Call center benchmarking compares the performance of a call center to that of call centers operated by competing firms. As a result of benchmarking, managers have access to data that expands on the insights they gain from call center analytics. A call center might be performing at record levels when compared to its historical data, but it still might fall short of the performance level that satisfies customers.
As part of the call center efficiency assessment, call centers are evaluated in four areas of performance that include service quality, agent responsiveness, productivity and cost. The following information explains the measurement of service quality and the standard metrics used to perform call center benchmarking.
Call Center Service Quality
Business must provide a consistently positive customer experience to earn customer loyalty and build an outstanding reputation. Contact centers are used to receive and process customer telephone calls and incoming inquiries from other channels, including email and live chat. Quality measures the service provided by a call center. High-quality service results in prompt call handling and issue resolution and leaves customers feeling valued and satisfied. By monitoring the following standard quality metrics, companies can use benchmarking to make sure that they are delivering service quality that meets or exceeds that supplied by competitors.
Customer Satisfaction
The customer’s level of satisfaction with the service provided by the agent.
High-quality service results from agents satisfying customers. Measuring customer satisfaction, however, can’t depend on anecdotal evidence or a manager’s hunch. Instead, businesses must collect data that matches the data that is collected by other organizations. Many organizations use phone-based IVR surveys to get the information that they need.
IVR telephone surveys occur after the conclusion of a call and ask both quantitative and qualitative questions. In other words, some questions are answered on a scale of 1 to 5, while others are recorded answers to questions such as, “What did you find most helpful during your interaction with our customer service agent?” Customers also receive a chance to provide more details before disconnecting their call. As a result of the responses to an IVR survey, a call center manager can calculate a Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT).
The CSAT presents a simple figure for the level of customer satisfaction achieved for each call. The number is usually a percentage and can be used for benchmarking purposes. The accuracy of the CSAT can vary depending on the number of questions asked and the exact wording of each question. Also, very satisfied and extremely dissatisfied customers are the most likely to spend their time responding to a survey, so callers who are somewhat dissatisfied or somewhat satisfied tend to be underrepresented.
Companies combine the result of IVR surveys with independent services that evaluate customer satisfaction and quality assurance measurements. The global value for the customer satisfaction metric is 90 percent.
First Call Resolution
The percentage of calls where customer issues are successful resolved on the first call, without the need for escalation, transfers, or call backs.
Prolonged issues unduly load call center resources and tax customer patience, so the goal of every call center is to supply callers with a satisfactory response right away. As part of a service quality assessment, call centers measure first call resolution as a percentage of received calls that are resolved without involving a supervisor or transferring a caller to a different agent. Also, promising to give a customer a return call disqualifies a call from counting as resolved during the first call.
Managers pay attention to this metric to monitor agent performance (agents should have an increasing first call resolution rate as they gain knowledge and experience) and to assure that customers receive a high level of service quality. The metric is presented as a percentage, with a higher number being better. Globally, this call center metric ranges between 70 and 75 percent.
Call Resolution
Refers to the outcome of each call, including how many contacts it takes for customers to find resolution of their problems.
Another metric, call resolution, expands on the first call resolution rate by tracking the number of contacts use tor resolve all calls. Managers can use call resolution to identify agents who require more training. By reducing the total number of customer contacts required to resolve an issue, companies can reduce the operational costs associated with a call center and improve their customer satisfaction rate.
Call Quality
The quality of the call can be seen in terms of how well the agent understood the customer need, accurately obtained and recorded information, and responded to the customer in terms of appropriateness and value.
The quality of a call refers to the accuracy with which agents understand the reason for a call and any underlying customer needs. When agents misunderstand the circumstances that prompted a customer call, they waste time and frustrate their callers. On the other hand, agents who understand what customers are talking about can respond appropriately, delivering value to the customer.
Effortless contact resolution results in lower operational costs and increased customer satisfaction and first call resolution rates. To improve call quality, agents need to focus on their listening skills and improve their knowledge of the products and services their firm sells. Also, agents can take notes and enter them into their call center software to help focus their efforts.
Companies can improve call quality via tactics such as live call monitoring and observation. Managers can also listen to recorded calls and rate each one with a scoring evaluation form. Such a form will guide the review process through every stage of a call, including the greeting and account verification process. Evaluation forms can also ask if the agent confirmed the caller’s contact information and exhibited adequate problem-solving skills.
A call center efficiency evaluates four major attributes of the interactions between a call center and customers. To measure service quality, managers collect data such as customer service and first call resolution rates as well as call resolution and quality. Benchmarking helps businesses know whether their call center provides callers with a competitive service quality.
Our Solution
The strategic assessments we provide will consider all four major aspects of call center performance, including service quality. We will supply you with custom solutions to improve your call monitoring and agent training. As a result of our services, your call center will be able to achieve a high level of customer satisfaction and client retention.