Why FCR Matters (And the Call Center Solutions that Boost It!)

If you’re going to fixate on a metric, First Contact Resolution (FCR) is a good option. 

Raising FCR generally reduces call volume, improves CX and makes life simpler for call handlers. 

That’s why it’s a core target for practically every inbound call center. 

In this post:

• What exactly is FCR?
• Should you aim for the highest possible FCR rate?
• 5 call center solutions for better FCR

What exactly is FCR?

FCR is a call center metric which tracks whether customers had to contact you more than once about a single issue. 

If you have a low rate of FCR it probably means customers aren’t getting great service in their first interaction.

Here’s the simple equation for measuring FCR:

Bear in mind: FCR is not the same metric as repeat contacts. 

A customer could contact you three times with three different questions. If that happens, it’s not a failure of FCR. 

However, if that customer has to keep contacting you about the same issue, that is a failure of FCR. 

Should you aim for the highest possible FCR rate?

The answer is a decisive… sort of. 

Sure, there are good reasons to help customers first time: 

1. Reducing repeat calls also reduces total calls
2. Customers will appreciate it
3. Low FCR is bad for agents because they deal with more irate customers 

So what would stop you pursuing a great FCR rate?

There are a couple of other elements to consider. For example, some service strategies will change FCR – maybe in the wrong direction – without damaging service quality. 

Pre-emptive contact center service is a good example. Contact centers are increasingly trying to solve customer issues before they grow into real problems. 

What happens when they pull that off?

They prevent a lot of simple, single-contact interactions. That leaves more of the complex and potentially multi-contact interactions on the table.

Does that mean pre-empting problems is a bad thing? No – but it could still lower your FCR rate. 

So instead of obsessing over FCR, ask yourself this:

• Does FCR tell us something insightful about our service?
• How can we generally improve our service with this number in mind?

With all that in mind, you probably still want to increase FCR. Here are five call center solutions that work.  

5 Call Center Solutions For Better FCR

#1 Make sure agents get the right data

Well prepared agents are the cornerstone of good FCR. 

But – in around 60% of failed FCRs, the culprit is the agent’s inability to access the right data. 

Let’s break the problem down: 

1. Have you integrated your systems? Or is your customer data spread far and wide? 
2. Do you send agents customer data automatically? Or do they have to hunt for it? 
3. Do you use a knowledge management system? Or does knowledge disappear when skilled agents retire?

The systems that you rely on should be deeply integrated – not a lot of silos. 

Integration makes it easy to find the right data fast, especially if you put data on screen as a pop-up as calls connect.  

Likewise, integration makes it easier for agents to update records across every system of record you depend on. 

(If you want to learn more about deep data integration, read ‘How do APIs enhance Contact Center Services?’)  

#2 Make FCR your *VIP* KPI  

There are basically two things you need to increase FCR: the processes and the buy-in. 

Agents are more than happy to offer in-depth service if they feel empowered to. But around 85% don’t feel they don’t have the resources or authority to deal with customers effectively. 

And maybe you have another acronym on your mind… AHT! Will more detailed support mean longer calls?

Well, yes. On the other hand, better FCR will mean fewer calls in total. It’s also likely to mean better CSat and customer loyalty!

You can look at the AHT problem this way:

Imagine a contact center with an AHT of five minutes and utilization rate around 60%. Fairly average.

That’s seven(ish) calls per agent, per hour. (Or about 50 calls in total, each.) 

Ok – now imagine this contact center hones their FCR rate. As a result, they prevent one call per agent, per day. 

What does preventing a single five-minute call do for the contact center? It actually has the same impact as reducing the length of the average call by 2%.

And that’s a goal worth aiming for. 

(In a 200 agent contact center, that’s over 16 hours saved per day!)

#3 Add personalization to your call routing

If you want to give customers the right outcome, start by giving them the right agent!

It’s not a new idea. But still, plenty of contact centers have really limited personalization in their call routing. 

The personal touch is something customers value very highly. They even rate it above the speed of their resolution!

Some contact centers are satisfied with service/sales pathways. But you shouldn’t be one of them! 

Personalization starts when you can put customer data to good use. 

Does the customer have an open Helpdesk ticket? Can you see a new or pending purchase in their profile on your call center CRM? Did they already reach out in a different channel?

This is all information that you can bring into call routing.

(Need more detail? Get it in ‘Personalized call routing – what’s really stopping you?’) 

#4 Get on top of your root cause analysis

In a post on pre-emptive service, we looked at a great example of root cause analysis from AT&T. 

The company got a lot of calls from new customers about their initial bill. AT&T took a close at these calls and realized that customers were confused by the cost breakdown. 

Their response was to create a video for new customers, and send it out via SMS and email. This approach immediately cut their call volume by 10%! 

That’s a straightforward example. Your contact drivers may be more complex. But either way, all you need to do is ask ‘why?’ and to keep asking it. 

Consultant Colin Taylor has argued that it takes 5 rounds of ‘why’ to get at the problem you can solve. 

So look at the topics which drive repeat calls. Ask why that happened – and keep asking until you get to the solvable problem.

#5 Confirm outcomes with outbound SMS 

I can think of at least two good reasons to summarize calls in an SMS message. 

The first is that customers so often forget what your agents tell them! Sometimes they misjudge their capacity to remember each step in a process. Sometimes they just lie about having a pen ready. 

Either way, giving them a quick and easy summary of the conversation – like order details, or links to troubleshooting guidance – can help prevent a second conversation. 

The second is that it’s very useful to confirm that their Helpdesk ticket is closed. That gives them the chance to tell you if they’re not satisfied before they get in touch again. 

It’s easy to automate two-way SMS messages that include a summary of the key details of a conversation.  

In fact, almost all SMS automation is pretty easy. Between SMS and IVR – with a good serving of automation – can handle a lot of calls without agents. 

You can find out how in ‘Your (free) guide to automating SMS and IVR’.