Chief Executive Officer
First Call Resolution (FCR) is a fundamental and valuable metric used in Call Centers. It measures performance for resolving customer issues within the first call. So all the calls that didn’t repeat for the same problem or case are forming the FCR rate.
It is considered one of the most tracked metrics in contact centers.
The standard for FCR is 70% and higher. TOP Contact centers should demonstrate 80% at least.
To calculate FCR, companies usually use the following formula:
FCR = Number of customer requests resolved on the first call (or contact) / Total Number of unique requests * 100%
It is not easy to track it correctly. Customers can call from different numbers or locations or after some time.
Recent research from SQM Group showed that 93% of customers expect their issue to be solved on the first call. That is why it is a highly valued metric, which leads to efficiency and performance improvement in contact centers.
To improve the FCR rate, we need to pay attention to the following factors:
One of the most recommended is speech analysis tools. Defining critical communication problems or client dissatisfaction will become much more manageable. Moreover, recent studies show that leaders in call center services use instruments to review and analyze calls more often than outsiders.
If you identify the main reasons for repeated calls or unsolved problems, you will get the basis for the FCR improvement plans or strategies.
And from the small process, you will go to a broader range of business renovation:
Of course, along with speech analytics, many technological tools are aimed to get better customer satisfaction and more straightforward problem-solving. Automation must be present for determining the main reasons for customer disappointment and agent negligence, getting feedback, providing next steps for the call center representative, and so on.
It isn’t easy to touch on the matter without mentioning AI tools. They help capture, recognize and momentarily analyze any call or message and highlight a Contact center team’s blind spots and weaknesses. The power of AI makes it easy for managers to identify key pain points of the regular conversation between the agent and the customer. An increased FCR rate will help the company to:
First Call Resolution efficiency requires a deep understanding of the customer needs and the power to provide a robust leadership approach at C-level.
You can say that the theory is good, but what about practical advice?
FCR rate is not something deadlocked. This measurement is dynamic and constantly changing. It is worth hard work and putting effort into improving FCR daily. Customer happiness and satisfaction with your service are always the number one priority. And don’t forget to subscribe, we have so much more to share with you 🙂