Offering exceptional and seamless customer service guarantees steady business growth, because customers will be satisfied with the services you offer and will become loyal. Loyalty translates into consistent revenues and quality assurance is at its core.
Quality assurance is the systematic process of monitoring how well products or services meet specific quality requirements. Most companies have a well- defined quality assurance program, because they know that to meet and exceed customers’ expectations, they need to continuously inspect the quality of services delivered.
Poor customer service impacts your bottom line. You start by losing customers, who in turn tell their friends about your service, and then they also leave and the pattern continues. This downward spiral can be disrupted by an accurate focus on the correct customer service metrics.
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First Contact Resolution Rate :
FCR is one of the most important metrics in the contact center. It measures how many customers’ issues are resolved on the first contact. When customers are satisfied with your services in the initial contact, they will trust you and come back again.A high first contact resolution rate indicates a high customer satisfaction rate. Measuring FCR leads to improved customer experiences, because your team will understand which behaviors are correct and which need to be improved. If you start with a low rate and with time it increases, you agents will be motivated, leading to job satisfaction and happy customers.
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Response Time :
How long does it take your agents to respond to customer queries? Response time is the period between when a customer makes a request and the time that they get a response. Slow service indicates incompetence or lack of urgency. If you want to retain your clients, then respond to them in a timely manner. Not every issue can be resolved immediately, however, that does not mean that the customer has to wait very long to get a response.Response time gives you insights into the quality of services you are offering. When your average response time keeps reducing, it means your services are improving and customers are satisfied.
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Total Volume by Channel :
This metric is the baseline of other metrics. It indicates the total volume of inquiries you receive per channel. If you are running a contact center, you attend to customers via different platforms. Measuring which medium customers prefer to use will help you meet them where they are and how they want to be met.It is also important for the company to focus on the channels with the highest return on investments. For example, if your clients like contacting you through live chat, then to offer exceptional experiences, upgrade your tools and ensure that staffing levels are appropriate to the volume. Quality assurance provides these insights into the customer experiences delivered.
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Abandonment Rates :
Your contact center exists to meet customers needs, if they keep abandoning conversations, then there is a serious quality issue that needs immediate attention. Remember customers have many options and with an instant gratification need, you have to give them reasons not to look elsewhere. Statistics show that 71% of customers on live chat expect help in less than 5 minutes. If the handle time is more than that, they abandon the conversation. These rates provide insight into agent speed and staffing gaps. Adjustments you make from the insights gathered, affect the customers directly.
Developing and implementing a quality assurance program is the only way to guarantee that your customer service meets the expectations of your customers. Begin by focusing on these metrics, first call resolution rate, response time, total volume by channel and abandonment rates, to transform your insights into the quality of services your customers deserve.
