5 Customer Service Metrics Used By Top Performing Teams

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Credit: HelpScout
Credit: HelpScout

As Big Data has steadily creeped into daily business life, customer service metrics are becoming increasingly popular.

But if you are like many companies, figuring out which metrics to use can be confusing. Some businesses unknowingly measure meaningless aspects of employee performance, while others use the wrong analytics for their overall company goals.

To steer clear of this trap, consider these five metrics used by high performing customer service teams. They are widely believed to have the biggest impact on a company’s bottom line.

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Total Volume of Issues

This metric is defined by the total number of customer issues your team has dealt with within a given period — daily, weekly, monthly etc. The number should be tracked according to each customer feedback channel including chat, email, phone or social media. Keep in mind that as your company grows you will have more customers, so aim to reduce this number as a percentage of your overall number of customers, otherwise you will have an inaccurate representation of your performance.

  • Active Issues — How many of these issues are currently being dealt with by representatives?
  • Resolved Issues — Which of these issues have been resolved and by whom?

Response Time

While response time isn’t the most important aspect of service to customers, it is still highly valued as a sign of competency. Depending on the nature of your business you may be aiming for response times as low as 8 seconds, while other companies are happy with 24 hours. It really depends on your industry, competitor response times, feedback channel and customer expectations — so do your research!

Customer Satisfaction

customer feedbackIt should go without saying that measuring customer satisfaction immediately after a customer interacts with a member of your team is extremely valuable. However, in these cases, a traditional 10 question satisfaction survey simply puts too much cognitive burden on the customer. It’s imperative that you only ask 2-4 questions, which directly relate to their most recent experience.

First Contact Resolution Rate

A first contact resolution rate is the percentage of customers that have their issues resolved the very first time they interact with a customer service representative. Naturally, the goal is to increase this percentage, but don’t assume that speed is everything and have an inexperience employee rush through their customer interaction only to make an error.

Average Handle Times

On average, how much time does it take for each team member to resolve a customer issue? How many interactions does the representative have with a customer before the issue is resolved? Examining the “average handle time” of each employee can help you determine their degree of product knowledge, and if low, work to address it individually or improve your onboarding process.

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The above metrics are really just a starting point. Depending on the nature of your business, you may consider using ones more specific to your industry. But know this, the fundamentals of company growth are the same regardless of industry — so be sure you’ve done your research and have a clear idea of what you hope to attain by measuring your team’s performance. This should help you get the biggest bang for your buck.

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