What’s the best way to measure success in the contact center: agent performance or metrics?

Most contact center leaders believe the people make the difference.

When managers were asked by Call Center Week researchers how they measure success, they said:

• Agent performance and productivity (46%)
• First-contact resolution (24%)
• Net-promoter score (15%). and
• Balanced scorecard and contact center profitability analysis (15%)

The top two measures are completely agent-based. So the best way to improve contact center success is likely through more training. The better agents are equipped to help customers, the more likely they’ll resolve issues in one contact and improve performance.

To squeeze in more training, try these tips:

• Ask agents who excel in a particular area to write up a top-10 list on how they handle that task. Give them 15 minutes in a weekly meeting to present the info and give the newly created cheat sheet to staff.
• Invite leaders from other areas to speak at lunch-and-learn sessions hosted by the contact center. They can explain how their departments work and how they fit into the customer fulfillment process so agents better understand the big picture.

Tags: agent training, Call Center Week survey