An inbound call center is for its responsibilities to take incoming calls and resolve customers’ concerns. It’s the most common type of customer service that is much sought in the business world.
The search for an inbound call center that fits business needs is different for every company. For instance, some companies lack a workforce that it becomes challenging to manage incoming calls. Others may require specific standards for responding to customers tailored to the kind of services they offer.
Whatever the business need may be in hiring an inbound call center, it’s still important to consider checking the performance of a call center company. One way is through the call center metrics.
What are call center metrics?
In a call center, the representatives’ daily performance is gauged to determine whether each call is a success. If most interactions are successful, you’ll know that the call center implements a good strategy in customer service.
There are call center metrics to measure the performance of a call center company depending on its goals and other targets. Like in business, choosing your inbound call center partner must rely on your business goals and finding the company that can meet your customer service needs.
Here are some of those metrics to prioritize when hiring an inbound call center.
10 Metrics to Prioritize When Hiring an Inbound Call Center
1. Percentage of Calls Blocked
This metric measures how many customers are with a busy signal whenever they make a call. The customers cannot speak with a representative either because the representative is still on another call or the call center software is insufficient to receive high calls.
The percentage of Calls Blocked should be one of the metrics to prioritize. This is where you can gauge whether an inbound call center can handle multiple calls and answer customers within an appropriate length of time.
A high percentage of calls blocked shows that there are many customers whom representatives are unable to help. When looking for an inbound call center, ensure that this metric stays low as much as possible. You want to be sure your customers aren’t frustrated and being turned down.
2. Contact Quality
The contact quality metric works by analyzing a call recording and evaluating whether the call was handled professionally and politely. It also ensures that information passed to the customer is accurate.
This is a great metric because it allows you to keep track of the conversations between the representatives and customers. If an inbound call center’s contact quality is excellent or high, there’s peace of mind knowing that they’re performing their role well and that your customers are satisfied.
3. Occupancy Rate
Occupancy rate measures the time representatives spend communicating with customers and other related call center daily tasks.
It’s one of the metrics you should look for in inbound call center companies because it reflects how their representatives make good use of their work schedules. Are they busy with calls? When there are no incoming calls, are they performing other tasks to be productive?
An inbound call center company that can maintain a good occupancy rate over periods of time. Through keeping a strategy to maintain the staffing level required to boost customer service delivery without affecting customer service quality and increasing agent turnover rate.
4. Average Speed of Answer
Average Speed of Answer (ASA), sometimes referred simply as average delay. It is a metric that measures the amount of time it takes for a representative to pick up a call. This also includes the time a customer spends waiting in the queue.
It’s an important metric to consider because it brings awareness on why a customer has to wait. Perhaps the representative is still on another call and cannot answer another one immediately?
If this metric is higher, you are going to gain an opportunity to build a relationship with the customers. This would likely leave a wrong impression on your customer service practices. Choose an inbound call center that does not make customers wait but instead their satisfaction.
5. Average Handle Time
The Average Handle Time (AHT) measures the length of the call the moment the phone is picked up until the customer and the representative disconnect.
AHT is a tricky measure because there are different factors why a call may last for too long or not. If the call is too long, it may mean that there’s difficulty resolving the customer’s problem. If a call is too short, it may mean that there’s only a tiny effort in addressing the customer’s concerns.
However, you should aim for call centers with low AHT because this means that the call center representatives are efficient in handling, addressing, and resolving the needs of the customers.
6. Average Time in Queue
No one likes to wait, and call centers often find it challenging to reduce customers’ wait times. Having customers wait in queue reflects the capabilities of call centers and the kind of customer experience they deliver.
Average Time in Queue is a measurement of how long callers have to remain in the queue side by side with the total number of calls answered. When this metric is high, it would only mean that customers wait too long in the queue, causing frustration and abandonment.
Remember that when hiring an inbound call center, you want representatives to be mindful of their call time. You should be looking for a team that could maximize productivity and could accommodate your customers, especially when there is a high volume of calls.
7. First Contact Resolution
First Contact Resolution is a metric that strives to resolve a customer’s concern within the first call. Therefore, it’s a measurement of a representative’s effectiveness and the company’s success in satisfying customers without asking for a callback.
That is why it’s most definitely a metric to prioritize because it does not only manifest a splendid inbound call center service, but customer satisfaction extends to your entire company. There will be an increase in trust, and with conviction follows loyalty.
When you have acquired representatives who have excellent communication and problem-solving skills, your company will receive positive customer experience feedback and will increase the number of customers who want to establish a relationship with your company.
8. Call Abandonment Rate
Determining abandonment rate is through the number of customers who frequently hang up even before a representative could get to their call. It’s usually a sign that a customer is unhappy to the point they hang up.
It would be best to consider this metric when looking for an inbound call center. Call abandonment may indicate that there are not enough representatives handling incoming calls or that the representatives cannot keep up with high volumes of calls.
While it may not sound like a problem, especially for small businesses, it’s still important to consider this metric. For you could adequately decide how many representatives you need for your company. It also ensures that abandoned calls will not be a dilemma in the future.
9. Missed and Declined Calls
Missed calls are when representatives fail to answer in time, so the customer tends to be sent back to the queue. Declined calls are when representatives refuse to answer the call because they might still be on another call.
This should be one of the metrics to prioritize because it gives you a heads-up that customers are not being accommodated. Which is one of the leading causes for losing their patience and overall loyalty to the company.
The inbound call center company you should hire must be alert on this metric because it identifies the root cause of missed and declined calls—whether on the representatives’ capabilities or the call center software’s limits—and so ensures that customer satisfaction does not decrease.
10. Customer Satisfaction
This should be part of the metrics to prioritize because customer satisfaction is always the goal at the end of the day. It’s not just about asking the customers how satisfactory their experience was with a representative, but with the overall company.
This could easily be done through a survey, and the results would significantly affect your company’s plans for improvement. Not only does the result challenge the representatives, but it may also inspire other teams to continue growing in their roles.
Once customer satisfaction is achieved, rest assured that your company will see a significant increase in potential customers. Along with positive feedback on how well they were accommodated and given time and effort to answer their concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What does the “Percentage of Calls Blocked” metric indicate in an inbound call center?
The “Percentage of Calls Blocked” metric reflects the number of customers encountering busy signals due to ongoing calls or software limitations. A high percentage suggests potential customer frustration. How does this metric impact customer experience, and what should you look for in an inbound call center to ensure minimal call blocking?
Q: What is the significance of the “Average Speed of Answer (ASA)” metric in call center operations
The “Average Speed of Answer” metric measures the time a customer spends waiting before a representative answers their call. What impact does a low ASA have on customer experience, and how can businesses ensure that the call centers they choose prioritize quick response times?
Q: How does “First Contact Resolution” affect customer loyalty in inbound call centers?
“First Contact Resolution” indicates a call center’s ability to resolve customer concerns during the initial interaction. How does achieving high first contact resolution rates enhance customer loyalty and build trust? What strategies can businesses seek in an inbound call center partner to ensure effective problem-solving?
Q: Why is “Missed and Declined Calls” a critical metric to consider when hiring an inbound call center?
The “Missed and Declined Calls” metric tracks missed or rejected calls by representatives. What insights can this metric offer about call center efficiency and customer satisfaction? How can businesses ensure that their chosen call center addresses missed and declined calls effectively to provide a seamless customer experience?
Q: How does “Customer Satisfaction” impact business growth and reputation in inbound call centers?
“Customer Satisfaction” is measured through surveys and feedback to gauge overall customer experience. How does prioritizing customer satisfaction contribute to improved brand reputation and potential customer growth? What steps should businesses take to partner with inbound call centers that consistently deliver high customer satisfaction rates?
Key Takeaway
When searching for an inbound call center company, these industry-standard call center metrics should be in mind. The awareness of these metrics will guide you in choosing which inbound call center company is best applicable to your business.
The analytics and reporting of call center metrics are always kept up to date because this is going to help you determine. May it be whether the team you have hired is keeping up with your expectations as well as maintaining customer satisfaction.
Call center metrics help inbound call centers measure the effectiveness and improvement of their representatives so that they continue to become a part of a business’s growth.
One CoreDev IT (CORE)‘s employer of record solutions and inbound call center is aware of these metrics. This ensures they are carefully analyzed so that the company’s representatives meet quality standards. We offer a professional team that understands customer concerns which are our utmost priority, and to satisfy their inquiries so that every call is a pleasant experience.
