First call resolution means that customer query is resolved
in the first call itself without the need of follow up calls. The agents of outsourced
call center meticulously monitor customer call and
strive to fulfil customer expectations, so that the ratio of follow up calls is
less. ‘Follow up’ calls increase the overall call volume, which in turn
requires more customer care agents to receive calls and resolve their query. It
also increases other costs. Thus, the service providers continuously measure,
track the outcome of first call resolution (FCR). Companies that deliver good FCR
rates are considered good call center service providers.
To increase FCR, the call center service providers
perform a few measures. The professionals comprehend with the need and
requirement of customer and bend down to fulfil the expectations of customer.
It is very important for the professionals of the service provider to conduct a
root cause analysis on the calls that were not resolved on first contact. A
good root cause analysis will help to identify trends, pinpoint inefficiencies
and can inform data-driven decision making. After identifying common issues, knowledge
gap, training opportunities, and inefficiencies or problem. FCR is both a
quality metric (correlating with caller satisfaction) and a financial metric
(cost saver).
FCR is calculated using the following formula:
The total numbers of calls completely resolved during the
course of the first call initiated by the customer (and therefore do not
require a callback) divided by total number of calls handled by agents.
Some key ways to measure FCR:
- Monitoring calls to determine if agents can
provide a satisfactory answer in the first call itself
- Monitoring the number of callers that call
back within a 7 day period.
- Monitoring the calling party number within a
set period
- Monitoring the reason for call
- Using a post-call IVR survey
- Looking at the
quality of answer given by professionals