How can you benchmark your escalation management metrics against industry standards?

1 Why benchmarking is important

Benchmarking is the practice of measuring and comparing your processes, outcomes, and performance with those of other organizations or best practices. It can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, set realistic and achievable goals, and track your progress and improvement. Benchmarking can also help you gain insights into your customers' expectations, preferences, and needs, as well as the trends and challenges in your industry.

2 What metrics to benchmark

Evaluating your escalation management involves considering multiple metrics, such as the escalation rate (percentage of tickets escalated to a higher level of support or different department), escalation time (average time it takes for a ticket to be escalated from the first contact to the next level of support or department), resolution time (average time it takes for a ticket to be resolved after it is escalated), and resolution rate (percentage of tickets that are resolved after they are escalated). These metrics can indicate the effectiveness of your frontline support, responsiveness and coordination of your support teams, efficiency of higher-level support or other departments, and customer satisfaction and loyalty.

3 How to benchmark your metrics

Benchmarking your escalation management metrics requires you to define your objectives and scope, identify your sources and data, compare and evaluate your results, and implement and monitor your actions. To do this, decide why you want to benchmark your metrics, what aspects of your escalation management you want to improve, and what criteria you will use to compare your performance with others. Research and select reliable sources such as industry reports, surveys, publications, or peer networks to collect data on your industry standards. Analyze your own data on your escalation management metrics using customer support software, analytics platforms, or surveys. Compare your metrics with the industry standards using ratios, percentages, or averages to evaluate how you perform against the benchmarks. Based on this evaluation, develop an action plan to improve your escalation management such as providing more training or resources to support teams or streamlining the escalation process. Monitor and measure the impact of these actions and adjust the plan as needed.

4 How to use benchmarking best practices

To make the most of your benchmarking efforts, you should choose relevant and realistic benchmarks that are applicable and meaningful to your business goals, customer needs, and industry context. Remember that benchmarking is a tool, not a goal, and should be used to inform and guide decisions and actions. Additionally, benchmarking should be an ongoing process, regularly and consistently monitored to keep track of performance, progress, improvement, and industry changes. You should also review and update your benchmarks periodically to ensure their relevance and accuracy.

5 How to communicate your benchmarking results

Benchmarking can provide you with valuable insights and information, but it's important to communicate them effectively and appropriately to your stakeholders. When communicating your benchmarking results, use clear and concise language to explain your objectives, methods, and results. Visual aids, such as charts, graphs, or tables, can help illustrate and highlight your key points and findings. Speak in a positive and constructive tone by emphasizing your achievements and strengths while also recognizing opportunities for improvement. Provide relevant and actionable recommendations that are specific and realistic. Align these suggestions with your business goals, customer needs, and industry standards. Assign roles and responsibilities for implementing these recommendations, as well as set timelines and milestones for monitoring progress.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?