We all have goals and metrics to measure success.
It’s a statement that resonated across every profession, sector and specialised industry. Without those key performance indicators (KPIs), we’d be aimless on our pursuit of continued success and growth. We’d have an inkling on what success might look like, but it would lack a rounded definition.
Contact centres are always looking to achieve ‘epic CX’. Improving customer experience (CX) through KPIs can increase sales revenue by up to 7%. The thought of that alone should be enough for contact centres to keep a close eye on those KPIs.
But what should contact centres be tracking in 2025? The latest edition of ContactBabel’s ‘UK Contact Centre Decision-Makers’ Guide’ reveals just what needs to be tracked. Keeping an eye on these metrics helps guide contact centres towards better CX and greater success.
Cost per call
While omnichannel becomes a must-have capability for contact centres, the phone remains the most popular way to contact agents. At 64%, it still holds a sizeable lead over its nearest rival email, which stands at 19%. Web chat and the like may soon dominate, but for now, the phone is here to stay.
It’s why cost per call remains an important metric to track. Measuring how much money is spent to handle a single call reveals how cost-effective operations are. Factors such as agent wages, overhead costs and the technology itself all contribute towards such a metric.
Its importance does hinge on call volume and the type of business; retail, for example, will handle more calls compared to technology companies. Having that high level of demand puts greater focus on finding ways to process calls more efficiently and effectively. Having the right contact centre tools and solutions in place certainly does help.
Average call duration
Call it an ‘old-fashioned’ metric, but average call duration is still important.
It’s an easy one to track and helps to measure the speed and efficiency of contact centre agents. Yes, all calls are different and require greater attention if the issue is unique and complicated. But customers don’t want to spend ages on the phone, or just have agents speed through and chalk it off as an ‘efficient’ call.
As of 2024, the average sales call clocked in at 503 seconds, indicating that it may not be as important a KPI as before. Yet agents still need to find that balance between speed and resolution. Having the right information at hand, and an efficient call routing system in place, all helps to keep average call duration under control.
Speed to answer
When a call enters the queue, the clock starts ticking. Speed to answer, unsurprisingly, is the KPI that measures how long it takes for an agent to answer a call. Not only does it directly impact how well a contact centre is performing, but also on customer satisfaction itself.
It goes hand in hand with call abandonment rate, as a low answering speed leaves customers frustrated. They’re more than happy to hang up the phone and chalk this one down as a negative experience. After just two poor experiences, 86% of consumers will leave a brand they trust.
The stakes are high, for sure.
On average, agents take 116 seconds to answer a call. Those levels have been high since 2020, reflecting how contact centre operations have changes in the last few years.
Tracking that average speed allows contact centre leaders to identify potential issues around staffing and call routing. Finding out those issues in advance improves internal and processed and goes a long way to assisting that pivotal KPI of first-contact resolution (FCR). We’ll get to that one later.
Call abandonment rate
For now, let’s circle back to call abandonment rates. Measuring the percentage of calls that are terminated before agent interaction provides insights into hold times and that average speed. If that rate is trending upwards, then there’s a problem that needs solving.
Abandoned calls can stem from a poorly configured interactive voice response (IVR) system, ineffective queuing process or even just a long wait time. Again, a customer left with an unanswered question is a dissatisfied one. We won’t throw another ‘impact of a bad experience’ statistic at you, since we already know how costly it can be.
The average abandon rate in contact centres is between 4-8%. Integrating new ways to contact agents, including web self-service, or streamlining call routing all helps keep that rate down. Again, contact centres need market-leading solutions to help agents thrive.
Adherence to service levels
Some contact centres will have pre-defined measures when it comes to processing customer inquiries. Whether it’s how fast a call is answered, or time taken to resolve issues, agents have standards to meet. That service level is a vital KPI when it comes to agent efficiency and effectiveness.
When service levels are met, customer satisfaction improves (no surprises there). Consumers are getting the experience they expect, and businesses are meeting their service level agreements (SLAs). Internally and externally, contact centres are hitting their goals.
A common service level target is the ‘80/20’ rule, where 80% of calls are answered under 20 seconds. Easy to remember, but it can be difficult to maintain when call volumes fluctuate or agents are still in training. Regardless, tracking that adherent to service levels helps leaders assess efficiency and find gaps in any processes and procedures.
Agent quality scores
Agent performance can be graded by their ability to meet certain metrics, including speed to answer or FCR. They’re helpful things to know but doesn’t provide a holistic view on an agent’s capabilities. There’s more to agents than just a simple checklist.
Bringing in other factors, including self-evaluation and general manager feedback, create a clearer picture of an agent’s overall ability and potential. From there, skill gaps can be addressed and acted upon to improve agent performance. Training agents effectively can counteract agent attrition, which currently stands at 26% in the UK.
59% of organisations currently don’t prioritise training on AI-driven workflows. Since AI is becoming a mainstay in contact centres, that’s one area that can improve an agent’s overall quality of service. Addressing skill gaps, while factoring in metrics including manager and customer feedback, are integral to an agent’s continual growth.
First-contact resolution rate
Turns out that 67% of customer churn can be prevented if customer issues are solved during that first engagement. It’s what makes FCR such an important metric to track, as it’s a useful way to track efficiency and overall customer satisfaction.
On average, 58% of customers see first-time resolution as the most important thing when contacting an organisation. It’s understandable, as nobody wants to spend their whole morning going round in circles looking for answers. When customers make less effort to resolve their issues, the more satisfied they’ll be.
FCR provides a glimpse into how effective agents are at solving queries and using the information at-hand correctly. It’s important to remember that a high FCR must be obtained through an effective service rather than just moving customers through the process. If average handling times increase while improving FCR, then that’s a sacrifice contact centres should be willing to make.
What matters though is that customers are left satisfied.
Customer satisfaction rating/NPS
According to 41% of contact centre leaders, this is the one to track.
Satisfied customers are loyal customers, and their continued loyalty does have an impact on profitability. While it’s hard to determine when the impact is noticeable, keeping customers loyal and satisfied is a great avenue for advocacy and a heightened brand reputation.
All the previously mentioned KPIs have a direct impact on overall customer satisfaction. Effective call-handling, fast responses and speedy resolution are just some of the factors that influence a customer’s mood. As a CX benchmark, 78% of contact centres rate customer satisfaction score as useful/somewhat useful.
Tracking that score through surveys or third-party review sites allows businesses to assess how their customers are feeling. First-hand reviews can point out any gaps in customer service that contact centre leaders can, and should, address. That kind of insight is pivotal for any contact centre looking to go further.
The tools behind a successful contact centre
KPIs help to keep contact centres on the right path. Having that view on agent efficiency and customer satisfaction allow insight-driven decisions to be made. Areas for improvement can be identified, which leads to better CX in the long-term.
A successful contact centre is one built on not just effective agents or regular metric-watching, but also through the right tools and solutions. Providers like Gamma are primed to supply them, with each one designed to simplify customer engagement and improve that overall CX.
You know which KPIs to track, so make sure you’ve got the right services in place to meet them.