FCR- Are You Making It a Priority?


Where does FCR rank in your list of priorities?

The role of the contact center is to offer customer services to their clients. The key is to exceed expectations and provide superior customer experiences at all times. There are no exceptions. If you don’t deliver then the client moves on to the next center and the customer moves on to the experience they are looking for.

FCR is a critical measurement that gauges how well you are meeting your customers’ needs and how satisfied they are with the service you provide. The challenge for the contact center is to consistently maintain the high-quality standards of service that the client expects. Remember you represent their brand and so the experience you provide is a direct reflection of them.

How can you ensure that you are among the top contact centers and what metrics should be your main focus?

It has been my experience over the years that FCR, when analyzed well, will differentiate you from the competition. Look at is this way.

It is an all-encompassing metric

The digital advancement changed how call centers operate. It is not just about phone calls anymore. It is now about being where the customers are and social media will play a major role in how customers discuss your brand; they post, email, chat, and tweet.

The definition of FCR has expanded over the years from First Call Resolution to First Contact Resolution. It includes all points of contact with the customer, and means that the customer’s issue will be resolved by the first person they contact no matter where that contact takes place.

Think about it. If a customer with a billing problem chats with an agent via the website, they are looking for that agent to resolve their issue. We live in a fast paced, instant gratification society. Customers want a superior experience and expect that they will get it no matter where they are contacting the company.

It measures quality standards

FCR is a quality metric. It helps to measure the quality of services rendered to customers. Today’s customer have high expectations and they should. When asked, the customer states that getting a solution from the first person they contact tops the list.

The connected customer has more options today than ever before when it comes to products and services. Your contact center needs to meet his or her expectations in the best, and fastest, way possible. At the end of the day when you offer superior customer experiences, you will have high customer satisfaction levels for your brand and the brand you are representing.

It helps you identify training needs

Training is a fundamental element for the success of your contact center because it improves agents’ performance. FCR provides you with information gaps that can help you streamline training. If you are measuring FCR properly you can identify the weak areas of your center and focus on providing the necessary knowledge and competencies to handle the customer issues you are missing. Monitoring FCR via your quality assurance team and calibration sessions will help you highlight the specific areas you must focus on. The sooner you identify those areas the quicker you can improve your agent’s knowledge base and close the gaps.

It gives you a better understanding of your customers

A contact center is a customer-centric company and having a good understanding of the customers you serve will help you provide the experience they are looking for. Using FCR, you gather vital information about your customer needs. Why did they call? What are their common issues with a product or service? Do they have common misconceptions that you can outline in your frequently asked questions page?

This is all information that helps marketing, customer service, sales and leadership work to provide the experience that the customers want vs. what we think they want.

It increases efficiency

Inefficiency in a contact center will quickly eat away at profitability and your brand. When customers are dissatisfied with the service and employees frustrated with their jobs due to lack of knowledge you will lose them both.

FCR data illuminates root-cause issues and provides the foundation for training, coaching and development to stop what is hindering an organization’s ability to provide the customer support necessary to maintain high customer satisfaction levels.

So where do you stand with FCR?

If it isn’t a priority today, you may want to start looking at how you are measuring the customer experience and if you are in line with what the customer is saying about the service they are receiving vs. the service they expect. Bottom line when you resolve customers issues at first contact you are leaving a customer with more time to promote you and the brands you represent!

This blog was first published on LinkedIN

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