The top agent performance metrics in a contact centre vary from business to business and depend on their goals and customer service strategy.

[See: Webio's Agent UI Puts AI Front and Centre] 

However, some of the common metrics to evaluate agent efficiency are: 

First Call Resolution (FCR)  

This metric measures the percentage of customer inquiries resolved on the first call, without any need for follow-up calls or transfers. A high FCR shows that agents are well trained, knowledgeable, and efficient in resolving inquiries, which leads to a high customer satisfaction score. 

Average Handling Time (AHT) 

AHT measures the average time that an agent spends handling an inquiry, including talk time, hold time, and after-call work. A low AHT indicates that agents are efficient, resulting in faster service and satisfied customers. 

This metric needs to be evaluated alongside other metrics as it’s not just about speed but also how well the call was resolved. 

Customer Wait Time / Queue Time 

This indicates how many calls are answered in a set time, e.g., the number answered within the first 20 seconds. It measures how long a customer has to wait before their call is answered.  

Queue Time = Total Time Callers Wait ÷ Total Number of Calls Answered 

Service Level  

Service level is the number of interactions within a specified number of seconds. 

Average Hold Time / Response Time 

Hold time is when an agent puts a caller on hold to go and find answers to questions. If a customer is on hold for too long, the Response Time will be too high. 

Average Talk Time 

This metric refers to the average time each call takes. The average will reveal if agents are rushing customers through or, on the other hand, are they spend unnecessary time on each call.  

Average After-Call Work Time 

After the call is completed, an agent might need to work on the system and update it. If they can do this in real-time while talking to the customer, then this figure will improve. Or even better, give customers the option of self-service where they can sort out the more straightforward activities themselves without having to contact an agent. 

Agent Occupancy Rate 

Occupancy Rate measures the percentage of time agents spend on call-related activities compared to idle time or time spent on after-call work. A high occupancy rate indicates that agents are busy handling customer inquiries, which improves productivity. 

Abandon Rate 

This measures the number of calls where the customer hung-up before getting through to an agent, and it is often looked at together with Occupancy Rate. 

Completed Conversations in a Day 

Simply put, this is the number of closed calls per agent per day. Typically, an agent can complete 60-70 calls per day, but by adding in automation and conversational AI in a blended approach, this can go up to over 300+ 

Transfer Rate 

The Transfer Rate is the percentage of calls that the agent transfers to another person to handle. 

Cost per Contact 

This figure varies between organisations, but it is often about $10 to talk to an agent. Using digital methods will reduce this cost, for example, live online web chat conversations are significantly cheaper at $less than a dollar per contact since these are handled asynchronously and concurrently. 

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) 

CSAT measures the percentage of customers satisfied with the service they received. High CSAT scores indicate that agents are delivering high-quality service, resulting in improved customer loyalty and retention. This score is usually measured with after-call surveys. 

Agent Satisfaction (ASAT) 

ASAT measures the percentage of agents satisfied with their job and work environment. High ASAT scores point to agents that are motivated, engaged and productive, resulting in improved customer service and lower agent turnover rates. 

How Automation Helps to Improve Agent Efficiency 

Without a doubt, by adding automation and AI into the mix, contact centre efficiency is vastly improved: read here to find out how. 

By tracking these key performance metrics, contact center managers can identify areas of improvement and provide training and coaching to agents to enhance their performance, resulting in an uplift in customer satisfaction and better operational efficiency. 
  

To learn more, see: 

• How to Excel at Agent Efficiency in Contact Centres
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