FCR (First Call Resolution)

## Why do you need to calculate the FCR metric? Most companies use multiple levels of support to connect with customers. The most accessible and cheapest is the first one (call center). That's why it's most cost-effective and easy to solve any problems or answer customer questions as early as the first level. Involved specialists from the second and subsequent levels have more professionalism, and such qualifications are much more expensive. It should also be taken into account that at the first level is enough to communicate with the customer through the phone. If this is not possible, other communication options are used - through chats, mobile applications, Telegram, e-mail. All this requires additional costs. FCR is an indicator that allows you to determine whether the cheapest financially and at the same time the easiest way of communication with the client works effectively. For any business, this option is more favorable, because there is no need to spend additional funds on more qualified managers. It is important to keep in mind that you should not give up other formulas that allow you to monitor the situation with high accuracy. If you emphasize only FCR, first-level service specialists will try to close requests without paying attention to how effective their help was and whether they managed to solve the problem with the client. ## Methods of measurement There are several ways to measure FCR with high accuracy. Among them: - Call counting. A month's performance is taken into account. If a customer on the same issue called several times, FCR is considered ineffective. At the same time, it is necessary to remember that the customer may use another phone number or even wave goodbye to the help of specialists without getting a clear answer to his problem. - Questionnaire. The customer only needs to spend a few seconds to answer whether the support service helped him or not. Such a program is inexpensive, but it fully justifies itself, allowing to determine the effectiveness of FCR with high accuracy. From the minuses - the consultant can artificially inflate the indicators. - Software. The principle of work is the same as with the questionnaire. The minuses are exactly the same - it is possible to influence the results by inflating the indicators. - Post-questionnaire. This method is considered one of the most effective, but also expensive. The essence of determining the indicators - the client is contacted directly, using telephone communication or e-mail, to ask how useful was the professional support in solving this or that issue. Which method to choose to get accurate indicators and immediately correct deficiencies in the work of the call center - the decision is only for the business owner. If the budget allows, it is recommended to opt for more expensive options. It will be enough to get accurate results and use this information to improve the service. ## How to calculate FCR: calculation methodology and formulas The choice of formula is influenced by only two factors - external or internal measurement option. If you need to get accurate calculations, it is better to use both methods. ### External method The ratio of customer problems (their number) that were solved immediately, from the first contact, to the total number of customers surveyed. Multiply the obtained result by 100%. ### Internal method Count the customer's calls in which he managed to solve his problem, using only one call. The ratio of this parameter to the total number of appeals - this will be the FCR, expressed as a percentage. As in the previous option, the result is multiplied by 100%. ### The third formula, results If both methods (internal and external) are used, the appeals (both solved and reopened) are summarized, their ratio to the total number of problems noted is calculated. After that, the result is also multiplied by 100%. The ideal result, indicating the effectiveness of the service, is considered to be more than 80%. It is excellent if these indicators are above 70%, which also indicates that there are no support problems. If the result is less than 65%, you should immediately pay attention to the work of the call center, identify deficiencies and promptly eliminate them, otherwise a rapid outflow of customers will follow, which will immediately affect the business. ## How to improve the indicator? The FCR metric is a maximally effective tool if you use it correctly. When the indicators are not high enough, you should immediately correct the shortcomings. To improve the situation, act in several directions at once: - Conduct an analysis of each appeal. Yes, this is not easy, but it is necessary to improve performance. It is mandatory to determine why the client turns repeatedly with the same question. It is equally important to track whether the application was closed. - Automate the process. Automating customer inquiries greatly expands the view of the big picture. It allows you to determine whether the same customer is contacting repeatedly, with the same requests, and whether similar problems are appearing in part of the target audience. - Regularly conduct staff training. It is important that the company's specialists not only know how to communicate with clients, but also understand the services or products that the company offers. Training allows to close requests promptly, which also has a positive effect on FCR results. Competent distribution of work will also help to increase the indicators. If one operator has the maximum load during the "peak" hours, and the other one solves only one or two requests during this time, nothing good will happen. Automated routing is the best option for solving this problem.