First Call Resolution: The Power of Getting It Right the First Time Related Articles What Is First Contact Resolution? – With Formula and Expert Best Practices First Call Resolution: What Is It and How Do You Measure It? 33 Tips for First Time Resolution 50 Call Centre Training Tips © Prostock-studio-Adobe Stock-314868110 204 Filed under - Industry Insights, 8x8 Justin Robbins of 8×8 shares some strategies for improving First Call Resolution (FCR). When a customer calls a contact centre, they have a clear objective in mind. That objective might be to pay a bill, buy a product or service, or ask a question. They want to achieve that objective as quickly as possible, ideally without having to call a second time. The “first call resolution” metric is a measure of how many contact centre calls are resolved on the first attempt. What Is First Call Resolution? The simplest definition is that first call resolution (FCR) is a measure of the number of customer service calls that are successfully resolved upon the first contact. This metric is rarely used in isolation. It’s usually considered alongside the average handling time (AHT), which is a measure of how much time the caller spends on the telephone. Of the two, FCR is perhaps the most important, because customer dissatisfaction has been shown to increase if a customer has to call back to get an issue resolved. First Call Resolution Strategies Improving first call resolution means training your contact centre staff to understand best practices and how to communicate clearly with customers. The key points are as follows: Make sure you understand the needs of the customer Ask qualifying and clarifying questions Set clear and appropriate expectations Keep the customer informed throughout the call Be confident Make it clear that you understand the urgency or challenges of the call Don’t commit to something if you’re not sure you can deliver Bring in second-line or senior support if required Follow through on any promises that you make Ask the customer if there’s anything else you can help with First Call Resolution Tips The points listed above should be a part of any general customer service training, including first call resolution training. If you’ve noticed that your first call resolution rate is lower than you think it could be, your first step should be to investigate the reasons why people are calling back and figure out what’s going wrong during that first call. Is there a specific call category that’s attracting the most repeat calls? Are certain agents resolving a lower percentage of first calls than others? Justin Robbins With the right contact centre analytics tools, you can identify the areas where your first call resolution rate is being pulled down. You can then invest in training your customer service agents, improving call screening and routing, and upgrading your CRM tools to allow your staff to do a better job. At 8×8, we offer some sophisticated contact center tools that can make it easier to understand how calls are being processed within your company. Our customer experience analytics tools, CRM software, quality management tools, and omnichannel routing products give you the information and tools you need to improve customer service, handle high call volumes and address complex cases successfully. This blog post has been re-published by kind permission of 8x8 – View the Original Article For more information about 8x8 - visit the 8x8 Website About 8x8 8x8 is transforming the future of business communications as a leading Software-as-a-Service provider of voice, video, chat, contact centre, and enterprise-class API solutions, powered by one global cloud communications platform. Read other posts by 8x8 Call Centre Helper is not responsible for the content of these guest blog posts. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of Call Centre Helper. Author: 8x8 Published On: 1st Dec 2020 - Last modified: 2nd Dec 2020 Read more about - Industry Insights, 8x8 Recommended Articles What Is First Contact Resolution? – With Formula and Expert Best Practices First Call Resolution: What Is It and How Do You Measure It? 33 Tips for First Time Resolution 50 Call Centre Training Tips Related Reports Guide: Contact Center Buyer's Guide Report: 2030 Customer Experience Vision eBook: Embracing eXperience Communications as a Service (XCaaS) eBook: The Real Costs of Doing Nothing Contact Centre Reports, Surveys and White Papers Get the latest exciting call centre reports, specialist whitepapers and interesting case-studies. Choose the content that you want to receive. Contact Centre Reports, Surveys and White Papers Invites to exclusive Webinars & Events Weekly Newsletter