[Blog] Boost First Call Resolution rate with these best practices
First Call Resolution, also known as first contact resolution and commonly known as FCR is one of the important IT support metrics. It refers to a team's ability to resolve a ticket — be it a question or an issue — in the first interaction with the user. It means not having to end the initial conversation, search for the answer to their query, and get back to them.
FCR rate simply represents the number of tickets solved by your support agents during their first interaction with the users, out of the overall number of tickets they handle. In other words, what's being gauged here is your team's ability to resolve a ticket in one shot.
Research conducted by Forrester tells that 77% of users say that the single most important thing a business can do to deliver exceptional support service is to value their time. Now, you can imagine why improving your FCR is so important.
In this post, we'll dig into this topic and provide a few tips to improve the FCR rate of your team.
1. Eliminate the wait by embracing the knowledge base:
Self-service has become a major trend across organizations for good reason: It empowers users to resolve their own issues, frees up support agents to handle more complex inquiries, reduces wait times, and saves businesses money that would otherwise be spent hiring additional agents. Enabling self-service portal — loaded with a reliable knowledge base and AI-powered chatbot capabilities — enables users to handle issues into their own hands and alleviates the pressure on support agents. Even if a user decides that they still require support after logging into your self-service portal, they'll be better prepared, thereby reducing the amount of time spent on the phone and increasing first-time call resolution.
2. Gather as much information as possible:
The more information a support agent has about the user on the line and the issue they're facing, the more likely they'll be able to resolve it on the first contact. Start off by asking them questions that require detailed answers and encourage your agents to do the same thing. Oftentimes, the key to resolving user issues is simply listening to them.
One way to ensure that support agents get the information they need is to provide comprehensive training that teaches them the right questions to ask during a call to get to the root of an issue. Support agents must be well equipped to handle the diverse needs of the user. This means they should be proficient with your software, procedures, communicating with users, be well informed of policies and so on.
3. Provide clear instructions wherever possible:
As we all may have experienced, there can be nothing worse than finally connecting with a support agent after being placed on hold, only to receive a confusing response to your query. If you’ve ever found yourself in this position, you likely had to make a follow-up call for clarification and, even then, were still skeptical of the answer you received. It’s crucial that support agents be clear and concise when answering customer questions or providing instructions; doing so can reduce (or eliminate) confusion on the user's end and lead to a faster resolution. Agents should also take care to provide users only with information relevant to the issue at hand. Be precise and do not overwhelm them.
4. Confirm with the user before closing out:
A call isn't over until the user acknowledges it — and, when they do, it’s in an agent's best interest to do one final check-in before they get off the line.
"Have I fully resolved your issue/answered your query?"
"Is there anything else I can assist you with?"
These two questions ensure that the issue has been sufficiently addressed and resolved, that there are no additional issues for the user to follow up on.
5. One-on-one meetings to put the power in your Agents' hands:
One of the big responsibilities of the team leader is to ensure that the agents are performing to the best of their abilities. A well trained agent is an effective agent. Poorly trained or unprepared agents are less likely to resolve a call on the first try, so it’s important that you equip them with the proper tools, knowledge, and training to confidently handle any call they might receive.
These meetings can be of great help for the team leader to understand why the agent is performing below expectations and start the process of improvement.
6. Look for opportunities to improve the process:
A good way to make sure you're getting a true measure of FCR is to analyze the reopen rates as well. In order to improve the FCR rate, you must first understand the strengths and weaknesses of your agents. Review support channels more on a regular basis to see what went well and what didn't. What your agents do well, whether there's room for improvement, and how you can update internal processes and procedures to make them more efficient.
Conclusion:
In today's highly competitive business landscape, it’s no surprise that customer experience is the number one priority. According to an analysis by PWC, customers are willing to pay a price premium of up to 13% (and as high as 18%) simply by receiving an exceptional customer experience.
The higher your first call resolution rate, the more positive your customer experience is!