First Contact Resolution

What is first contact resolution?

First contact resolution (FCR), also referred to as first call resolution, is a common key performance indicator (KPI) for customer service team members. It measures the percentage of customer inquiries that get resolved during the first interaction. Whether done through a phone call, email, live chat, or social media, a high first call resolution rate is crucial for providing an enhanced customer experience. 

Example: As our customer experience team increased first contact resolution rates, higher customer satisfaction scores soon followed. 

Why is first contact resolution important?

First call contact increases customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and productivity. Customer service agents with high FCR have more time to dedicate to daily operations like taking more customer calls, troubleshooting more advanced inquiries, and seizing more sales opportunities. 

Less time spent on follow-up calls and interactions also helps organizations save on operational costs. Having well-prepared and knowledgeable contact center agents cuts back on staffing requirements and additional training costs. 

How to measure FCR

To effectively measure FCR, organizations should institute clearly defined resolution criteria—what determines a resolved issue—and track resolution across all channels, not just phones. Gathering customer feedback is helpful as well, giving organizations another perspective on how well their agents are addressing customer needs. 

To help agents succeed, organizations should provide necessary and continuous learning opportunities, maintain up-to-date knowledge bases for just-in-time training, and streamline the process for resolving customer issues.