First call resolution (also known as “FCR“) is an important call center metric that refers to how well the call center is doing in resolving customer issues on the first call. The same metric is used for other types of interactions that contact centers may handle (such as email interactions, chat interactions, etc.). The bottom line is, FCR tells you if your agents are resolving issues efficiently. Customers don’t want to have to call back several times to resolve an issue.
First call resolution can be impacted by a number of factors. For example, if a call center’s agents are not highly trained, first call resolution metrics may suffer. If call center agents are not provided with tools to easily look up information to resolve customer inquiries, first call resolution metrics will suffer.
A dropping FCR metric is a canary in a coal mine type of indicator …. it likely indicates a problem with training, resources or tools.
Call centers that handle customer service matters should shoot for an FCR rate of greater than 70%.