FREMONT, CA: Contact centers act as the thread between an organization and customers, who make them liable to ensure an improved customer experience. Many contact centers constantly evaluate their operational performance to review the effectiveness and efficiency of their processes. Contact centers need to measure specific key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure the optimum efficiency of their operations. The decision to track, monitor, and assess an appropriate KPI can be a tricky task for businesses, as numerous direct and indirect factors are associated with a contact center’s performance. Here is a list of three KPIs that contact centers should keep into consideration before applying business analytics:

Average Handle Time: The metric for average handle time can be misinterpreted in the contact center industry. Many contact centers view a long call duration as a bad thing as the manager look unfavorably at the high handle times. The contact centers need to have a different scrutiny measure for multiple incoming and outgoing calls because there is a difference between simple and high-involvement calls. A higher average time can also signify that the contact center executive is helping customers through more in-depth and complex issues. The stigma around long calls can force an agent to get off the line without truly resolving a customer’s grievances.

Agent’s Sense of Achievement: While it is paramount for contact centers to ensure the highest level of customer experience, an agent’s sense of achievement can also not be ignored. Companies should ensure that their contact center employees feel valued and respected within the company. A satisfied and happy contact center agent can help immensely in improving customer experience.

First Call Resolution (FCR): FCR is the parameter for measuring the effectiveness of contact center agent in resolving a customer’s grievances at the first interaction. In order to improve their FCR, companies need to identify goals, develop benchmarks, and develop strategic plans to meet the desired goal.