We all know first call resolution (one and done) is the #1 driver for customer satisfaction with best practices reported at 86%. However, this means that 14% of your customers are contacting you more than once (even more than twice or three times) to resolve their issues! This not only frustrates your CSRs and yourselves, but your customers as well. Repeat calls are costly not only to operations and the bottom line, but they negatively impact customer satisfaction.

Here’s some questions to ponder. How do you define first call resolution? And how do you—if you do—calculate it? By the way, know that research shows that there is no common method for measuring this. But what gets measured gets managed, and what gets managed gets better.

In a recent study (Ascent Group) more than 90% of companies measuring first call resolution reported improvement in their performance. Another study (callcentres.com) reported a dramatic fall in call volume—identifying that a minimum of 20% of all calls were repeat calls from customers needing an answer or help they didn’t get. Further, that the absence of first call resolution was found to account for a minimum of 30% of a call center’s operational costs!

The bottom line: Invest in your people—give them the training, the tools, and the authority to get their job done right the first time.

We’re finding that quite a number of centers do not measure FCR, and for those that do, there is still no standard for this measurement.

Following are suggested questions to ponder:

The more you can drill down your data, the more actionable and accurate the outcome.
Of course, the best measurement of FCR lives with your customers. So go to the source. Find out if they think their issues and/or questions are being resolved on the first contact. Your metrics alone—although quantifiable are indirect—and are only approximations of customer opinion and could easily be overstated. Many times the customer’s view is lower than these measurements.

From an Ascent Group Study (2003), the four primary ways of measuring FCR were:

Your front lines are the interface with customer’s issues. One of the foremost methods to boost customer satisfaction and improve FCR is to consistently and ongoing train your people in world class customer service skills.

The bottom line once again: Invest in your people—give them the training, the tools, and the authority to get their job done right the first time.

About the Author
Rosanne D'Ausilio, Ph.D., industrial psychologist, President of Human Technologies Global, Inc., specializes in human performance management for contact centers, providing needs analyses, instructional design, and customized, live, world class customer service skills trainings.

Known as 'the practical champion of the human, she authors the best-sellers, Wake Up Your Call Center: Humanize Your Interaction Hub, 4th edition, Customer Service and The Human Experience and Lay Your Cards on the Table: 52 Ways to Stack You Personal Deck, and hot off the press How to Kick Your Customer Service Up A Notch: 101 Insider Tips as well as her popular ‘tips’ newsletter on How To Kick Your Customer Service Up A Notch! available at http://www.HumanTechTips.com. Reach her at Rosanne@human-technologies.com.