Adapting your contact centre KPIs to drive growth

In an age of increasing customer-centricity, where we value service quality and the ability to access information through any channel of our choosing, KPIs such as average handling time and average talk time are not only redundant but counter-productive to your end business goals.

Consider instead implementing the following KPIs to maximise efficiency as well as effectiveness:

1. First call resolution

This KPI is a direct reflection of customer satisfaction and many argue it is the most important statistic you can measure. “It is the percentage of calls that the agent completely addresses the caller’s needs without having to transfer, escalate or return the call,” as explained by TalkDesk.

2. Customer satisfaction

Usually assessed through surveys and quality assurance measurements, customer satisfaction requires constant monitoring in order to inform your contact centres’ engagement strategy.

3. Agent absenteeism

Disengaged staff take more sick leave than their engaged counterparts. According to Auscontact, call centre workers recorded an average of 11.2 sick days annually, higher than the Australian average of 8.6. While a sly sickie or two is well within the rights of your agents, excessive absenteeism can have a drastic impact on scheduling, staffing and your bottom line. If your sick leave rates have you heaving it might be time to optimise your workforce management practices.

4. Turnover rate

Higher rates of agent absenteeism often go hand in hand with an elevated turnover rate. “This is the percentage of agents who leave the call center to work elsewhere. Agent turnover rate significantly impacts customer satisfaction, call center scheduling and team morale, thus it should be included on a list of metrics to track over time,” TalkDesk says.

Join us at the Contact Centre Summit to gain proven techniques from industry leaders on how to optimise your contact centre's operations and enhance the customer experience through emerging technology, workforce optimisation and effective use of customer data and analytics.

Written by: Claire Dowler

Claire Dowler is a Conference Producer with Akolade. She recently graduated with a double degree: a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Media and Communications Studies majoring in International Communication. Claire minored in sarcasm and puns.

A ballroom-dancer who collects salt and pepper shakers and volunteers for animal rescue, you might say Claire has eclectic interests.