Not long ago, across nearly every industry, call centers were considered cost centers. Executives considered agent salaries as a necessary cost of doing business and tracked efficiency metrics that often resulted in frustrating automated experiences and long wait times for their customers.
The most successful companies today understand that delivering an outstanding customer experience is a competitive differentiator. In fact, 87% of customers said they’re willing to buy more products from companies that provide exceptional experiences and eight out of ten customers reported that they would switch brands if they received poor service.
Modern contact center leaders know that their team is a critical part of delivering a positive customer experience. But if your contact center hasn’t evolved its call tracking metrics to embrace customer experience, it may be falling short.
As successful companies embrace customer satisfaction, they also recognize that employee satisfaction is a contributing factor. When contact center agents feel valued and are excited to go to work each day, their enthusiasm spills over to the interactions they have with customers. That’s why it’s also important to monitor call tracking metrics related to operational efficiency. If call volumes are overwhelming, processes are cumbersome, or tools are outdated, agents are not able to serve customers as well as they’d like. Measuring agent satisfaction can be as simple as asking if they are satisfied with their jobs or employee satisfaction can be measured on a scale of 1 to 10 similar to customer satisfaction.
Call tracking metrics that evaluate customer experience
Average speed of answering (ASA)
This call tracking metric evaluates how quickly your contact center answers calls. The less time your customer has to wait to speak to an agent, the better the customer experience.
Customer loyalty or net promoter score (NPS)
Measuring customer loyalty goes one step further than customer satisfaction by asking a single question, how likely is the customer to tell a friend or colleague about your company based on their experience. Like customer satisfaction, customer loyalty is measured on a scale of 1 to 10, and those answering 9 or 10 are highly likely to proactively promote your firm.
Customer satisfaction
After reaching out to your contact center, how satisfied is the customer based on the interaction? This call tracking metric is typically measured on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being very satisfied.
First call resolution (FCR)
Being able to resolve a customer’s issue during the first contact is an important call tracking metric that drives a positive customer experience. Customers who are transferred too many times, have to call back multiple times, or need to request an escalation to have their concern addressed are likely to be less satisfied with their experience.
Problem resolution time
Once a customer connects with an agent, how long does it take the customer service agent to resolve their issue? The faster your agents can fully address concerns, the more favorably customers will rate their experience.
Self-service usage
Because customers want their questions answered and their problems solved quickly any time of night or day, it is important to embrace the growing number of self-service channels available and measure your customer’s ability to successfully resolve their issue themselves.
Quantifying operational efficiency with call tracking metrics
By focusing on the right call tracking metrics and maintaining a high level of agent satisfaction, your contact center can create a competitive advantage over others in the industry by consistently delivering an outstanding customer experience.
Average handle time (AHT)
When contact centers were viewed as cost centers, some organizations placed an emphasis on ending calls as quickly as possible. In a modern call center, average handle time recognizes that the ultimate goal is fully resolving a customer's concerns in a single interaction.
Call wrap-up time
Once the agent has disconnected with the customer, how much additional time is needed to perform the post-call tasks? While this work should be accurately and thoroughly completed, establishing efficient automated processes helps reduce the amount of time agents spend performing this work, allowing them to assist more customers.
Forecasting accuracy
This call tracking metric evaluates how accurately call center workforce managers forecast call volumes and how well they align staffing. If the call volume is underestimated, customers may experience long wait times that lower customer experience.