer Satisfaction Score assesses the amount of satisfaction and customer perception of the service provided. 

Several studies have found a clear link between customer satisfaction and loyalty. According to HubSpot, 93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases following a positive service experience.

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Net Promoter Score is a metric that assesses customers’ eagerness to promote your brand, It’s an effective way to determine customer loyalty. 

An NPS survey consists of a single question, where you rate business on a scale of 0 to 10.

Conclusion

To increase agent performance, call center efficiency, profitability, and customer pleasure, it is essential to monitor critical call center metrics and KPIs and take prompt action based on the data. Thankfully, reporting features are included in most inbound contact center solutions.

At DialDesk, we offer a full suite of features and tools to assist you in improving the effectiveness of your customer service.