Customer service is the main driving force behind each and every business strategy in today’s competitive world. Impeccable customer service is all about going out of the way to ensure that your customers are happy. In order to achieve this goal, there are a host of various areas that need to be in the best functioning conditions. One such part is an inbound call centre. As it is the first point of contact between a company and its customer, it gets even more important to pay due attention to it. Only by setting up the necessary infrastructure and hiring requisite staff won’t be sufficient. Undertaking continuous steps to ensure that the performance is going as per the plans is extremely crucial.
Performance monitoring doesn’t just give insights into an agent’s performance but it also helps in knowing the various gaps that are causing a hindrance in providing impeccable inbound customer service. Key Performance Indicators are those metrics that help in answering the most vital question for any inbound call centre — how is the contact centre performing? There are separate metrics to monitor different parameters that have a considerable impact on the levels of service being provided by a contact centre. The importance of each metric is different and only a detailed analysis of all of them can reflect the true picture. Here are some broadly categorised performance metrics that can help you steer your business towards future growth.
- Service Level Metrics:
These are closely associated with measuring the overall quality of the service being delivered by a contact centre. It is measured as the percentage of answered calls within a particular time limit. It is considered as one of the most important metrics to measure efficient inbound customer service. Some of the vital metrics which are a part of it are mentioned below.
— Call Abandonment Rate: It denotes the percentage of calls which were connected to the contact centre but were soon disconnected from the customer’s end before the completion of the entire process. This rate clearly showcases the level of dissatisfaction among customers with service.
— Average Speed of Answer: A measure of contact centre’s responsiveness, it is the total wait time of callers in comparison to the number of calls held by agents and IVR. It helps call centres in tracking their service levels in accordance with the predetermined objectives. - Quality:
In terms of customer service, this has to be one of the most important metrics. It gives clear indications pertaining to the levels of inbound customer service and it communicates the actual resolution of customer’s issue and the quality involved with the same. Some important indicators are highlighted below.
— Customer Satisfaction: it provides crucial insights into the existing levels of customer satisfaction. Right from customer surveys to praise and complaints, every single attribute of this nature falls under this category.
— First Call Resolution: It showcases the number of calls that were resolved in the first call itself and the customer didn’t had to call again for the same issue. It is one of the most crucial performance metrics for call centres. - Agent Performance Metrics:
These metrics give the real picture by monitoring the performance of agents. A contact centre uses a combination of these in order to ascertain the effectiveness of their agents. Two of such metrics are mentioned below.
— Agent Satisfaction: Customer’s satisfaction is entirely dependent on the satisfaction levels of agents. Continuous surveys are a great way to identify the loopholes which need attention and improvement.
— Agent Occupancy Rate: It measures the actual time that an agent takes in comparison to the total available time. It displays the quality of agent scheduling as well as the efficiency of the call centre.
Aforementioned are three of the most important performance metrics that can help call centres in understanding the actual position where they stand. Continuous performance monitoring helps in identifying how much improvements has a contact centre done in comparison to the previous stages. Various metrics are used to evaluate the different aspects pertaining to the operational efficiency of a call centre. Companies need to select the ones that provide critical information in relation to the factors which are of utmost importance to them. Selection and implementation of these can surely help an organisation in boosting the levels of inbound customer service.
