First Contact Resolution Rate | Helpshift (2023)

First contact resolution rate (FCR) is a critical customer service metric that measures the number of customer contacts that are resolved on the first interaction with the customer. If a customer’s issue can be resolved on the first contact, it eliminates the need for either the agent or the customer to follow up.

(Video) First Level Resolution Rate (FLR) vs. First Contact Resolution Rate (FCR) What's The Difference?

Obviously, resolving a customer issue the first time is the ideal outcome. Customer satisfaction is closely tied to first contact resolution rate. The higher the latter, the higher the former. Resolving issues quickly is one of the ways that brands can deliver excellent customer service.

Efficiently and effectively resolving issues can create loyalty amongst customers. Not only does retaining customers cost less money than securing new ones, they also may increase a company’s profitability by recommending that company to friends and family. Businesses that can keep customers satisfied through stellar customer service increase the chance of retaining customers who endorse the brand.
In the old call center paradigm, first contact resolution rate was measured by when a customer-agent phone call ended. But in the new asynchronous customer service paradigm, where customers might contact a company’s customer service organization in a number of ways, first contact resolution rate has become a more challenging metric to track. Many businesses now allow users to contact customer service through email, live chat, and in-app messaging.

(Video) First Call Resolution - definition, benefits, measurement, and tips for improving it.

How Helpshift Supports First Contact Resolution Rate

Rather than have users call customer support and be transferred between agents to get their issues appropriately addressed, Helpshift’s AI-powered platform automatically categorizes tickets and assigns them to the appropriate agent —a functionality called intent classification. By replacing manual triage with an AI-enabled classification engine, the system can automatically determine issue types, label conversations, and prompt customers for additional information.

First Contact Resolution Rate | Helpshift (1)
(Video) How to Calculate First Contact Resolution

Because bots can collect that information automatically, once a live human agent joins the conversation, that person is up to speed with the customer’s account details and the details of the issue in order to provide optimally efficient service.Customers are assisted faster, and employees are given the information they need to support each individual to the best of their abilities. The combination of these capabilities leads to better first contact resolution rate results.

(Video) First Contact Resolution | Managing Metrics

FAQs

What is a good first contact resolution rate? ›

What exactly is a good FCR rate? According to a range of reports, the industry standard is between 70 to 75%. This means that 25-30% of all customer communications you receive are repeat calls about the same issue. In general, the higher your FCR rate, the better.

How do you define first contact resolution? ›

What is first contact resolution? First contact resolution is the percentage of incoming service calls or requests that are resolved during the first interaction with the customer, eliminating the need for the customer or IT Support to follow up with a second contact.

How do we rate in the areas of first contact? ›

The FCR rate is calculated as the total number of requests resolved on first contact divided by the total number of requests over a given period. There are different ways to measure it, but the most reliable method is to ask customers directly about their problem resolution.

How can I improve my first contact resolution? ›

10 best practices to improve your first call resolution
  1. Create an informative knowledge base. ...
  2. Require minimal customer effort. ...
  3. Get clear on the issue. ...
  4. Be precise and don't overwhelm. ...
  5. Anticipate customer needs. ...
  6. Empower your customers. ...
  7. Answer all of their questions. ...
  8. Provide your team with quality training.
7 Jan 2022

What causes low first call resolution? ›

Agent annual turnover of 20% or higher (including external and internal turnover) causes low FCR performance. SQM's research shows that when a call center's FCR performance drops, the main reason, in many cases, is the agent and/or management turnover.

How do you calculate FTR percentage? ›

(The total number of customers who's query or problem was resolved at the very interaction across the entire measurement period ÷ the total number of queries or problems processed by the contact centre across the entire measurement period) x 100.

What is FCR in construction? ›

FCR (also called Wet Mix or Road Base) is dust to stones 22mm in size. FCR is a blue metal product, but can have some sand and limestone in it and can vary in colour. FCR is great under concrete slabs and pavers, to use for roadways, driveways and pathways.

How can I improve my FCR in BPO? ›

Equipping Your Customer Service Team to Improve First Call Resolution
  1. Prioritize FCR techniques in training. Emphasize the importance of in-depth product knowledge and cross-channel communication strategies in training. ...
  2. Cross-train agents. ...
  3. Make crucial information readily available for agents. ...
  4. Repeat and reflect.

What is contact rate? ›

The contact rate is measured as follows: the number of contacts obtained from one hundred opportunities generated. The contact rate is a very important metric in the digital field since it makes it possible to determine if the campaigns, actions and sales techniques are performing well.

How important is the first point of contact? ›

The first point of contact a customer has with a company is a great opportunity to build trust, set the tone and establish a relationship, but it's particularly important when a customer has a complaint they need resolving.

How can I increase my FCR knowledge and follow FCR on each contact? ›

Train your Agents: After setting goals, agent training is the most important step in achieving improved FCR. Track Performance: Continuously! Measure on Multiple Channels: A high FCR on phone calls, but a low FCR on chats does not a good overall FCR make. Make sure you're measuring across all contact channels.

How is FCR measured? ›

First Call Resolution Formula

To calculate this number, you divide the number of cases resolved first time by the number of cases handled by agents in total. You can multiply the number by 100 to get a percentage. For instance, if 150 calls out of 400 were handled first time, your FCR rate is 37.5%.

What affects first call resolution? ›

What affects first call resolution? First call resolution may be affected by many factors, such as the efficiency of call routing systems or long hold times. Also, it is important to factor in the complexity of the company's products or services - dealing with complex issues may require more escalations and follow-ups.

What is first resolution time? ›

What is first-resolution time? The first-resolution time is the time that it took to solve the issue by a customer support agent for the first time across all platforms such as email, live chat, social media, or phone calls. The first resolution time is an indication of your customer support efficiency.

What is a good average handle time? ›

What Is a Good Average Handle Time? Statistics show that the average handle time is between 6.46 minutes and 6.73 minutes depending on the industry — about 6 minutes and 6 minutes as an overall average. But just because 6.6 minutes is the average AHT doesn't mean it's a “good” average handle time for your call center.

What is a good contact rate? ›

First Contact Resolution (FCR)

Generally, the industry benchmark for FCR is between 70 and 75%. However, there are many different ways to measure FCR, and percentages will likely change depending on the method you use.

What is a good cost per contact? ›

What is the average cost per contact? The industry average is around $7.16, but it can vary depending on the channels of communication you use and the complexity of your business.

What is a good average resolution time? ›

What is a good Average Resolution Time? Typically, a good Average Resolution Time is within 5 minutes, where a customer is happy to wait to get the resolution to their query. As per industry standards, 6 minutes is a good AHT for several sectors.

What is a good call connection rate? ›

Reach rate benchmarks: 15% or higher

30% = You're doing great!

What is a good contact rate for cold calling? ›

What is the success rate of cold calling? The average cold calling success rate is 2%. This percentage is a lot lower than other sales techniques, but as a form of outbound lead generation, it's still effective and should be implemented into your sales strategy.

How many calls per hour is good? ›

This will allow a good inside salesperson to average 10-12 calls per hour while effectively maintaining and updating information in the CRM. Therefore, when asked how many cold calls per hour should an inside salesperson be able to make, a fair and reasonable response is 10 calls per hour.

What is resolution rate? ›

Resolution rate is a metric that compares the number of tickets assigned to an agent or organization to how many are solved within a certain period of time. The resolution rate formula looks like this: solved tickets / received tickets x 100 = resolution rate.

How much does a 1 year supply of contacts cost? ›

Contact lenses can cost anywhere from $150 to $1,500 a year, depending on the brand, type, and your insurance coverage. Generally, they cost between $20 and $30 a box. Most people with average prescriptions should be able to get a year's worth of contact lenses for $200 to $500.

What is the average cost per call at a call center? ›

Understanding Call Center Services Pricing. The pricing structure for call center services varies depending on the company. However, you might pay between $1.50 to $1.75 per minute. On average, that's about $0.98 per minute for calls.

What is a good cost percentage? ›

What is a good food cost percentage? Most restaurants across the industry aim for a food cost percentage between 28 and 35%. That said, every restaurant is unique — a lower food cost percentage may still drive profits for a quick-serve restaurant, or a restaurant located in a small town.

What is average first response time? ›

First Response Time (FRT) is the average amount of time taken for an agent to provide an initial response to a customer inquiry or support ticket. The speed at which you acknowledge a customer's question is a reflection of your commitment to customer satisfaction and the maturity and efficiency of your call centre.

How can I improve my resolution time? ›

Steps to Reduce Resolution Time
  1. Minimize Waiting Time.
  2. Automate Repetitive Actions.
  3. Offer Self-service Options.
  4. Organize Tickets Based on Priority.
  5. Use SLAs to Avoid Breaches.
  6. Use Canned Actions.
  7. Route Tickets Intelligently.
  8. Collaborate on Tickets.

Why is average resolution time important? ›

Average Resolution Time is an important metric for tracking the performance of experienced support teams and individual agents, in addition to highlighting potential improvements to internal workflows and processes.

What is a good quality call? ›

Call quality measures the efficiency and effectiveness of conversations between customer service representatives and customers. High-quality calls are polite, professional, understanding, timely, and effective at solving the problem at hand.

Does LTE improve call quality? ›

Activating VoLTE can improve the quality of your calls and allow you to use data for games, browsing, or scrolling while you talk on the phone at the same time. On most modern smartphones—both iPhones and Android devices—VoLTE is automatically active.

What is good latency for WIFI calling? ›

Latency (aka Ping)

For best results, keep network latency under 50ms. Exceeding 200ms will noticeably affect quality.

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