Top 10 Tips for First Call Resolution Improvement

Many call centers have competing strategic objectives for improving FCR. They might say that they are trying to improve FCR, but their practices tend to reflect competing for short-term objectives like cost-reduction or sales as a primary focus. You can improve both costs and sales through improved FCR, but the inverse cannot be said.

Managers tend to use 'Inside-Out' instead of 'Outside-In' CX operating practices. Perhaps more alarming is that many call center leaders believe their operating practices align to outside-in CX practices, when really, they are more inside-out. In fact, SQM finds only 25% of organizations are using Outside-In CX operating practices. It is paramount that organizations that use the Inside-Out practice, at a minimum, gather annual customer feedback from a credible third-party CX research firm. The Outside-In CX operating practice requires the organization to be customer-centric. Organizations using this approach incorporate customer feedback into all aspects of their operating practices. With the Outside-In CX operating practice, the customer defines CX and KPIs, like first call resolution.

There can be a disconnect between internal FCR and external FCR due to customers not calling back or using other channels to resolve their inquiries or problems. In fact, SQM's research shows that call centers measuring FCR using only internal measurement methods, such as repeat call tracking telephony technology (e.g., ACD, IVR), tend to overinflate their results by 10%-20%. A robust FCR measurement program that combines the benefits of internal measurement methods with an effective voice of the customer (VoC) driven external measurement is the industry best practice.

Most call center managers struggle with defining and calculating FCR. The most common reason for this struggle is that they do not have a working definition or do not know how to calculate FCR and call resolution correctly. The way call center First Call Resolution (FCR) is defined plays an essential role in calculating the FCR rate. Below is how SQM defines FCR and is applicable for measuring and calculating external and internal FCR.