Top Call Center Statistics you need to know in 2022

August 17, 2022
6:00 pm
BPO Insights
BPO, Call Center Services, Customer Services

Tracking Call Center Statistics and metrics is critical for improving productivity, profitability, and customer satisfaction.

In this post, we’ll go over the top Call Center Statistics for 2021 that you’ll need to keep an eye on in 2022.

Why is tracking Call Center Statistics important?

Keeping track of call center statistics is an excellent method to stay up with industry developments.

You may use the information to assess customer expectations and plan your service offerings accordingly. It enables your customer support staff to keep up with shifting client requirements and provide excellent Customer Service.

Information on call center trends and statistics can help you forecast the future.

You can spot emerging patterns and future-proof your work processes. Following the Call Center Statistics will ensure that you’re always one step ahead of the competition by monitoring this metric.

Top Call Center Statistics you need to know

Customer Service statistics indicate how businesses are adjusting to contemporary demands. They also give you whole picture of what the future may hold for call centers.

Call Center Customer Statistics

Knowing what your consumers want allows you to meet their needs immediately. You’ll need to address their requirements and concerns directly if you want them to have a pleasant experience.

Here are some Call Center Statistics from HubSpot’s 2020 Report, Salesforce’s 2020 Report, and Microsoft’s 2020 Report on what your buyers want.

Over half of the customers (54%) feel businesses need to create more innovative ideas for customer engagement.
A total of 50% of customers believe that there is a significant need for enhanced Customer Service and support from most businesses.
Customers desire empathy from Customer Service staff, according to 68% of customers.
43% of customers prefer call centers and contact centers that use bots to make things easier.
60% of customers are interested in applying AI in Customer Service because it helps them quickly resolve customer concerns.
88% of customers are more likely to talk about their negative interactions with Customer Service on social media than complain directly to the company.
Customer expectations are now higher than they’ve ever been, according to 93% of Customer Service teams.
According to a recent survey, 88% of consumers anticipate businesses to speed up digital initiatives due to the COVID pandemic.
Customers are increasingly attentive to the experience a firm provides. 79% of consumers said it is more essential than product or service quality. It reflects an increase in client interaction.
69% of customers are more inclined to expect more digital and personalized interactions with businesses while receiving goods or services.
44% of customers believe that businesses need to use technological solutions to make their lives easier by a factor of three.
Customers will cut ties with a company or brand if they receive bad service, according to 58% of respondents.

What do those Statistics mean?

The above Customer Service data suggests that customers have raised their expectations. They no longer accept anything less than a great customer support experience.

Call Centers seek to utilize the digital platform to enhance customer experience because customers value the convenience and speed provided by various digital channels (chat, email, SMS, social media, messaging apps, and more).

In 2022, Contact Centers and Call Centers must deliver exceptional service to survive and develop brand loyalty. Making customers feel that you appreciate their time may greatly impact your success today.

Statistics on how businesses are improving their Call Centers

The recent Call Center is not what it was 20 years ago. Customers nowadays want to interact with a Customer Service representative through omnichannel channels such as social media, live chat, and email instead of placing calls.

Here are a few of the findings from HubSpot’s 2020 Call Center Report, which details how companies are improving their Call Center operations and Customer Service strategy:

There’s been a 4% rise in companies keeping track of customer happiness. It demonstrates the firm’s commitment to enhancing Customer Service and taking customer feedback seriously.
Online reviews and social media platforms are utilized by over 50% of Call Centers to assess customer satisfaction.
The number of businesses that measure NPS (Net Promoter Score) to analyze customer satisfaction has risen by 6%. It aids companies in avoiding poor Customer Service encounters.
5% more companies are using a brand advocacy strategy than the year before. Companies get a firm foothold in the market and develop customer loyalty by encouraging them to praise their Call Centers.
According to current data, 67% of businesses have demonstrated significant development and business potential by collecting customer feedback. Customer Service comments are critical for improving any Call Center’s brand value.

Some other Statistics

29% of firms use live chat software to enhance Customer Service and decrease agent workload. It was found to be beneficial in streamlining the Call Center operation by 90%.
48% of Customer Service professionals consider developing a good customer experience as their most important goal, with greater revenue as the key to more profits.
Customer support staff’s second most important work priority is concentrating on customer retention strategies. This statistic comes in at 45%.
Customer feedback programs are among the top priorities for roughly 17% of Customer Service teams.
42% of all companies use a help desk solution to improve customer experience and journey. 86% of those think that it increases productivity and fosters customer loyalty.
40% of businesses are adopting self-service features such as a knowledge base or FAQs area to expedite Customer Service.
At least 32% of firms use a Call Centre CRM system to increase revenue and strengthen existing customer connections.
Ticketing systems are being used by 28% of all firms to improve customer queries and streamline operations.
With the use of omnichannel communication, Contact Centers are becoming more prevalent. According to the 2019 Omnichannel Marketing Automation Statistics Report, marketers achieve a 90% higher customer retention rate through omnichannel communication than through one channel.

What do those Statistics mean?

Call Centers have moved away from simply maximizing revenue and agent productivity to focusing on client satisfaction.

Businesses now rely on customer feedback to improve their performance and foster brand loyalty. They use Call Center analytics to evaluate the customer data and discover important insights about their requirements and preferences.

With the growth of new Call Center trends, voice interactions are decreasing. Traditional telemarketing centers are looking at alternative methods such as social media, live chat, and emails to engage more customers. Digital channels will be used more frequently, paving the way for omnichannel Customer Service.

Future of Call Centers Statistics

Here are some trends and predictions for the future.

According to the Statista 2020 Report, 87% of global businesses believe AI will provide them with a competitive edge. AI will be used in contact centers and Call Centers to automate repetitive duties concerning Customer Service.
Call Centers based on the cloud may assist you in providing 24-hour Customer Service. According to Fortune Business Insights Report, the worldwide cloud market is expected to expand from $76.43 billion in 2021 to $390.33 billion in 2028.
According to a Vox Media survey conducted in 2020, 90% of North American companies are likely to increase video conferencing expenditures in 2022 to improve the client experience.
According to the 2020 InterraIT Report, 47% of organizations will use chatbots to simplify the customer journey, while around 40% will employ virtual assistants.
According to the 2020 Market Study, 66% of Call Center firms are eager to use advanced analytics to improve their customer journey.
Social media will continue to be a major customer support channel. The 2020 Statista Report expects social media users to grow to almost 4.41 billion in 2025.
The Call Center as a Service (CCaaS) is a cloud-based customer experience solution that’s becoming more popular in Call Centers. According to the Gartner Press Release 2021, businesses will use it more widely to cut IT and support expenses.
It enables Call Centers to acquire technology and services for meeting their company demands and customer expectations from a vendor or software developer.

A few more Call Center Statistics

According to the State Of The Contact Center 2020 Report by Fonolo:

Many Call Center managers recognize the value of digital communication platforms (social media, text messages, and webchat), which is a trend that will continue.
Call Center agents anticipate a rise in inquiries via social media, intelligent virtual assistants, and IVRs, but a decline in queries by SMS.
Call Centers can use analytics and AI integrations to create and provide a superb customer experience.
Call Centers anticipate that the demand for artificial intelligence will increase by more than 50% in the next several years.
Nearly 33% of Call Center workers are most concerned about their company’s outsourcing footprint expanding in the future to combat attrition.

What do those Statistics mean?

These statistics predict that the Call Center sector will extend beyond inbound and outbound calls. Non-voice channels, such as chat and webinars, will account for more than half of all customer contact, so telemarketing centers must adapt their service approach.

AI will assist you in improving agent performance by providing intelligent call routing and enhanced call analytics. In the future, social media and analytics will play a significant role in assisting customers in resolving problems quickly, and fixing poor Customer Service encounters.

As a result of these concerns, they are considering outsourcing Call Center operations to lower company expenses and increase agent productivity. The bottom line is that customer satisfaction will continue to be the driving force behind contact centers.

Why is it necessary to measure Call Center Metrics?

Performance indicators are used to evaluate the success of your outbound and inbound Call Center. You need to know how successful your calls are and their profitability.

A Call Center supervisor must find the most cost-effective solution to minimize expenditures, improve customer retention, and increase conversion rates. To verify that you’re delivering on your promises, you’ll need to track the productivity of your Customer Service agent.

Each of these Call Center metrics should be treated as a KPI (Key Performance Indicators) and used to evaluate the success of your Call Center management.

The best Call Center Metrics to track

Here are the most critical Call Center metrics to measure agent performance and enhance Customer Service quality.

Average Call Abandonment Rate

You want to give outstanding Customer Service, but how can you do it when your customers hang up before they reach a representative?

When customers are put on hold for too long, they may become frustrated and decide to give up. You make customers feel unappreciated when you extend the hold duration, and the occurrence of abandoned calls increases. In other words, you’re providing a terrible customer experience.

Your customer’s confidence in your firm and the service providers’ ability to assist them is lost when they are abandoned. A higher number of abandoned calls might also endanger your customer retention rates.

This is why the average call abandonment rate is one of the most important measures for assessing agent performance.

Percentage of Blocked Calls

When a caller receives a busy signal, the call is considered “blocked.” Fewer chances for your Customer Service person mean less time making calls.

Why does it happen?

It’s most often due to a lack of agents who can’t answer every call. Alternatively, your agents may be spending too much time on each call.

To improve the number of service representatives on each shift, as a Call Center manager, you must increase it. You may also establish rules regarding conversation time to ensure that your agents are productive. It will assist you in reducing the number of declined clients and increasing customer retention rates.

Average Time In Queue

When looking through the queues, it is also necessary to consider how long your customer has waited in line before reaching an agent. This statistic is directly linked to your customer experience and retention rates. Long waiting periods generally result in a bad customer experience.

According to the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends 2020 Report, nearly 60% of customers find a long wait time to be the most annoying part of every service encounter.

You may suggest that your call team improve their time management to reduce your customers’ wait time.

Consider investing in a call-back system so your consumers do not have to wait in line.

Service Level

The percentage of incoming calls answered within a set period is the service level of an outbound or inbound Call Center. These performance indicators examine whether a particular customer care representative handles calls effectively. It’s also crucial because customers like receiving quick attention.

The tracking of this target service level is done through ratios. An 80/30 Call Center service level, for example, indicates that your agents aim to respond to 80% of all calls within 30 seconds.

Average Speed of Answer (ASA)

This is a crucial quality control measure that you may use to evaluate your Call Center agent’s performance. The sooner your response time is, the better the customer experience will be.

Average Handle Time (AHT)

The Average Handle Time is a crucial Call Center performance statistic. It’s the average time an agent speaks with each client call (inbound or outbound).

Handle Time is generally compared to a pre-determined Handle Time range for agents. If an agent’s Handle Time goes above and beyond the specified limit, it might indicate that he is having difficulty responding to customer requests.

If an agent’s call duration consistently exceeds the recommended range, he or she could be rushing through the conversation. Both scenarios require attention to ensure that your customer retention rates don’t drop and that you don’t provide a negative customer experience due to it.

Average After-Call Work Time

After every call, agents are frequently given additional tasks, such as creating call notes, changing data in a CRM, or sending an email to the caller.

The Call Center manager should establish a deadline for agents to complete this necessary follow-up paperwork. However, if they spend too much time on it, they may lose time that might have been spent on conversations.

You’ll need a time tracking tool to ensure you don’t exceed the limit. Employees may log their time on additional tasks to verify that they do not violate rules. They have to start the timer when they begin working and stop it when they’re done.

You’ll get a real-time log of how long each rep spends on after-call chores.

This enables agents to monitor their performance and identify areas for improvement. This might result in higher employee engagement in your Call Center and higher income.

First Call Resolution (FCR)

One of the most crucial KPIs for evaluating your Call Center performance is the First Contact Resolution rate, also known as the FCR rate. It determines whether client issues were promptly resolved when they made initial contact or if they had to return numerous times.

The most important element of excellent Customer Service, according to nearly 60% of customers, is faster problem resolution.

The percentage of calls handled without human intervention is known as the First Contact Resolution (FCR) rate. This metric reflects if the call was transferred or handed to a superior for resolution. Maintaining high FCR rates is critical to promote greater client satisfaction and lower costs.

Occupancy Rate

The Occupancy Rate measures how long your agents are engaged in work-related activities. If an agent works for 7 hours in an 8-hour day, their occupancy rate is 7/8.

A low Occupancy Rate signals more unproductive labor. Maintaining efficient work procedures by monitoring agents’ schedule compliance may be beneficial.

It also aids in determining how much time they’re investing on an inbound or outbound call, as well as any other Call Center activity.

Customer Satisfaction

Tracking all previous performance indicators aims to improve your customers’ experiences.

Even if a firm has previously let them down, 78% of customers will choose to do business with that company again – as long as they were ecstatic with their Customer Service and empathetic demeanor.

That’s why customer satisfaction is the most important KPI to track regarding Call Center performance. Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Effort Score (CES), and Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) are quality assurance metrics that you can use to evaluate customer satisfaction.

Innovature’s BPO Call Center Outsourcing Services

Customer Service is evolving, and so is the Call Center business. To flourish in 2022, your firm must offer exceptional client service on various platforms.

As a result, keeping track of the Call Center Statistics we discussed is an excellent method to ensure that your company is fulfilling customer expectations.

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Source:

(2021). Businesses will use Call Center as a Service more widely to cut IT and support expenses. Gartner. https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2021-09-16-gartner-says-contact-center-as-a-service-will-hit-mai

(2020). Some Statistics about what your buyers want. HubSpot. https://f.hubspotusercontent00.net/

(2020). Report on buyers demands. Salesforce. https://c1.sfdcstatic.com/

(2020). How companies are improving their Call Center and Customer Service. HubSpot. https://f.hubspotusercontent00.net/

(2020). 90% of North American companies are likely to increase video conferencing expenditures. Vox Media. https://www.vox.com/recode/21726260/zoom-microsoft-teams-video-conferencing-post-pandemic-coronavirus

(2020). 47% of organizations will use chatbots to simplify the customer journey. InterraIT. https://www.interrait.com/top-five-chatbot-trends-2020

(2020). 66% of Call Center firms use advanced analytics to improve their customer journey. CCW. https://assets.ctfassets.net/

(2020). 60% of customers is most annoying if they have to wait too long. Zendesk. https://d1eipm3vz40hy0.cloudfront.net/pdf/cxtrends/cx-trends-2020-full-report.pdf

(2019). Marketers achieve a 90% higher customer retention rate. Omnisend. https://www.omnisend.com/resources/reports/omnichannel-marketing-automation-statistics-2019/