One of the most important services SQM offers is to help our call center clients develop and implement an action plan for improving their FCR performance. In order to develop an action plan to improve FCR performance, SQM will conduct customer and employee surveys and an FCR operational survey, if not already completed by SQM or another vendor. After all surveys are completed, SQM will conduct a comprehensive analysis of your FCR, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, operational performance and call center operating practices for opportunities for improving FCR performance.
The 3 Steps Needed for FCR Improvement Action Plan
Step 1 – Conduct Surveys and/or Analyze Data:
Conduct customer surveys on call center FCR delivery… This study measures your call center FCR delivery and provides insights on reducing repeat calls from a customer perspective. Typically, SQM will conduct a minimum of 400 post-call surveys, or use your existing data, to analyze your repeat call reduction opportunities.
Conduct employee surveys on call center FCR business practices… This study measures your call center FCR business practices and provides insights on reducing repeat calls from an employee perspective. Typically, SQM will conduct a minimum of 100 front-line employee surveys, or use your existing data, to analyze your repeat call reduction opportunities.
Complete FCR operational survey… This study measures your call center FCR business practices. We collect data on key aspects of the call center operation from an FCR and financial perspective.
Analyze customer, employee and operational survey data… SQM and/or the FCR improvement team will conduct a deep-dive analysis of all survey data sources to properly understand opportunities for improving operating cost, customer satisfaction and retention by reducing repeat calls.
Note: If any of the survey data sources above are available, then conducting surveys for that source is not required.
Step 2 – Review Business Practices and/or Analyze Data:
Analyze quality assurance… SQM and/or the FCR improvement team analyze your quality assurance business practices to determine its impact on your FCR performance and to provide insights for reducing repeat calls.
Listen to calls… SQM and/or the FCR improvement team listen to calls to evaluate the effectiveness of call flow and desktop applications for resolving customer calls.
Review operation… SQM and/or the FCR improvement team will review and discuss the findings of the customer, employee and operational survey data with senior management. This review is used to gain a clear understanding of operational business practices and agreement on the opportunities for reducing repeat calls.
Step 3 – Develop FCR Improvement Action Plan:
Based on customer, employee, operational survey data analysis and business practices review, SQM consultants, in conjunction with your FCR improvement team, develop an FCR Improvement Action Plan and provide ongoing council for implementing the FCR Improvement Action Plan.
Top 5 Reasons to Improve your FCR Performance
Reduce operating cost - for the average call center that SQM benchmarks, a 1% improvement in their FCR performance equals $276,000 in operational savings. If you are performing at the call center industry average of 67% first call resolution rate, you need to understand that at least 33% of customers calling your call center have to call back because their inquiry or problem is not resolved on their first call. The cost to the call center is enormous.
Improve call center customer satisfaction - by having high first call resolution. In fact, every 1% improvement in FCR equals a 1% improvement in call center customer satisfaction. Call center customer satisfaction drops an average of 15% with each repeat call, so the impact repeat calls have on your overall customer satisfaction is enormous.
Reduce customers at risk - customers that are at risk of going to competitors are a result of unresolved customer inquiries or problems and have the biggest impact on the call center’s financial performance. The cost to the organization of customers at risk (as a result of not getting their call resolved) is 5-10 times greater than the operational savings received from improving FCR performance. Most call centers are not aware how much revenue they are losing as a result of the customer’s inquiry or problem going unresolved. SQM’s research shows that if the customer’s call is not resolved in the first call, 40% or more of those customers will not call back. Therefore, the call center has lost the opportunity to resolve those customers’ calls and retain those customers.
Increase opportunities to sell – the customer’s inquiry or problem must be resolved before the CSR has earned the right to move onto any sort of sales activity. If the CSR moves to the cross sell too early the customer is irritated and feels the CSR is pushing the organization’s needs, rather than serving the customer.
Improve employee satisfaction - an organization with low first call resolution often has low employee satisfaction and high turnover. Interestingly, only 10% of employees are satisfied that management focuses on improving FCR! The stress on the employee of taking the second and third call from that customer whose issue wasn’t resolved the first time is huge. In fact, for the average call center, 52% of total calls handled by CSRs are not resolved in one call.
Investment
The total investment to have an SQM consultant conduct and facilitate the development of the FCR Improvement Action Plan is between $7,500 and $15,000. There is an additional cost if SQM needs to conduct surveys (i.e., customer, employee or operational). There will also be additional charges to cover applicable taxes, travel and accommodation expenses for an SQM consultant.
