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16 IMPORTANT CALL CENTER STATISTICS TO KNOW ABOUT

6 minute read
By Shane O'Neill
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November 1, 2023

Contact Center

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Knowledge Tracker

From AI adoption to evolving performance metrics, learn how to stay ahead of
industry trends and meet customer expectations using call center statistics.


THE GIST

 * Statistical insight. Call center statistics reveal that phone calls remain
   the top method for customer service interaction.
 * AI uptake. Automation and AI technologies in call centers are projected to
   significantly increase over the next 5-10 years.
 * Omnichannel expectation. Customers now demand quick, seamless service across
   all communication platforms.

Call centers are a brand’s hub for customer service issues and are crucial to
running a successful brand. Utilizing call center statistics is essential for
crafting effective customer support strategies.

Yet the word “call” may be a misnomer in our digital world. While most people
still prefer the immediacy of a customer service phone call, consumers can now
reach brands through a variety of channels (i.e., omnichannel): phone calls,
emails, text messages, social media messaging and online chatbots. 

Regardless of channel, call center agents, analysts, managers and team leaders
remain the gatekeepers for a brand’s relationships with customers. But they work
in a space that is evolving rapidly with the rise of new call center performance
metrics and AI-based technologies like chatbots and virtual assistants. Keeping
abreast of industry benchmarks and trends is critical to understanding customer
expectations and developing a consistent strategy.



Regardless of channel, call center agents, analysts, managers and team leaders
remain the gatekeepers for a brand’s relationships with customers. bernardbodo
on Adobe Stock Photos



With that said, here’s a rundown of recent call center statistics that are
defining customer support in 2023 and beyond.



Some key takeaways from the data:


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 * Phone calls are still the most popular communication method for customer
   service.
 * The use of automation and AI-based technologies in the call center will
   continue to increase over the next 5-10 years.
 * Customers now expect an omnichannel experience where agents handle requests
   quickly no matter which communication channel is being used.
 * Customers also expect a personalized experience where call centers recommend
   products based on an individual customer’s previous interactions.


GENERAL CALL CENTER STATISTICS

 * Call centers are big employers in the US, employing nearly 3 million
   Americans. (Statista Research Department).
 * The average call center handles 4,400 calls every month, with 48 missed
   calls. (Live Agent)
 * Consumers still prefer talking on the phone to a human call center agent for
   both non-urgent and urgent issues. (First Orion 2022 Retail Survey Report)
 * 61% of call center leaders say call volumes have increased since the pandemic
   years of 2020 and 2021 despite the availability of self-service solutions for
   customers and AI-based tools like chatbots. (McKinsey)
 * 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions, and
   76% of them get frustrated when it doesn’t happen. (McKinsey)

Note to call center leaders: The younger generations are the least likely to
seek out company-owned customer support….

 * 62% of millennials and 75% of Gen-Z customers prefer self-service (subreddit,
   Google search, or YouTube tutorials) almost all the time, even when they have
   an option of contacting customer support. This compares to 19% of baby
   boomers and 43% of Gen X customers who report they would do the same.
   (Gartner)

Related Article: Top Call Center Technology Trends


CALL CENTER STATISTICS: PERFORMANCE METRICS

 * Customer satisfaction score (CSAT): CSAT measures customer satisfaction with
   a service or experience through surveys and is considered the most important
   efficiency metric for call centers. CSAT scores vary by industry, but a good
   score is typically between 75% and 85%.
 * First call resolution (FCR): High-performing call centers achieve an FCR rate
   of 70% or higher.
 * Average handle time (AHT): The industry average AHT is a little over 6
   minutes.
 * Occupancy rate: Occupancy rate measures the percentage of time call center
   agents are directly dealing with customers. The recommended occupancy rate is
   between 80% and 85%.
 * Average speed of answer (ASA): ASA represents the average time customers wait
   in the queue before their calls are answered. The target ASA is 28 seconds or
   less.
 * Abandonment rate: A call abandonment rate indicates the percentage of callers
   who hang up before their call is answered. An abandonment rate of less than
   5% is considered good for call center efficiency.

Related Article: What Is a Call Center? How They Work


CALL CENTER STATISTICS: FUTURE TRENDS

 * The rate of automation in agent communication with customers is projected to
   increase by 5x and reach approximately 10% of agent interactions by 2026,
   compared to 1.8% in 2022. (Gartner)
 * Call centers are rapidly adopting AI technologies such as chatbots, virtual
   assistants, speech recognition, interactive voice response (IVR), natural
   language processing (NLP), predictive analytics and sentiment analysis.
   * The global AI market in the call center segment is currently worth $1.6
     billion, but is expected to exceed $4 billion by 2027. (MarketsandMarkets)
 * Expect an increase in adoption of AI-based voice assistants.
   * More than 8 billion units of voice assistants will be in active use
     worldwide by 2024, which is double the number of voice assistants that were
     in use in 2020. (Statista)
 * Omnichannel customer engagement will be the norm.
   * Customers now expect agents to know their purchase history and handle
     requests quickly in all communication channels. As such, the omnichannel
     customer engagement market is forecast to grow 13% a year to reach almost
     $18 billion in revenue by 2030. (Grand View Research)


BUILD A STRATEGY BASED ON CALL CENTER STATISTICS AND TRENDS 

While industry trends can be illuminating, they’re only useful if call center
leaders can translate them into actionable strategies.

Brad Cleveland, keynote speaker, customer strategy consultant and author of
"Leading the Customer Experience: How to Chart a Course and Deliver Outstanding
Results" and other books, says an effective strategy should include the
following 10 components.

 * Customers – Who are your customers?
 * Interactions – What kinds of interactions do they have with sales, customer
   service, and/or tech support?
 * Channels – How do customers reach service: phone, chat, text, self-service,
   in person?
 * Hours – What hours are services available?
 * Service level – How quickly can customers get help?
 * Routing – How do you get the right customer to the right resources?
 * People/technology – What people and what technology resources are required
   for each interaction?
 * Information – What information will be required?
 * Analysis and improvement – How are you learning from interactions to improve
   products, services and processes?
 * Guidelines – What are your guidelines for deploying new services?



The strategy components above, combined with the call center statistics cited in
this article, should give leaders a roadmap for identifying performance gaps and
making adjustments where needed.

“Many organizations lack a clearly-defined call center strategy,” says
Cleveland. “They tend to make decisions in a vacuum, which leads to
inconsistencies and poor experiences. So when forming a strategy, I encourage
teams to think about these 10 components together, and how AI and other
developments could positively impact any of the components.” 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shane O’Neill is an award-winning journalist and content marketer with more than
20 years of experience covering digital transformation, content marketing,
social media marketing, artificial intelligence, and ecommerce. His work has
been recognized nationally, earning an ASBPE Award for Blogging and a Min
Editorial & Design Award for Best Online Article. Shane’s experience as both a
B2B journalist at CIO.com and InformationWeek and as a content marketing
director at tech startups gives him a unique insider/outsider perspective on
tech innovation. Connect with Shane O'Neill:

Main image: daboost on Adobe Stock Photos


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