Call centers usually measure multiple key performance indicators (KPIs). Measuring the right KPIs can help call centers improve various success and performance metrics. One of the important success metrics in any call center is the performance of agents. If agents perform more productively, then it means they are likely to contribute to improving other KPIs such as increasing customer satisfaction, reducing expenses, increasing ROI, etc.
There are many KPIs that clearly indicate how your agents are performing. The call center solution shows different reports and each report will have important data and insight that you can use to measure agent performance.
In this article, I will share some of the most important agent performance indicators that all call centers aiming to improve agent performance must measure:
- Agent idle time
The agent’s idle time is clearly the time during which the agent is not doing any type of productive work. There can be multiple occurrences of agent idle time such as:
- Reduced volume of incoming calls
- More junk leads in the lead list during outbound calls
- Agent waiting for the next outbound calls to be assigned
Only a few call center solutions show this metric in the report section. You may need a custom report in the contact center software to measure idle time. Measuring it can help you have a better workforce in place to reduce expenses. You can also use the right auto dialers for outbound calling campaigns to reduce agent idle time
- Average call handling time
Average handling time is the total time an agent takes in handling a call. This includes the following:
- Talk time
- Hold time
- Pauses and silences
- Disposition work
Depending on the nature of a call center, the average call handling time can be defined as poor or good performance. For example, in technical support centers often average call handling time is high.
- Average talk time
The total time agents invest to have a conversation with a customer or prospect is called average talk time. Too long average talk time, often indicates poor agent performance. Well defined training programs and coaching can help in reducing average talk time.
- Call transfer rate
The total number of times a call gets transferred is called, the call transfer rate. This KPI is one of the performance metrics that supervisors monitor in real time using a call center solution. The call transfer indicates that agents do not have the right skills to resolve customer issues and questions. A transferred call either joins the call queue again or gets transferred to another agent or a supervisor. This not only wastes the time of the customer, but also of agents and supervisors. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the average call transfer rate. Using the right call routing rule feature of a call center solution and right agent training can help in improving this KPI.
- Average hold time
The average time customers are put on hold is called average hold time. Nobody likes staying on hold for too long. It directly adds to customer frustration. Moreover, it also clearly indicates the time wasted by an agent. Poor knowledge of using tools or fetching the right information can be one of the reasons behind high average hold time. It is necessary to use an easy to use call center solution and other tools and train agents properly to improve this KPI, too.
