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Expanding First Contact Resolution into a full customer journey metric
First contact resolution has long been the holy grail of customer service. Resolve that initial call completely and the case is closed, right?
Not so fast. In today’s omnichannel environment, the customer journey doesn’t end when that first call does.
Recent research by ContactBabel reveals first contact resolution ranks highly among priorities for UK and US customers engaging with brands. They value swift, thorough resolution in that initial interaction. However, it pays to remember that the customer journey continues through every additional touchpoint.
Contact centers who are laser-focused on nailing only that first call are missing the bigger picture. Did the resolution last? Were processes initiated on the call completed properly to deliver the promised solution?
Approximately 80% of complaints relate to wider business issues, not contact center shortcomings. So winning the first call means little if systemic problems undermine the end-to-end journey.
By expanding first contact resolution tracking across touchpoints, contact centers gain complete visibility into outcomes. This enables optimising processes, training, and routing to drive systematic gains in customer satisfaction.
ContactBabel found automated analysis of call recordings to be the most effective first contact resolution measurement method. AI solutions can efficiently analyse thousands of calls to uncover resolution gaps, producing journey-based first contact resolution metrics that provide vital insights, including:
- Identifying broken processes causing repeat contacts – e.g. billing systems not updating after a call
- Pinpointing priority training needs based on post-call escalations – e.g. high repeat calls about password resets
- Quantifying resolution quality by linking initial calls to satisfaction – e.g. promised callbacks not made
- Uncovering hand-off gaps between teams impacting outcomes – e.g. orders initiated but not fulfilled
While first call resolution remains important, the ultimate measure of success is completing the customer journey positively. Contact centers taking an interconnected, omnichannel view will gain the insights needed to deliver complete, lasting resolutions.
First contact resolution remains a worthy goal, but lasting resolution depends on the full customer journey. By embracing an expanded definition, this holistic approach extends across key performance indicators – satisfaction, efficiency, and the bottom line. In other words, everything contact centers care about.
If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide to optimising first contact resolution across the customer journey, evaluagent’s latest whitepaper provides best practices for tracking first contact resolution to enhance end-to-end experiences.
Armed with these insights, contact centers can transform isolated wins into systematic success across the customer journey. Quick saves become lasting resolutions. One-and-done interactions become springboards for loyalty.
Want to learn more? Get your free copy of our latest white paper, ‘AI: Its place in the contact center’.
