Skip to content

Question:

We’re implementing a balanced scorecard to measure agent and contact center performance. What categories should we evaluate?

Answer:

There are hundreds of key performance indicators (KPIs) available in most contact centers, as each operating system – automatic call distributor (ACD), dialer, interactive voice response (IVR), recording, workforce management, customer relationship management (CRM) and more – produce dashboards and reports. This means that every time a new or updated system or application is acquired for the contact center, it is important to carefully vet the dashboards and reports to make sure that they provide the data and KPIs needed to operate and manage the department. (It’s also essential to train internal resources to set up and use the reports during the
implementation process.) Here are 8 primary categories of KPIs that should be used in a contact center to oversee all aspects of its performance:

  1. Cost – how much it costs to handle (resolve, sell, collect) each item. It is a best
    practice to calculate the cost of each category of items (by channel or inquiry/sales
    type) and the total weighted average or blended cost for each item.
  2. Productivity – the volume of work offered and handled. It also measures the time
    it takes to complete each type of work item.
  3. Quality – how well agents adhere to the policies and procedures of the
    department and correctly complete their work.
  4. Compliance – how well agents comply with regulatory requirements.
  5. Customer satisfaction – how satisfied customers are with their service or sales
    experience.
  6. Agent satisfaction/engagement – how happy agents are with their job.
  7. Effectiveness – the efficiency of the contact center in addressing customer
    needs.
  8. Customer effort – how easy it is to do business with the organization.

All of these KPIs should be measured for the contact center overall. With the exception
of cost, the rest of the KPIs should also be used to track the performance of each site,
team and agent.