Build Effective And Relevant Reporting For Your Call Center

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A productive team, satisfied customers, and competent management are the perfect ingredients to build a successful call center. But how to find actionable insights that help stakeholders take the call center to the next level of growth? This is where call center reporting tools come into play.

Harnessing call center reporting, identifying areas of improvement, optimizing agent performance, and boosting customer satisfaction can be daunting tasks. 

Here is a guide to tracking vital metrics and decoding call center reporting. We have also compiled a list of best practices to follow while adopting reporting technology.

What is call center reporting?

Simply put, call center reporting is about decoding raw data (both real-time and historical) and transforming it into business intelligence. 

The insights are focused on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that help boost agent productivity and customer satisfaction in your call center and contact center. 

In short, call center reporting, when coupled with conversation analytics and voice analytics, lets managers understand and resolve key issues promptly.

How does call reporting work?

Here is a step-by-step breakdown on how call center reports are generated:

Step 1: data collection 

It all begins by collecting raw data from different sources in a call center such as:

• Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

• Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) 

• Workforce Management System (WFM)

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Step 2: Data processing 

There are different kinds of data available in contact centers and call centers. The data collected can be related to agent availability, call abandonment, or customer satisfaction. Before creating reports, the data gets standardized, filtered, and properly categorized. 

Step 3: Measuring KPIs 

Now is the time to set and measure your call center KPIs. Ensure they are specific, measurable, and achievable. For example, you can measure the First Call Resolution (FCR) rate by tracking the percentage of customer inquiries resolved during the first call. This metric directly impacts customer satisfaction and provides clear insights into your call center's efficiency.

Step 4: Presenting reports

The final step of call center reporting is visualizing the data so that the insights can be easily interpreted and shared among stakeholders to further the efficiency of your call center. The reports can be presented in the form of charts, graphs, or tables.

Benefits of call center reporting

Call centers and contact centers across the globe have identified that having a reporting system can be a game changer. That’s why the contact center software market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 19.6% and reach $218.31 billion by 2032. 

Here are four benefits of having a call center reporting system: 

1. Improve customer experience 

According to a Zendesk report, around 50% of the customers are ready to switch brands after one bad experience. If they face more than one bad experience, the number snowballs to 80%. So, offer your customers the best experience by addressing their grievances promptly.

Call center reporting offers actionable insights that help you understand and resolve customer complaints effectively. 

2. Enhance agent performance 

Agent performance can directly impact customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. A call center should understand how well agents perform to improve customer retention.

The performance of an agent is measured using a combination of qualitative and quantitative metrics such as first call resolution, call handling time and the quality of interactions.

3. Optimize call center operational cost 

One of the major benefits of call center reporting is optimizing spending in your organization. Using the vast data set analyzed, you can gain insights into areas that need improving. 

For instance, if the report shows a lower FCR rate, you can create strategies to improve the FCR metrics. When most of the customer issues are resolved on the first call, you reduce the overall inbound call volume resulting in significant cost per call reduction. 

4. Better forecasting and resource planning

Resource planning and forecasting can impact your ROI. Typically, contact centers that invest in resource forecasting tools report an increase of ROI.

The reporting tool can easily analyze historical data and predict the number of agents you might need in the upcoming months to handle increased call volumes. This business intelligence allows you to adjust staff levels assuring better customer experience and agent performance. 

Managers can easily understand bottlenecks and areas of unnecessary spending by analyzing the contact center report. The report also helps optimize workflows and identify cost-saving opportunities. For example, you can develop a self-service option for frequently asked questions and this can in turn reduce call volumes significantly. 

Which KPIs to choose and track?

To drive accountability and measure your achievements, tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) is important. This data helps make informed decisions that boost your revenue and brand loyalty. 

Let’s take a look at the seven most tracked KPIs in call centers to foster a customer-driven approach: 

1. Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Understanding the Net Promoter Score (NPS) is key to measuring brand loyalty. This score lets you know what a customer feels about your product, services, and brand. 

How to measure NPS

NPS is tracked by decoding customers’ answers to a simple question - ‘How likely are you to recommend us to others?’ The responses are ranked on a scale of 0-10. 

Based on the responses, customers are categorized into three groups: 

1. Promoters: They genuinely love your brand and will promote your services and products every chance they get. They will give you a 9-10 score. 

2. Passives: If a customer scores 7-8, they may have a neutral stance about your brand. They will neither endorse nor speak negatively of it.   

3. Detractors: A score between 0-6 indicates that the customers are thoroughly dissatisfied with the brand. 

The NPS formula: Promoters % - Detractors % = NPS 

The final numbers will tell you about customer satisfaction, loyalty, and their perceptions of your brand. 

2. Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) tells you how satisfied customers are after their interaction with your brand. The score throws light into the quality of your services and support.  

How to measure CSAT

A survey is used to measure the CSAT score where customers are asked to rate their support/product experience on a scale of 1-10. The survey tries to measure how satisfied customers are with the support after a purchase. 

The customers are categorized into four based on the feedback:

1. Very Satisfied: You have exceeded their expectations and have found loyal supporters of your brand. 

2. Satisfied: They liked the experience with your brand. They may not rave about you but are happy with the support, services, and products. 

3. Neutral: These customers don’t feel strongly about you. They can be easily swayed so it is important to convert them into your loyal customers by offering prompt resolution.

4. Very unsatisfied: These customers are dissatisfied, frustrated, and angry. 

The CSAT formula: Number of satisfied customers divided by total number of survey responses = CSAT

3. First Call Resolution (FCR)

FCR is the percentage of issues resolved during the first customer call. When an issue is resolved without follow-ups and escalations, customers are generally happy with your brand. 

The FCR formula: Total number of customer issues resolved on the first attempt divided by the total number of calls = FCR

4. First Response Time (FRT)

We live in a fast-paced world and whether it is live chats or phone calls, customers expect an immediate response. They need your call center agents to respond quickly and address their concerns promptly. 

The immediate response and resolution can help foster customer satisfaction and loyalty. Keep your FRT minimal and watch your customer satisfaction levels score go high. 

The FRT formula: Total wait time for all calls divided by total number of calls = FRT

5. Average Handle Time (AHT)

Average Handle Time (AHT) is the average duration an agent spends on a customer addressing their concerns. AHT can help set performance benchmarks and is used to identify resources that require better training. A low AHT score indicates efficiency, improved productivity, and happier customers. 

The AHT formula - Total talk time + total hold time + total after-call work time divided by total number of calls = AHT

6. Customer Effort Score (CES)

According to Gartner, 96% of customers with high-effort service interaction become disloyal to your brand. The ultimate goal of your call center and contact center should be to minimize customer effort. 

The CES is measured based on a simple question – ‘On a scale of 1 to 7, did we make it easier for you to solve your issues?’ Here, 7 means ‘Strongly Agree’ and one stands for 'Strongly Disagree'

The CES formula: Percentage of customers who agree - percentage of customers who disagree = CES

7. Customer Churn Rate (CCR)

Whether it is a contact center or call center, agents’ performances can break or make your business. Their ability to address customer grievances effectively can considerably reduce customer churn rates.  

The CCR formula: The number of customers lost during a period divided by the number of customers at the beginning of the period x 100 = CCR

Different types of call center reports

There are different types of call center reports and here are four of the most commonly used ones: 

1. Inbound call summary report

This report offers insights into all the inbound calls in a specific period such as a week or month. The report includes statistics of:   

• Total number of inbound calls received 

• Calls answered

• Calls abandoned

• Talk time

• Agent response time

The inbound call report in a call center is used for mapping call patterns and forecasting call volumes. 

2. Agent activity reports

The agent activity report consists of data related to the daily productivity of an agent. Managers can utilize this report to make sure that agents in a call center are performing their assigned tasks. The report throws light on: 

• The total number of incoming calls

• Call handle time

• Average call handle time 

• The shortest and longest call handle time

3. Call direction report

Call direction report, as the name suggests, tells you about the direction of a call such as inbound, outbound, and internal. The report focuses on:

• Total number of calls

• Maximum call duration 

• Talking duration from a given direction

4. Service level agreement (SLA) report

An SLA is a contact center’s promise of certain standards of service to the customers. For instance, in a call center, if 80% of calls are answered within 20 seconds, an agent has to answer 80% of the incoming calls within 20 seconds.

The report lets you understand if the SLA is breached, why, and how. The report gives you access to the agent workload and performance of your call center. 

Best practices for call center reporting

To ensure accurate data collection, effective analysis, and actionable insights from your call center reports, you need to follow certain best practices. Here are five best practices to follow:

1. Define your goals  

The first step is to define your goals which ensures that you capture and analyze the right data relevant to your pre-determined business goals. 

2. Choose the right call center reporting software

Now is the time to invest in software that fits your needs and business goals. Make sure that you look for solutions that can be integrated into your existing CRM and other such tools. The reporting software should come with features such as real-time reporting and a customizable dashboard.  

3. Conduct training

Conducting regular training helps agents and managers in call centers to use reporting tools effectively, share reports with all the stakeholders, decode reports in the right way, and make data-driven decisions at the right time. 

4. Standardize metrics and KPIs

Standardizing the contact center metrics and KPIs is the best way to ensure consistency in the collection of data and reporting. Data standardization also makes comparing performances easier over time. 

5. Establish data governance 

Data security and compliance are of paramount importance to call centers. The technology you use should be able to handle data security by masking critical information such as IP addresses, details of driving licenses, insurance credentials, and email IDs.

Examples of excellent call center reporting

Using call center reporting software, you can generate pre-built and custom reports that help measure your operational and agent efficiency. Here are a few examples:

Agent status reports

Agent status or availability reports can give managers a breakdown of an agent’s availability status such as: 

• Logged in time

• Time spends on and off the queue 

• Time spends interacting with customers

• Ideal status

These data help understand an agent’s schedule adherence and productivity. 

Agent productivity reports

This call report offers an overview of an agent’s productivity and insights into:

• The total number of incoming calls handled 

• The average talk time

• The average wrap-up time or after-call work 

• The number of calls transferred 

When combined with the status report, the productivity report offers a complete picture of how effectively agents are using their time. 

Queue activity reports

This report allows managers to assess the performance of call queues and track:

• The total number of calls entered in a specific queue

• The total number of calls answered or abandoned while waiting 

• The average time callers waited before getting connected 

• The percentage of calls answered within the specified service level

The report helps stakeholders in a call center to understand areas of improvement and train agents accordingly. 

Conclusion

By harnessing the power of reporting technology, you can gain actionable insights into various aspects of your call center that can be used to boost productivity and customer satisfaction.  

With cutting-edge tools like Aircall call center reporting software that comes with easy-to-use dashboards and automated insights, you can deliver unmatched customer experience.  

Start a free trial today and transform raw data into business intelligence that helps you reach greater heights of success. 

Published on May 21, 2024.