Are Your KPIs in Desperate Need of a Refresh?

Are your KPIs truly helping you to maintain a competitive edge in your customer experience? Or are they just getting in the way?

If the hard truth is that they are in desperate need of a refresh, take a look at the highlights of our Call Centre Helper webinar on The New Thinking for Contact Centre KPIs – hosted by our very own Xander Freeman and featuring expert insights from Katie Stabler (CULTIVATE) and Kevin McNulty (Talkdesk) – to help get you started.

What’s the Problem With Old-School Metrics?

From the very start, Katie challenged the status quo.

She made a strong case against relying too heavily on old-school metrics like Average Handling Time (AHT), Net Promoter Score (NPS), and First Contact Resolution (FCR).

While once seen as gold standards for measuring success, these numbers no longer reflect the complexities of the modern customer experience.

Instead, Katie argued, it’s time for KPIs to evolve – especially in light of declining customer satisfaction and the rise of siloed data systems.

“These traditional KPIs are often used more like targets than indicators,” she noted. “They don’t inform decision-making, and worse, they incentivize the wrong behaviours.”

She pointed out that customer satisfaction continues to decline, despite businesses appearing to hit their KPIs on paper. Why? Because we’re measuring the wrong things!

Outdated KPIs are causing organizations to lose sight of what really matters: empathy, personalization, and issue resolution that actually sticks.

The KPI Revolution Is Here! What to Track Instead

To move the industry forward, Katie introduced a compelling suite of customer-centric KPIs, including:

These metrics, she suggested, don’t just offer more accurate insights – they also give brands a genuine edge when it comes to building long-term relationships with customers.

Enter Agentic AI

Kevin added another dimension to the conversation with a discussion on Agentic AI – a more adaptive, intuitive form of AI that doesn’t just automate tasks, but learns from each interaction to improve both customer experience and employee support.

It is a more autonomous and intelligent breed of artificial intelligence that adapts in real time, learns from interactions, and may ultimately redefine how we understand performance and customer satisfaction.

Rather than replacing human agents, Kevin argued, AI should amplify their efforts – especially in roles where empathy and nuance are key.

As AI adoption surges, Kevin stressed that empowering agents with the right AI tools – along with the training to use them – is essential.

If you are interested in where the latest tech is having the biggest impact right now, read our article: 10 New Ways Tech Is Helping Agents Right Now

Top Tips From the Audience

The panel ended with an interactive Q&A and a flurry of insightful audience contributions. Here is a handful of smart, practical takeaways shared live during the session by attendees:

“Involve your team in setting up KPIs. It boosts engagement and makes them feel part of the process.” – Grace

“Don’t measure contact centre performance in isolation. Every department should align their KPIs to the customer experience.” – Grieta

“Focusing on first contact resolution boosts customer happiness and efficiency.” – Charley

If you want advice on improving FCR, read our article: Top Tactics to Improve First Contact Resolution (FCR)

“Start with your current performance and improve in small increments. Think “how to eat an elephant” – one bite at a time.” – Desmond

“Use customer feedback from repeat visits to fix root issues. Agents should be equipped to spot what went wrong last time.” – Bally

“When setting KPIs, start with department goals, then work backwards to each role. Share the strategy so everyone understands their part.” – Becky

“Remove or reduce KPIs where possible. Less pressure can mean better customer service and higher satisfaction.” – Jimmie

“Empower agents with AI training before implementation. A shift in mindset is often more crucial than the tech itself.” – Natasha

Start Designing Systems That Genuinely Serve Customers

This session wasn’t just about metrics. It was about rethinking purpose.

It challenged everyone in the industry to stop worshipping the numbers and start designing systems that genuinely serve customers and empower the humans delivering the service.

As one attendee brilliantly put it: “Overall helpful – not HYPE-ful!” Now that’s a KPI worth tracking!

If you want to find out what else was discussed during the webinar, watch the replay: The New Thinking for Contact Centre KPIs

If you are looking for more information on contact centre KPIs, read these articles next:

• How to Complete an Audit on Your Current KPIs
• Get Ahead of KPI Fluctuations in Your Contact Centre
• Are Your Team Leaders Too Busy Chasing Metrics?

Author: Stephanie Lennox
Reviewed by: Jo Robinson